SURPLUS OF OATS IN SOUTHLAND

Southland Times, Issue 24823, 15 August 1942, Page 4

SURPLUS OF OATS IN SOUTHLAND

NO DEMAND FROM NORTH The importance of securing an ! assurance that oats would be saleable at a fixed price before farmers were urged to grow the crop was emphasized at a meeting of the Southland Council of Primary Production yesterday. It was reported that a strong protest against the policy of importing barley from Australia for poultry and stock food while there was available an abundance of Dom-inion-grown oats had been forwarded by the Invercargill Grain, Seed and Produce Merchants’ Association. The association's letter to the director of the Internal Marketing Division stated that farmers In the South Island, and particularly in Southland, had been urged to grow oats as a war effort, and today it was estimated that there were not fewer than 30,000 sacks of oats in Invercargill and the surrounding district. The milling demand was completely exhausted at present, and the association was led to understand that further oats would not be required until the new season. Further, no doubt due to the importation of barley, the shipping demand to the North Island was negligible. The association urged, in fairness to those South Island growers who had been induced to grow oats, that the importation of barley for poultry and stock food be immediately discontinued until there were channels available for the absorption of 'surplus Dominion-grown oats. NEGOTIATIONS IN PROGRESS

A telegram from the Director-General of Agriculture (Mr A. H. Cockayne) stated that negotiations were under way with the Internal Marketing Division to purchase all next season’s surplus first-grade milling oats at a fixed price. The division was also considering the possibility of taking over the second-grade surplus at a price to be agreed upon, and if this was arranged the purchase of the present surplus would be considered. It was stated that further investigations had showed that there were 46.500 bushels of oats in the Invercargill district and 20.000 bushels in the Gore district. Mr W. Carswell said the position was serious. The council could not urge farmers to grow oats unless It was clearly established that the grain would be saleable at a definite price. There was at present no demand from the north for oats because of the importation of barley from Australia.