WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 22 December 1916, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE WHEAT PROBLEM, EOR GROWERS. (Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON, Dec. 20. Some of the criticism that is being directed against the wheat-growers just now seems on the statement of the Acting Minister of Industries and Com- . merce to be a little premature. Mr MacDonald met the representativs of the growers in Christchurch last week for the purpose of discussing with them a scheme he has in hand for encouraging the production of wheat in New Zea> land during war time. The American surplus being smaller than was expected and the Australian crop having been purchased by th e Imperial authorities, it is obviously highly desirable for the Dominion to make provision for its own requirements. The essence of the Minister 's scheme is a fixed price at which the Government shall purchase the whole crop, and to ensure sufficient -wheat being grown it is •necessary that the price shall be fair and reasonable from the farmers' point of view. On this question there naturally was some difference of opinion between the growers and Me MacDonald, the former tentatively suggesting 6/- or 6/3 a bushel, and the Minister implying that a shilling a bushel less would give a very excellent return, but there was no insistence on either side, and finally a committee -was appointed to go into the question more thoroughly, and to make a definite recommendation to the Government. 4 -. THE MINISTER'S ATTITUDE. This is where the matter stood when a letter appeared in the Christchurch papers, a coaple of days after the sitting of the conference, from Mr L. M. Isitt, M.P., noundly rating the wheatgrowers for attempting to impose an exorbitant price upon the community .at a time when they should have been 'assisting the Minister in his efforts to keep down the cost of living. The protest of the member for Christchunch ISfprth, made under a misapprehension and with considerable emphasis, was perfectly courteous and logical, but the newspapers that are scolding the farmers for not sowing all the wheat the country needs and taking the risks of the market upon their own shoulders are simply betraying theiri ignorance of the whole position. Happily Mr MacDonald i s better informed. He realises that the farmers cannot be expected to grow wheat out of pure patriotism when in the ordinary course they could turn their land to more profitable account, and he is prepared in the public interests to guarantee them a price likely to give them in an average season as good a return as they would obtain from other operations. The only fair alternative to this eminently sensible expedient would be for the Government to commandeer what land it needed and grow the wheat itself, but public opinion is not yet ready for this practical demonstration of State enterprise. THE STRANDED EXPLORERS. Probably not more than a score of people in the Dominion have been aware of the controversy that has been going on during the last two or three weeks concerning the possession and direction of the Aurora, the stout little vessel which is to leave Port Chalmers to-day for the purpose of rescuing the members of the Sin Ernest yhackleton exploration party that were left on shore Avhen lie was blown out of MeMurdo Sound nearly a year ago. As soon as the position of these unfortunate men was realised the Imperial Government joined with the Australian and New Zealand Governments in arranging lor their relief, but, of course,, it was Impossible to get down while the Antarctic was locked in the embrace of impenetrable ice. All that could be done was to repair and m-cquip the rudderless, strained and shaken vessel and wait for . the return of summon There was plenty of work to do during the interval and it wa 3 thoroughly well done, but when Sir Ernest Shacklcton himself arrived in New Zealand, after having accomplished the impossible by his heroic rescue of the other members of his part}-, difficulties which promised the gravest developments arose, and it was only by the tact of Dr Minister of Manine, and Mr Allen, Actin"- Prime Minister, chivalrously supported by Sir Ernest Shacklcton and Captain Davis., that something like a catastrophe was averted. It is owing | to their efforts that the vessel is now j leaving under the happiest auspices. , THE LABOUR QUESTION. | The labour question according to the J man-in-the-strect is "easier," "less ' acute," or whatever the proper diplomatic phrase may be, than it wss a. -week or two ago. The improvement is attributed by some people to the ng mrous administration of the War Regulations, and by others to the appn. ach of Christmas with its spirit of peace afcua goodwill; but probably the real truth is the workers have as much com-mon-sense and loyalty as the rest of the; old bad kind. Of course, the talk in certain quarters of what is going to happen in consequence of the war legislation being enforced,: i B just as per- ;

sistent and loud as it was when the penalty for seditious language was fixed by the magistrate in Christchurch at twelve months imprisonment, but the talk is not encouraged by rcponsiblc unionists, and is frankly repudiated by their leaders. Trouble has occurred in sime of the shearing sheds,, but none of it has been of a very significant character and as a rule work is pr.oceeding in the country districts with rather more than usual smoothness. There arc complaints of shortage of labour from some places, an'd even in these instances the difficulay does not appear to be as great as it has been represented by some careless observrrs. In the city plenty of unskilled labour is available, and a good deal of it could be transferred to the country if the demand there became more pressing, and a slight advance on current wages were offered.