WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 January 1917, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

PRODUCTION AND PURCHASE OF WITEAT. (From Our Own Correspondent). Wednesday, Jan. 9. The Board of Trade's proposals in connection with the production and purchase of wheat are to be discussed to-morrow at a conference between the Board of Trade and the Board of Agriculture, indications are. that the outcome of tile conference will be an offer to the farmers to buy their wheat during the War period, and for one .subsequent season, at a price not exceeding 5s per bushel. When an arrangement en these lines has been made, the work of the Board of Trade in connection with wheat will not be at an end. The Board lias been considering the prices of Hour and bread in relation to ; tha price of wheat,.and a recommendation will he made to the Government, for the fixing of maximum prices. The .fir.-t step, naturally, is to ensure a supply of wheat at what the Board regivds as a reasonable rate. SHORTAGE 01? LABOR.

Reports from the country districts emphasise the shortage of labor. Most of the ac-'.i.c.ble shearov- have now gone to the South Island,' where it is stated that their number is far too small to meet the demands of the farmers. Labor of the kind required for the harvest is very hard to obtain, and some settlers say that they arc threatened with serious loss on this account. A certain amount of unskilled casual labor is still available in the. country, and men who possess few qualifications for farm work are finding employment at good wages A curious feature of the situation, it is stat'id, is the failure of the various branches of the Farriers' Union to give definite cvprejsjc.n to the need for farm workers. Resolutions couched in general terms have been passed, but the unions have not taken steps to provide the facts and figures on which* representations to the Government could have been based, '"lo't of the farmers," said a settler to-day, "have preferred to risk some los= rather than accept liability for the employment of labor of doubtful value, such as the Government might be able to provide from the cities."

STORAGE OF CHEESE. Inquiries made by a reporter yesterday showed that exaggerated statements had been made regarding the depreciation of cheese in store in Wellington. It is true that the Harbor Board's cheese store is filled to the limit of its capacity, and that many thousands of crates of cheese have been accommodated in the Pipitaa wharf shed and one of the shorts on the Glasgow wharf. But the Harbor Board has made special arrangements for the ventilation of these sheds, and, in spite of the very warm weather experienced lately, the cheese that is awaiting shipment does not appear to have suffered to any material extent, The position will he a,great deal easier for all concerned now that the weather has broken, and the temperature is lower. The .conditions are quite abnormal. Never 'previously has there, been so large an accumulation of cheese awaiting shipment as is reported from the various ports at, the present time. But tlie special precautions that have been taken in Wellington and elsewhere appear to have been effective. The cheese that has been placed, in cool stores is safe, and the consignments that have been accommodated in non-insulated stores will reach the market in reasonably good order, if shipment is not too long delayed. There i- an element of uncertainty on that point, but the Goveminent is pressing the point on the attention of the Imperial authorities, and apparently the outlook is now fairly good.

THE WORKING OF THE BALLOT. i'hc third ballot under the Military Service Act was completed on Tuesday soon after noon. The names of the reservists selected for service have still to be checked by the presiding Magistrate (Mr. S. E. McCarthy) and the Government Statistician (Mr Malcolm Frascr). This work probably was completed yesterday, and the lists will be published before the end oE the present week. The machinery of the ballot is now running more smoothly and more rapidly than it did in the earlier stages. The staff has acquired experience, and several improvements in method have been introduced with the object of securing increased speed. The ballot as it is conducted now, without any loss of accuracy or fairness, is capable of providing between '2OOO and .'JOOC names in a working day.