THE WHEAT CROP.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1918, Page 6

THE WHEAT CROP.

GOVERNMENT PROVISIONS EXPLAINED. As there is a considerable doubt as to the position of farmers in Mation to the wheat crop this season, it may be instructive t,o state the position as clearly as possible as dealt with in the Gazette Extraordinary published 011 December 22. An ordinary farmer may possess himself of a copy of the Gazette and having done so find it difficult to extract necessary information from the legal phrases in which the Order-in-Council is written. The following gives the essential points of tho order without unnecessary verbal drapery, and which the ordinary farmer wants to know. Practically the Government commandeers all wheat grown, but any wheat not suitable for milling is made "tree," and can be sold for poultry or any other purpose through the Ibrofcer to a purchaser for resale holding a permit to do so- The maximum price for this wheat to the farmer until the end of March is 5s 8d a bilshel, with an addition of 4d a "bushel delivered free on board at New Plymouth; that is to say, the extra 4d allows for freight to the Breakwater and wharfage. As it is unlikely that much, if any, wheat grown in this district will bo sent away by water, it means that an adjustment- of the freight allowance will have to be made in the case of wheat toeing sent direct, for instance to the Sentry Hill mills byrail from New Plymouth, or Waitara or Inglewood. It is probably safe to say that milling wheat, which is 2d per bushel more than the inferior wheat, consigned by rail to Sentry Hill will fetch 6s if delivered at the New Plymouth, Waitara or Inglewood stations, and Cs Oid if delivered to the Sentry Hill mill, and 6s 2d if delivered free on board at the Breakwater. Practically the broker accepts or rejects wheat. He is compelled to accept it if it is fit for milling, and if there is any difference of opinion between the grower, the broker and the miller a s to the fitness of the sample for milling purposes "tho dispute shall be determined by a Government grader appointed for that purpoße" No one is allowed to buy either milling or inferior, or seed wheat from a grower unless he holds a warrant to do so issued by the Wheat. Controller, and auvonc selling or purchasing wheat from a* farmer at a price in excess of the maximum prices is liable under the War Regulations Act. Every grower of wheat must make a return to the Wheat Controller giving the number of bushels of wheat threshed, stating what has happened to it; whether it is still on the farm or elsewhere; the estimated quantity of wheat still unthreshed. Every threshing mill proprietor has to make to the Wheat Controller once a month a return giving full particulars of wheat threshed by liim. With regard to Backs tlu> Government allows 10Jd each if they are new, and for second hand sacks the price has to 'be fixed 'by mutual arrangement according to their value; but the miller will not accept wheat in old flour sacks owing to the danger arising from mites and the greatest enemy of the flour millers—the Mediterranean moth. For April and each succeeding month until September a halfpenny extra for each month is allowed for milling wheat, the price per bushel in ■K<m<...i l ibcr being 6s 5d Breakwater, 6s _3d at New Plymouth, Waitara or Inglewood stations, and 6s 3Jd if delivered at Sentry Hill mills. It should be added that wheat ground on the grower's account must be absolutely restricted to the amount necessary for the farmer's own private consumption. Messrs. Gaustad* Marlow auil Co-., Limited, of Waitara, have been appointed the Government brokers for Taranaki.