THE GRAIN QUESTION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1305, 16 February 1883, Page 2

THE GRAIN QUESTION.

A millers was held at the Club Hotel list evening to cons£derj;the abovev'ojuestion, twenty -persons Being present.- '■ •$ | MJJTJpI. toted to !shej|ir|and stated•uniform price for wheatthroughout the district. He was of opinion that if the farm.evi.neld -on ,to .their wheat for, ashort time they would realise far better prices than they could now, as the -•wheat • market %as'nsi%'aM : things' looked very promising. He considered the price at" present offered by the farmers was not at all satisfactbiy, and thought that they should receive an advance on Canterbury' prices,i '"ln Canterbury the price at present was 4s per bushel, and all that can be bought .wasreadity snatched up by the buyers at the price, and the farmers there were determined to holdtheir corn back, Tit Eng and there-was a rise of lsper bushel, and in Adelaide wheat was quoted' at 5s 6d, If the millers .did not give an advance on Canterbury prices it weuld pay better to send the cornjto Adelaide, i' He- did notwislr i( to appear that he was antagonistic to the millers, and considered that 6d per ; bushel in advance of Canterbury prices' not, at all oxhorbitant, He was prepared to say that withiff a nio'nth or so flour jwould rise in price, and believed the millers knew it too and wanted ,to; buy up, the wheat; -'. • '■■• - ■'■ . Mr Welch (of Welch and Campbell) said that it would cost the miller 9/ per bushel to get wheat from Cante'bury,iand thought that if they fixeda price,! % from 4s 3d to 4s 6d /er bushel, it would be a very fair thjig, and would be meeting them half'/ay.-. He did not believe id imposing or the" miller, but still was of opinion tlijo the preseijt price was too little. It ddnot pay to grow i.wheat at '4s .'per lushel,' and unless they coiildget more li/would advise, the fanners to hold fh, and woiridj.be in favor of a resolution fix-ing-a price foratinie. - "/ Mr! Chamberlain said,he'was not prepared to buy much wlie/t at present, but was willing tf give an advance oil Canterbury jrices. He thought the farmers wero'doing quite right in tiying to get a giod for their grain. Much depohdance could not be i placed in the Canterbury market, as it was so fiyctuating. The millevs- here might hnj up the whole of the grain in the district at the present price,' in a few; weeks the price fall, and they would be heavy 'losers.They must also Winember that in Canterbury there/has been a very heavy crop of wheit this harvest, and they have also a much larger area under cultivation than they had last year, consequently the market would be well' supplied He would be willing to give a; little in advance of Canterbury prices, and lower according to thehvrates, He was prepared to let the farmers h,sve the benefit qf the rising market, and keep it till the price was high enough for them.

The Chairman remarked that last year the miller bought for 4s 3d, shortly; after the price went up to 4s fjd, flour of CQusre went up too, and he believed the same thing wquld accur again. Mr Welch was confident that no. wheat would be' imported into the Wairarapa as it was being sent away from, Canterbury for the Home market, and thought the farmers here should obtain; a.-better. ppice than they have, ■and for himself tie would say th.at he .would rather, grow oats at 2s 6d than wheat at 4s, Mr Bacon asked if the farmers had sent samples' of their wheat to W oiling, ton, and what quotations they reoeived, .. It was explained that samples had been sent to Mr Meek, but the farmers considered his prices* as being made more to intimidate the market than for the purpose of buying, The quostion of threshing from the stook cropped up, Mr Bacon being of opinion that it was not advantageous to either farmer or miller to do so, and thought it was far better that the corn should bo stacked and time given to mature before being threshed,' The Chairman stated that he had a conversation with an experienced miller who had informed him that mellow ' wheat was preferable to the dry. stiotty grain and made far better flour, Did not know where Mr Bacon got his idea from, as it appealed to be an entirely new one.

Mr Bacon explained that last year the millers of Auckland had a meeting' respecting the action of farmers, and resolved that they would not pay so much per bushel for-wheat threshed from the stook as they would for that which wasstacked and matured, and they considered the hurrying of the corn into the market as disadvantageous to both farmer and miller.

:' MY Hessey said there was no danger of the grain being moist this season, < last year the weather was far different. • The question of railway and shipping charges were then discussed, the chairman remarking that it could be done for Is per bushel to Adelaide. '.Mr Chamberlain suggested that about six thousand bushels should be sent to Adelaide, to see if it would W

, The chairman thqught that this would be doing an injustice to the district and greatly against the interests of the millers. ~-.

, Mr Campbell said he hat} made enquiries respecting the freight to Melbourne, anc| that it. was 7d per qushel. The question then arose as to whether there was an import duty on grain there or not, but no one present knew anything respecting the duties,

Mr Bacon moved—" That the price oj wheat he fixed at 4s per busqel; Mr Chamberlain seconded % motiqn, which was lost on the vqic'es, Mr Caman moved—"That no farmer sell his wheat for less than 4d per bushel in .advance of Canterbury prices for the next three months." In moving this he thought t]]ey would be meeting the 1 farrnprs half way as it ybuld cqsji: thejp. 8d .to get it rffqifl- ..! Mr Hessey seconded the mqtiqn. ' Mr Bacon said that now the farmers pre fixing the price of grain,!the quality qugljt to, be taken into cqn : fj}<Jqration. -v,;b: .- The, Chairman said |}e was :s}is mattejljad' been' brought ifqrwatd, mmr< \fx'' \ ; ";.■'"■.'?.'.'■■ ;.

as it was a point thapquired discussing, and he though' that the - best qualities should fetchft higher price than the inferior oner A considerable discission took place on this subject, bufwie meeting was not sufficiently wainted with the classification of W to do anything in the matter. 1 .- The motion wß'then put and carried . on the voices,/here being only one dissentient voio , „ ...«,..,..,'.■«.,. "Mr suggested thatthe -' ■ names of tW; farmer* who voted/in favor taken down, as he only "-"- heard about t/o say " aye," and asked if there woul/ be a fine imposed for anyone viojtingj the rule.! : J. The Cha/man stated that it was a question o'honor amongithem. There'// was nothig binding in the course they '' had taWi and he was sure none of them wojd break"faith.' To please Mr]. Chambelain he would take a'sndw : of bands (l the motion;; Thiswas done and lesultedin .9 for i ■.<"■' andl/gainst. Mrphamberlain said he hoped the„ r ,., farmfs did not think the millers' were ' holdag out against them, he could assu'e.them they;would endeavor.tojdoi J. ;A thef best for them, and he would be'" wiling to give them an advance on the prices for their grain; v-;i \\ jf *'' [Nib Chairman said he was' pleased H hear Mr ; Ghamberlain. make. r ,Buch iiendly remarks towards theml>,and .. felt sure they would continue on good ( ~ terms,. '..'!' '■- ■' >j ) ■>"j ?i ; j ; i

Mrßapp asked if the price of oata •■ were to be discussed? : •' ' The Chairman Remarked, that unsettled state of the market •'respecting them at present would not admit of anything being done at the meeting with regard.to fixing.a price....-.

■vMrHessey thought;the,; best thing to. be done was to let everyone do his best, and get what price he could for them. ■' ;):.!;;;.;,,: -.V VJ =si/J* l\\i This • appeared '; to' be tlio' general opinion of those present. Mr Kapp quoted the latest prices as being 2s per. bushel at ; liyttelton/'for • '■ milling purposes, and, said if the far : . mers agreed to sellat an advance of 44 ' '■ H on that price they would find a ready- „ market. He was rather disappointed that the meeting did not,go into the. ( ~;,..: question, as he would like to havo;- • i; heard some prices stated. It appeared? ;,'; they only went in for fixing.the price' ; i ' [ of wheat. , ~ .< ' The general opinion expressed was ;v; that the farmeas would not sell under'"."..■,;. ; : 3s per bushel, as the quantity ofoats, : .'l • was rather limited in the district. ; The usual vote of thanks to the,, Chairman concluded the meeting. • ,l :