WAIKATO WHEAT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2668, 17 August 1889, Page 2

WAIKATO WHEAT.

TO THE EDITOR. Sin,—Business has hitherto prevented mo finding time to reply to Mr G. E. Clark's lengthy composition, and I had fully made up iny mind that I would not take any notice of any more letters upon this subject, but as I have "drawn tho badger," I will now reply to hini. I fancy my "old friends" will be quite satisfied with any explanation I have made them, and as for other friends—well, I do not care much what they think. With regard to Mr Clark's maintaining as a fact that some weeks after wheat was worth over 4s in tho South the Roller Mills would only give 3s (id—supposing for a moment that I admit that Mr Clark is right in this —would it not strike an ordinary sensible man that I might have had stock enough, bought at tho lower prices, to tide me over probably till tho next season's wheat anived without giving the high prices which Mr Clark was "playing a waiting game" to obtain? Wouid not any prudent miller, if he had tho chance, have bought wheat as I did? What is a mill run for but to make money? and if I watch the market and am able to pick up bargains, am I not perfectly justified in doing so? Is not tho wholo matter one of strict business ? Mr Clark imagines that if I had been up to market rater. - with tho rise in the wheat, I might have bought all tho wheat ho mentions at 3s 9d or 4s at most instead of giving 4s 4Jd for it. Here again Mr Clark presumes to know my business. I think 1 am the best judge of that. What does ho know about what wheat I secured and as to whether the small quantity which I bought at those rates suited me to buy or not? This is a matter which ho cannot know about, and it seems to rue to be wandering from tho main point in all this contention, which to my mind is, " has this last season's Waikato wheat been up to the mark ?" Mr Clark soems to think that I am " very jubilant over the fact that one farmer refused 4s Gd and had to sell at 3s lOd " (misquoted by Mr Clark at 3s Gd.) As to this, I disclaim being jubilantat all; I merely mentioned it to show how farmers can play at " the waiting game " for which Mr Clark so strongly takes me to task. , I should like to know what farmers haVe been doing in Waikato, and I might say throughout New Zealand since last harvest, but " playing the waiting game," and have they not, through this very waiting game, lost their chance of tho Australian market? It is a very poor game that two cannot play at, and this gamo of business is simply ono of waiting on both sides. I find that no fanner will give me a bushel of wheat at a penny less than ho can get elsewhere, then why should not my corn be measured with their bushol ? Why should tho game bo a one - sided one liko Mr Clark would desire to have it ? Mr Clark writes as though Waikato was the hub of the universe, and as if no one in the province of Auckland grew any wheat but the Waikato settlers. Now most of the good Tuscan (of which I hold a fair stock even yet) was grown pretty close to Auckland, and was not got in Waikato at all, and if Waikato wheat had been equal to that grown about this locality, there is no reason why a certain amount of it should not have been bought by us. This is the answer to Mr Clark's question as to why Waikato was not given a share of the good prices going at the beginning of the season, namely, the fact that the wheat was not equal to that grown about here, which had not received so much rain. Mr Clark should not blame me for not buying up the whole of the wheat in the province of Auckland; it i? quite impossible for any one mill to do so, and when farmers will do nothing but grow Tuscan, and will not grow tho varieties of wheat required by millois, then they must expect, if they will " nut all their eggs into one basket," that there will be a glut. Tho fact is that Tuscan wheat is not used by millers altogether; they like a mixture, and they mu.<t, owing to the cheapness of the Southern winter wheat, use a greater portion of that, and only a proportion of Tuscan can bo used in the mixturo for flour. Could Auckland millers, purchase, as they can in the South, any wheat they require, whether it is for colour, or for strength, or for cheapness, there is no roason why a very much larger amount of locally-grown wheat should not be uso J, but if farmers will simply suit themselves and stick to Tuscan, they must expect that there will be much more of it than millers can take at once. No tnilhr has storage to buy up the crop of tho province, oven if he had the money. Mr Clark asks, in further explanation about Tuscan wheat. " Why Auckland is the only placo whore Tuscan wheat is not. worth more than any of tho winter varieties." Well, my answer to that is simply tho statement as above, about a glut of this wheat. Mr Clark has lived long enough in tho world now to know that some people arc hard up occasionally, and if tho market is over-stocked prices tumble down, and folks in that condition will take prices which otherwise., if the market were not over-stocked, they would refuse, and Auckland is not singular in that respect, in that good sound Tuscan wheat is often offered- and can be got at a considerable reduction off what it can be imported at, and am I to bo blamed for taking .advantage of such circumstances as that, and purchasing if I see a chance to make a profit. With regard to tho 3s (id offered for a " sample classed A 1 at our Corn Exchange," well, I can only reply that no miller will take the classification of the Cambridge Corn Exchange— every miller has his own standard; and to-day he may require strength, and another time he may require colour. And if you take the c;ise of two millers in tho market., ono might give, according to his requirements, 2d or 3d a bushel more for the same sample than the other, just as he wanted colour or strength for his grist; and he would be guided in the price ho offered accordingly. If a miller does not want wheat that is off condition, he will offer a low price for it, and there is no getting away from this fact. For my own part, I do not desire to run down Waikato wheat or Auckland wheat in any way. I am satisfied that if the wheat this last season had been up to the previous season's wheat that it would have been used in a much larger quantity, and no one regrets more than I do any ill-feoling that has cropped up about this matter. Mr Clark is convinced that any suggestion coming from millers on this important subject would be carefully considered. To this I would reply that, as far as I am aware, Auckland millers have distinctly told farmers that if they would grow a variety of spring and winter wheats, instead of sticking altogether to the Tuscan, that thero would be more of it used, that is the whole point. At the same time, I am quite aware from all tho farmers tell ine, with Mr Chnk. that it suits farmers to grow spring wheat, and while it suits them, I do not want to quarrel with them for growing Tuscan only, but I would point out tho result, namely, that then they have too much of a wheat which is practically saleable, only in small quantities, as millers may require it, at the same time tho Sydney market is open for them, and there will always be a certain amount of Tuscan bought for Australia, while the winter wheats, as farmers know, do not take there, hence botween what the Auckland province can consume slowly, extendinp the consumption over the year, and what Sydney could, tike our far mors shou'ddo well enough out of it, aud the Sydney market will always be a check upon wheat dropping too low here, and if farmers are displeased with the prices offered, they at least have another market to go to, so that Ido not soe why tho area of wheat grown should be curtailed. Talking of liberality, Mr Clark has forgotten to answer the question I put to him, namely, how will it be when the time comes that the farmers in the Auckland district grow enough for the consumption of the province ; will farmers then take willingly the f.o.b. at Lyttelton prices for wheat, leaving us tho Id a bushel freight, and charges in our favour, as against the Southern miller? Aro they prepared for such liberality as that ?— I am, etc., R, R. Hunt. Auckland Roller Mills.