WHEAT PRICES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 34, 19 November 1937, Page 6

WHEAT PRICES

MISLEADING QUOTATION. PRICES FOR SPARE PARTS. FARMERS’ UNION EXECUTIVE. Misleading quotations of wheat prices and the increases in the prices of spare parts for farm machinery were discussed at the meeting of the MidCanterbury Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union this afternoon, when the president (Mr L. 0. Oakley) presided over a good attendance. Mr W. W. Mulholland, of the Standards Institute, wrote in regard to tests made with the Chapman sack and stating that the potato growers advocated that a sack 46in by 26Jin be adopted for heavy grain and potatoes. Mr C. C. Winn said he had seen a test of the sack and the receptacle held only 1661bs of wheat. The Union had been led to a false conclusion and the question would have to be re-opened with the Standards Institute. It was agreed to seek the re-opening of the question in a further conference with the Institute. The president said the Union _ had been misdirected from the beginning. Mr IT. Brown said any sack adopted must be capable of taking 1801bs of barley as well as of under-weight wheat. The president said the Union had been told that the watersiders had decided the Chapman sack was the only one they would handle. Mr Brown: Well, we will have to handle them, that’s all. They are dictating the shape of the bag? The president said this was so. They had said the longer sack was better for packing in ships’ holds. The short, dumpy sack was causing damage to produce. Mr John Roberts had made things very plain to the farmers’ conference that they would have to adopt the new sack, and he was backed up by the secretary of the Standards Institute. The president and Mr Winn referred to the operation of the group system of meetings and said there had not been a meeting of the Canterbury group since before the last conference. The South Canterbury farmers were very much against the system. It was decided to ask the group secretary why the quarterly meetings had not been held recently. Mr W. R. Hammond said he thought the trouble was one of internal working. It was decided to allow the v Young Farmers’ Clubs of the County to send two delegates to the Executive meetings, with the right to speak, but not to vote. The Methven branch wrote recommending a field day for farmers to inspect the County irrigation works. Mr Hammond said it had been suggested that the present was the most opportune time to visit the Levels and Redcliffs schemes.

The Methven suggestion was adopted' and it was agreed to first visit the South Canterbury schemes. The Methven branch forwarded the following remit: “That the Executive should take immediate steps, through the newspapers, to correct the impression in the public mind in regard to prices fixed for wheat.” The price, it was stated, as quoted on a f.o.b. basis was very misleading and gave the impression that the price was the actual price received by the grower. The suggestion did not aim at the abolition of the f.o.b. price, but rather publicly to indicate the actual price to the grower. The grower did not receive the stated 5s 9d in full. Mr J. Carr said the public did not understand the position, but it was difficult to state just what the price was. The f.o.b. charges varied from practically nothing up to Is lid a bushel. The average was about 3d a bushel. Members agreed that it would be better to announce average prices to the public. Mr A. P. Bruce said it would, be quite in order to hand out the average price on trucks which would be fair to everyone. This would suit the growers. It was decided to ask tlio wlioat coinmittee to announce to the newspapers average prices on trucks, these to bo quoted below the f.o.b. prices. The branch also forwarded a remit asking that the attention of the Minister of Industries and Commerce be drawn to the very substantial increases in the prices of spare parts for farm* machinery and that the reasons for the increases be sought. Mr Winn stated that as a result of his perusal of price lists, he found that there had not been any increases except in two minor instances. He inquired further and, found that there were staggering increases in the prices to-day compared with those of 1935.