CONTROL OF WHEAT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 38, 24 November 1937, Page 3

CONTROL OF WHEAT

MEETING OF GROWERS, LIMITED. SATISFACTION EXPRESSED. (Special to the “ Guardian.”) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. “At this meeting I think we should place on record our faith in the present control scheme, which is the most satisfactory one yet devised and in our opinion better than that in operation in any other country,” said Mr H. F. Nicoll (chairman of United Wheat- ; growers (X.Z.), Ltd., at the annual [ meeting yesterday of the electoral committee of the organisation. “The control of the industry,” continued Mr Nicoll, “is operated through the Department- of Industries and Commerce, of which the Hon. D. G. Sullivan is the Minister in charge. The officers of that Department have had more than 20 years’ experience in operating various wheat and flour control schemes and the present secretary (Mr L. J. Schmitt), who is deputy-chairman of the Wheat Committee, has been intimately connected with wheat and flour since the war years. The Minister himself has always taken a keen interest in the wheat industry, and we have always had his support. In his own words, ‘the wheat industry is above politics.’ ” Special Contract Wheat. The special contract wheat grown last year, continued Mr Nicoll, was all tested when threshed, and about 50 per cent, of it was found of sufficient strength to grist by itself into a special grade of flour to take the place of Canadian. This flour was sold to bakers at a premium, which enabled an extra 6d a bushel to be paid to the growers. Much valuable information was gained from the experiment, but in a year of shortage, when wheat had in any case to be imported, up practical use could be made of the* knowledge gained. However, when New Zealand again had a harvest of sufficient weight for the country’s requirements tliei knowledge gained could he put to practical use in reducing importations of Canadian wheat. The Government’s action in placing an embargo on Hour and importing wheat for gristing in New Zealand mills when importations were necessary, was most valuable to the poultry farmers. This year there had been a pronounced shortage of pollard, which was also short in Australia, and it was of considerable assistance to the users of pollard that wheat was imported from overseas instead of the* bare flour. Importance* of Industry. “Very few people are aware,” said Mr Nicoll, “that this year in particu- ' lar New Zealand would have been in 1 a very, dangerous position without its own wheat crop*. There is at present an extreme shortage of tonnage in ] every country in the world, and it has ( been most difficult to secure sufficient shipping to enable our small shortage to be made good by imported wheat. One hesitates to suggest what might have happened had we been entirely dependent'on overseas shipping for 1 the whole of our wheat supply. In ( these days of wars and rumours of wars 1 it is more than ever necessary that our bread supply is protected by the ] home production of wheat, and gro.iv- | ers can feel that in producing wheat they are engaged in a national service of the utmost importance. 1 “We are indebted to the Wheat Committee for continuing to allow the < use of its office and staff free of cost, i This service saves us a- considerable s sum as the work done by the staff on < our behalf .is entirely honorary.” }

A Serious Position. Mr Nicoll said it was with regret that wheatgrowers looked forward to a low yield in 1938. The drop in acreage due to wet weather at planting time was serious, but growers were now faced with a low average yield because of drought. These two factors combined would make the position serious .and growers wished to assure the Government that, although the prospects were for a very short crop, this was entirely due to conditions over which; they had no control. The growers had, said Mr Nicoll, wholeheartedly approved, the work of members of the electoral committee, and the latter in turn had been of great assistance to their directors with suggestions and advice. By their steady support they had made it possible for the directors to make their influence felt both by the Wheat Committee and by the 'Department of Industries and Commerce, and to-day all parties appeared to he working in unison. It should be their common endeavour during the 1938-39 season not only to grow more wheat on their own farms, but to do their best to induce other wheatgrowers round them to do likewise.

The retiring directors, Messrs A. Craig (Clydevale), It. T. McMillan (Irwell), and W. W. Mulholland (Barfield) were, re-elected unopposed. Mr Nicoll was unanimously re-elected chairman.

Complimentary references were made to the services of Mr Nicoll and other members of the board. Although very busy men, they found time, it was stated, to serve their fellow wheatgrowers in a way that few others could d,o.