AUSTRALIAN WHEAT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 33, 18 November 1943, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN WHEAT.

RESTRICTION ON ACREAGE. NO ALLOWANCE FOR DROUGHT. SYDNEY, November 10. Restrictions placed on the acreage of wheat sown in Australia by the present Federal Government scheme would have serious results if a drought occurred, the New South Wales Minister of Agriculture (Mr W. Dunn) stated. He was commenting on a report that New South Wales wheatgrowers planted 1,000,000 acres less Wheat last season than was permitted under the scheme.

The Federal price stabilisation plan provides for payment of 4s a bushel for the first 3000 bushels grown by a farmer, and 2s a bushel for the remainder. Before the Federal scheme was introduced the cropped area in New South Wales was between 4,000,000 and 4,500,000 acres a year. To-day the area is about 2,500,000 acres. If the estimated New South Wales yield of 38,000,000 bushels is realised this year the State will have only about 8,000,000 bushels abovelocal requirements. “If the restrictions are continued a drought next year would mean that New South Wales would have to import wheat,” said Mr Dunn. “We had to import 13,000,000 bushels because of crop failure in 1919-20, when there was no restriction on the wheat area. Restrictions on wheat production are a great mistake. Experience has shown that seasonal conditions: arc the governing factor in production.” Mr Dunn added that manpower shortage was one reason for wheatgrowers planting 1,000,000 acres less than was permitted. This was additional evidence that more labour must be provided for primary industries. Growers’ representatives claimed that greater ’production would have unprofitable.