WHEAT INDUSTRY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 229, 27 September 1930, Page 10

WHEAT INDUSTRY.

PRODUCTION FACTORS. v NEED FOR LOWER COSTS I » $#£ '•.. : ""t'H VALUABLE RESEARCH.- WORK. S. HILL, Ph.D.) : While, at present, the Dominion is iu' the happy position of producing wheat- for its domestic to the operation of the sliding duties, and while it is highly desirable* that we should continue to. produces! sufficient for our requirements, yet what' ' : is the cost to the community now tiat -overseas prices for wheat have been s 0 much reduced? ' It is evident we must face, with countries, a lowering of prices and cost' of production. If the New Zealand . $ wheat-grower is to continue ih'business, and this is desirable, then the lowering '.-j| of prices and cost of production. should, VV', be- gradual and proceed with a definite " relationship between the two. Iu regard ' r to cost of production, it. has been ..shown , that, over a series of years, wheat costs practically 5/4 per bushel to grow and place 6n trucks in Canterbury, while the net. selling price on trucks has averaged 5/8 . per. busliel 'over the period. This cost' of "production, must be reduced. ■this. end the Wheat Research Institute, under the direction of Mr. F.W.Hilgendorf, is now operating. At Lincoln -J College Dr. Frankel is at present select- , ■ % ing and grossing wheats., The extensive 'v use pf, selected strains oyer the past ' sixteen .years, has given ,an , average--increase of'three bushels per acre. At * •• Ashburton, the Department of Agricul-.. • ture, with Mr. J. W. Hadfield in charge",'-' • is • "carrying out valuable work in the Vreproduction, testing and certification of pure lines of selected varieties. . AtChristchurch, Mr. 'West'is J testing,-the~ moisture content^protein content, qualities and -othernumerous wheats. The Departme'nt;(i»fp||| Agriculture has demonstrated that the? nse of lewt-'of superphosphate will - '$ f p, increase the yield of wheat five bushels - '/ per acre. It has also, demonstrated that'" ||g the use of nitrogen in fertiliser will, increase the crcp aiiother five huShelsacre. The use of modem mechanical" appliances for ploughing,-cultivating, and'-! harvesting are all tending to reduce tlife cost of production. Thus the combined 3 effect of the application of scientific research and modern methods are tend- , \ ing to reduce the cost of production. Butthe New Zealand wheat-grower is not." yet in the position to: benefit fully from research. The .effect .is gradual. A suddai ;removal of wheat dnties would M £ disastrous to ' the -grower a'nd to .'the ihjorganisation which is, now endeavomring /to effect improvements in the industry, ffr In connection ■- with the cost of the •' wheat duties to the community, it" has \ been estimated that if the duties were removed, the gain to the community >. would be not greater than 5/6 per head ' of population ;in the North Island,.not ? greater than ,1/75 m the. South..lsland..... In the case 'of fowl-wheat, the • extra;.. •" yi cost due toi;'duties : spread;; over., the i; : - 3,800,000 head. of poultry in the- Do-/ / minion works' out at 43d per head. The - maximum estimate of the cost to->ths®>jj: community of the ..duty on wheat Hour . was stated as £281,700 on flour consumption and £75,000 on fowl-wheat, or 'less than £360,000 in all. Were, the: duties removed and the production- of -0 wheat reduced to half, the loss to the community was estimated at £500,000 per annum. • • . . .

Many Growers. * ' . That there are a large number farmers growing only small areas of wheat is not always realised. The number of wheat growers iS 6703; Of these,; no less tlian 3384 sow only-25 acres and under. Of the total, 5338 farmers,.- or •; 79 per cent sow areas- under- 60 acres. :.;: The unusual stability enjoyed during the past three years has stimulated wheatgrowers to attempt improvement of their methods of production and marketing. - The Wheat Research Institute and the \ Wheat-growers' Co-operative Association have been established. It may be worth while-for the community to pay something to safeguard the industry awliile, in the hope that success with these efforts will ensure a reliable supply at a price which will make production unBCCGSS^rY# The chief concern of the North Island: pig raiser and poultry-keeper is a plentiful supply of cheap grain. To secure such, the production of.such varieties of wheat as Victor and Solid Straw Velvet, which- are high-yielding wheats of poor milling quality, is suggested. The admirable research on barley carried out by Mr. C. H. Hewlett, of the Canterbury Seed Co., Ltd., in co-operation with the Department of Agriculture, has enabled the Canterbury barley grower to increase his crop by. 15 bushels per acre for the last four years. The introduction of the header harvester has made possible the reduction in the cost of harvesting peas by about 1/ p er bushel. Once, the disease called collarrot is controlled the yield of peas can be doubled. ' . In regard to cheaper imported grams, at the present time kibbled maize is allowed in duty free. It is suggested that farmers' co-operative organisations should import wheat, peas, maize and barley from overseas, mix these in proper proportions, and kibble the mixture in bond. Were such a practice carried out at the chief ports of entry, an admirable, plentiful and cheap mixture of kibbled grains would be available for stock feeding.