FEED WHEAT SUPPLY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 157, 5 July 1937, Page 9

FEED WHEAT SUPPLY.

CRITICISM ANSWERED. WORK OF COMMITTEE. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Saturday. A reply on behalf of the Wheat Committee to criticism contained in a message from Auckland on June 23, concerning wheat supplies for poultrykeepers, was made by the deputy-chair-man of the committee, Mr. L. J. Schmitt. He said the message inferred that the plight in which the poultrykeepers found themselves to-day was due to the Government control of feed wheat. This statement was incorrect, as feed wheat had not been and was not subject to Government control. Neither had the Wheat Committee taken control of feed wheat, although it had taken certain action mainly in the direction of making supplies available and in endeavouring to keep price 3 as low as possible. Mr. Schmitt said that in Press messages from Auckland the statement also had been made that pollard was quoted at £10 5/ a tort in Auckland. "The Wheat Committee points out," added Mr. Schmitt, "that the price at which it is selling pollard in Auckland is £7 a ton, delivered, less 11 per cent discount for cash within 14 days.

Sprouted Wheat Tests. j "In a further passage in the Press report the statement occurs that the Government must accept some of the blame for the /troubles of poultrykeepers, for the reason that it had not responded to requests to obtain wheat from Australia when it was realised last Decern l;er that supplies were to be short. Sufficient comment in reply is that the price of wheat as quoted last December was between 2d and 3d a bushel higher than to-day. "It was, moreover, stated that sprouted wheat was detrimental to the production of eggs, as it did not enable birds to build up their condition. In reply to this statement, the Wheat Committee arranged for tests to be made with sprouted wheat at the Agriculture Department's poultry station at WallaceviHe last year. The results show that there were no ill-effects whatever on the birds fed with such wheat. "From the foregoing," concluded Mr. "it will be obvious that the Government and the Wheat Committee have been helpful to poultry producers in so far as supplies and prices of wheat and pollard are concerned."