"TRAGIC POSITION"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 200, 24 August 1945, Page 7

"TRAGIC POSITION"

WHEAT AND POTATOES EFFECT OF ADVERSE SEASON « ■ Parliamentary Reporter. WELLINGTON, this day. The whole country would be concerned that Canterbury had experienced a most disastrous season which would seriously diminish New Zealand's wheat and potato supplies, stated Mr. Williams (Govt., Kaiapoi), in the House of Representatives yesterday, when urging that justice demanded the payment of 7/1 per bushel to wheatgrowers.

Canterbury's misfortunes, said Mr. Williams, would be serious for the rest of New Zealand because the province was the granary and food store of the Dominion. It provided not only wheat but a large part of the potato supply for the North Island. There had been an unprecedented series of misfortunes. There was a bad harvest and he had seen many acres of wheat which had never been harvested. Then for three months it had been impossible to do any work on heavy and medium lands. Consequently, the area sown in wheat, which was estimated to be 250,000 to 300,000 acres, wpuld be greatly reduced. He would "be surprised if it reached half the objective.

"I believe we shall have the smallest yield of wheat of the last 60 years, even if we have a good season," he added. The potato position, he suggested, was even more tragic. Wet weather prevailed for two months of the digging season and the crop from heavier land, though at first thought to be good, was now turning out badly, and he did not think it possible to save enough to provide an adequate quantity of seed potatoes for next season. A Fair Thing Advocated Mr. Bowden (Nat., Wellington West), isaid the member for Kaiapoi often expressed sound views but, unfortunately, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Roberts, had been obstinate with the wheat growers. He and many other members of the Opposition would support the demand that a fair thing should be done to the wheat growers. The additional price was being withheld from them when the country's food supply was in a perilous position. It might be.too late completely to overtake the leeway, but the Minister should promptly take notice of what had been said, and bring in a new policy in the hope of saving the position.

Mr. Kidd (Nat., Waitaki), complained of the way the wheat farmers had been treated by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr. Sullivan. Wheat growers had discussed the position with the Minister until they were sick. If the Government offered 9/ or 10/ a bushel for wheat it would profit by the transaction. He wanted to know what price had been paid for the Canadian wheat which was imported, as the people had not been informed.

The statement that he could not understand the logic of the argument that the price paid for wheat should be 7/1 a bushel, was made by the Minister of Agriculture, when speaking in the evening. Mr. Roberts said that a complete answer to the criticism was to be found in the fact that the United Wheatgrowers with the Minister of Industries and Commerce made an agreement for the payment of 6/6 a bushel for up to 200,000 acres of wheat.

Mr. Acland (Nat., Temuka): Under duress.

Mr. Roberts said he did not think the United Wheatgrowers would admit that for a moment. He thought it was an honest, straight-forward agreement for 6/6 a bushel. Mr. Sullivan said New .Zealand was more self-supporting in the production of wheat and he made the suggestion that if the wheatgrowers could increase the acreage sown, he would give them a bonus, rising by various gradations to 7/1.