THE WHEAT GUARANTEE.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17401, 11 March 1922, Page 13

THE WHEAT GUARANTEE.

TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS." Sir, —Till just the other day when I saw a report of a meeting of the North Canterbury Fanners' Union, I was under the impression that i the question of subsidising wheat-growers had been finally settled and that the State's guarantee of a high prioe for the crop just harvested would terminate an arrangement which has cost the country several millions. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture both had given definite assurances to this effect and those of us who , would have protested strongly against any further spoon-feeding of the wheat-growers at the expense of the rest of tho community, were content to condone the whole business as a war time expedient. • But now I gather from what I have read - in the papers that tho North Canterbury Farmer's Union —run, it is scarcely neoessary to say, mainly by wheat-growersr—is bent: upon obtaining an extension ,of the subsidy _ system, and that'the Minister of Agriculture, naturally embarrassed by r his potion as .'the representative of the largest wheat-growing-district in the Dominion, has not ydt.- told them . this is • altogether .out of the question. He does not know, to quote his own words, where the money is to come from, but meanwhile he' has undertaken to give earnest consideration to the proposal tljat the,. Government should take. over forthwith at the guaranteed pric« such portion of this season's crop as the millers will not require for a few months.

This, however, would be a mere bagatelle, comparatively speaking, though it would involve the' Government in considerable payments for interest and storage, and relieve the wheat-prrowers to a corresponding /stent. But Me W. G. Leadley and Mr -W. T. LiH, representative Canterbury ■wbeat-'growers, speaking at this meeting of'the Farmers' Union, made it quite plain ,that ■what ihe farmers wanted , was a perpetual guarantee. of a remunerative price. ,Mr Leadley protested ho was not asking for, an exorbitant price to lie guaranteed, but "just for A fair commensurate return for. the producer s lab6ur ana the .use of his land." Mr Liuwas a little more precise. The general opinion in his county was, he said, that there should be a guarantee equal to that of last year. This would mean from 5s 6d to €e 3d. per bushel, according to variety at harvest time, and rising bv monthly increments to os and 4s 7id at the end of the season. I have ; no roason to suppose that Mr Massey and Mr Nosworthy have any intention of going back on theirpromises in regard) -to thftse subsidies. 'But the North Canterbury Farmers Union is stimulating other branches of, the Union into action, and when the farmers get together on a job of, this sort they constitute a very weighty political pull. The North Island farmers may not yet bo greatly interested in the wheat subsidy, but they are interested in the revival of the butter subsidy, the establishment or. tne meat pool, the encouragement of wooterowing and the exercise of other forms of beneficent ministerial interference with the course of . trade and industry. If one may be pardoned the crudity of the expression, it may become a case of "you scratch my .back and I wu scratch yours." . ~ However, I have more faith in the sound judgment of the Governmen than my words may seem to imply.. MP Massey and his colleagues are paiticu - arly well disposed towards the lasers, but thev are not indifferent tD tne .interests of the rest of tho community. 'They, already have voted a permanent subsidy of well oivor £4OO,OCK) a yoar to tho wheat-growers pf. the Dominion in the shape of a.duty of 2s per lOOlbs upon imported wheat. ."If,' „ a merchant interviewed by one or your contemporaries "the other day put it> "they cannot grow wheat with such a bonus, then they should put their lands ,to some other use.!' At any rate, it is time now for the Government to be looking after the pockets of the taxpayers and' the consumers. These, heavily burdened people are committed to the permanent subsidy of -2s per: lOOlbs to the wheat-growers, thoy stand behind the meat pool as guarantors, they will have to shoulder tho losses in connexion -with soldier settlement and. they, will get no respite till they have substantially reduced the war debt. In these circumstances it would be a crying iniquity ip increase their load even by the modest million or so Mr-.LSI suggests should) be added to their tribulations.—Yours, etc.. TAXPAYER AND CONSUMER. Wellington, March 9th.