COMMERCIAL.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18241, 27 November 1924, Page 10

COMMERCIAL.

WHEAT BOARD. INFORMATION FOR GROWERS. PRICE FOR THIS SEASON'S CROP. The North Canterbury Executive of the Farmers' Union, at its meeting yesterday, briefly discussed the report ot the sub-committee of the Wheat Board recommending that the present organisation !>e kept in existence, for the collection and dissemination of marketing intelligence, for one year, when the position could be reviewed.

Mr R. T. McMillan, who with Mr W. \V. Mulholland, and the secretary (Mr A. \Y. Smith) ol' the Wheat Board, constituted the sub-commiltce, said the rjulv difficulty in carrying out trie proposal was that of finance. It was doubted whether wheatgrowers considered the matter of sufficient importance to put their hands in their pockets to keep the organisation in existence. It had been suggested that a subscription nt 203 yearly would be sufficient. The Board would go out of existence at the end of February. 'Hie chairman 'Mr J. D. Hall) was of opinion that the suggestion contained in the report should be supported. He asked what was in the minds of farmers as to price.

Mr McMillan: They have pretty high values in their minds.

Mr R. J. Brown: They are thinking of 8s a bushel. Mr McMillan said the farmer did not know the value of his wheat, and if he sold at a low value he depressed the market.

Mr Hall: Ho is going to sell at. the price that the millers and grain merchants fix! Mr A. M. Carpenter: I would he pleased to pay £2 a year to get reliable information as to the price of my wheat. _ In the course of some further discussion, Mr McMillan expressed tie opinion that if next season's wheat reached >s a bushel, farmers would get- to work and put in a large amount for the 1920-26 season, and there would be a surplus and control would be necessary. On the recommendation of the Executive's Agricultural Committee it was decided—"That the necessary steps be taken to obtain the latest information as to the world's wheat values and to sunplv members with the same fir I°2~ wheat."

AUSTRALIAN WHEAT. COMPLAINTS AS TO QUALITY. DEPARTMENTAL At the meeting of the Alid-C'anter-bury Executive of the Farmers' Union, held on the 21st inst., Mr G. W. ley exhibited six samples of Australian wheat;- alleged to have bsen imported bv the Government for Canterbury millers'; ihese samples "were stated to have given off « repulsive odour, and to be com- - posed of one-third various seeds: it was also stated that- rust was prevalent in tne samples. Tlie attention of the Tv heat Controller (Mr J. W. Collins), having been drawn to this report, he has addressed a letter, tinder yester- - < la 3 ' s . date, on the subject to Mr Leadley, in the course of which he says:— I would like to say, in reply, that I do not for one moment doubt the fairness of tfie criticism on the sample's submitted, bilfc if the imoression given your members was that* these samples were indicative of the bulk of the wheat imported to date'by Government, then I may say that it was entirely misleading and unwarranted. I submitted to your Wheat Board hero to-day, s'.anmles of wheat taken from the bulk of eight cargoes which have been imported into tho South Island of New Zealand, and this wheat, on inspection by your Board, was, I believe, found to be quite satisfactory and, in general, superior to the f.a.q. samples, also submitted, of the States of Victoria and South Australia. The samples were also inspected this day by six leading flourmillers of the Dominion, and they all agreed! that for their purposes the wheat was quite satisfactory. / Neither you nor I have evidence that the inferior wheat exhibited was purand delivered by Government. If it is true that such poor grade wheat- was delivered, there would not have been the slightest hesitation on my part to replace.it, but the fact is that the. quantity of such low quality wheat was so iniinitesimally small as to hardly warrant complaint. Will your executive, please accept my assurance that the greatest care has been taken by the Government t-o ensure that the quality of the. wheat imported has been such as to ' give the utmost satisfaction to millers, and that, with rare exceptions, tho millers throughout tho Dominion have not rejected more than a few sacks in approximately three million bushels of wheat, already delivered. As the statements made at your Asliburton meeting were reported in . the public Press, I have.handed copies of this letter to the Press here so that the position mav be fairly stated from the Government's standpoint.

LONDON WOOL SALE. INCREASED PRICES FOR MERINO AND CROSSBRED. (AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION.) LONDON, November 25. The wool sales have opened. The demand is strong, and prices are from par to 15 per cent, higher. Private eable advice received in Christchurch yesterday stated that as compared with tho closing prices at tho previous wool sale in London, prices at the recent sale were 5 per cent, higher for merino, and 15 per cent, higher for crossbreds. ; In view of this Home brokers, have advised their agents in Christchurch to watch the market and, act with great caution.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., have received the following cablegram from their London office under date 25th inst:— "Wool sales—There wag a full attendance at the opening isles to-day, competition by Home »nd Continental buyers being spirited. Opening catalogues were fairly representative and prices oa compared with, the close of the preceding series ruled about 5 per cent, higher for merino, 10 per cent, crossbred slipe, 15 per cent, to 39 per cent, for medium greasy crossbred, coarse greasy crossbred; small quantity of greasy crossbred Catalogued'. America operating." The National Mortgage and Agency Company of New Zealand, Limited, have received the following cablegram from their London omoe under date 25th inst:

"Wool sales—The auctiona opened her© to-day irith .* large attendance of buyers and keen competition compared with the closing rates of last sales. We quote:— Greasy merino best 2d, greasy'merino averlid, halfbreda 60-56'g 3d to 4d, croae- •: predfl 18-50' a 4d, crogsbreds 46-<6'b 4d, cross- ■ •£ re 4 s ****®' a croesbreds 40-ii'a 4d, croas- '< 86-40*8 Id dearer. The selection of -S2* only fair; fine slipc* S .^*- r T| y-» co*rw stipes 7J to 10 per cent.