PRICE OF WHEAT

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22237, 30 October 1937, Page 20

PRICE OF WHEAT

TO THE EDITOB OF THE PHKSS. Six*.—Mr SuDivan seems determined to wipe out the wheat-growing industry; otherwise he would have announced the price long ago. Last season he was only 12 months late m letting the farmers know what they were to receive for their year’s work, and here we are with nine months and a half of the year again behind us and still nothing done. This coming year there will be a shortage of several millions of bushels of wheat, even with an average season in the way of growth, and given a dry season goodness knows how much we will be short. All the expense could have been saved and everyone satisfied. Might one suggest to Mr Sullivan that he hand the “wheat question” over to somebody who knows a little about wheat and is prepared to act promptly in the matter.—Yours, etc., EX-WHEATGROWER. October 14, 1937. TMr H. F. Nicoll, chairman of the United Wheatgrowers’ Organisation, when asked to comment on the above letter, stated that on principle he never commented on a letter signed by a nom-de-plume. However, in * this case he felt that it was due to the Minister for Industries and Commerce to state that the Minister’s action has met with the approval of the Electoral Committee of United Wheatgrowers. In the past the wheatgrower had not known until January or February or later what price he was likely to get for his wheat. The announcement of the price on this occasion has been made very much earlier than has been customary and this earlier announcement was greatly appreciated by wheatgrowers.]

TO THE EDITOR OT THE PEESS. Sir, —The new price of 5s 9d a bushel for wheat should, as stated in your leading article of October. 20, ensure enough wheat being grown in New Zealand for our needs. According to the’statement made by Mr McDougall in the House of Representatives, a farmer who could not grow wheat for 4s 6d a bushel does not know his job, so farmers should be very satisfied with the guaranteed price of 5s 9d. I see by the Australian papers that wheat is 5s 7d a bushel in Australia, with flour at £l2 10s a ton, while in New Zealand the flour is nearly £ls a ton, the miller paying 4s 9d a bushel for wheat, the Government’s subsidy giving the farmer his 5s 3d a bushel. Canadian flour when imported cost the baker about £l6 a ton, but since the Government took over the control of wheat and flour, and imported the wheat from Canada, having it ground in New Zealand, the price has risen to approximately £25 a ton. I understand that this year New Zealand is likely to be more than 1.000,000 bushels of wheat short, and if the wheat is imported from Australia and milled here, the price of the flour will be about £2O a ton; that is. If the milling charges are to be the same as those charged for Canadian wheat ground in this country. If the flour was imported from Australia, it could be landed here about £5 a ton cheaper. This would mean a saving of thousands of pounds to the consumer, as he will have to pay the difference, if not in the loaf, in taxation. Why is it that the milling costs in New Zealand are so very much greater

than in any other country? Is it that the mills are inefficient? Surely it is not brought about by the mills working four hours a week fewer in this country. The whole thing is a puzzle to me.—Yours, etc., PUZZLED CONSUMER. Blenheim, October 28, 1937.