THE WHEAT ACREAGE

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25276, 30 August 1947, Page 6

THE WHEAT ACREAGE

Mr Geo. Gardner writes:— The report of a meeting of the Wheat Research Institute makes queer reading. First:—“There is ten times as . much wheat gowing land in New Zealand as is needed to grow all the Dominion’s requirements in any one year.” To me this statement doesn’t make sense, and seems ’ stupid. Second:—“Wheat growing is probably the easiest, safest, and most useiul crop to grow.” Is it? This might apply if put in with a spade, cut with a reap-hook, threshed with a flail, ground into flour by a handmill, and just enough grown to supply one’s own household. If expected to grow wheat to suit the other fellow, what about the overhead? Quite indispensable are about 15 implements ranging from tractors to headers, repairs, extras, and upkeep, all costing about three times as much as they really should. Next super, lime and transport —when they deign to function. Then the responsibility and worry of capital invested and land—a target for all the hare brains and loafers in creation. Thrown in for good measure, floods, frosts, droughts, hair, nor’-westers, etc., etc. If one successfully hurdles all this, and a good crop gets into the bags, than the maddening spectacle of it being left in the paddock to spoil, awaiting the pleasure of Messieurs the 40 hour weekers in city and port. All these under the jurisdiction of the union secretary, who is more intent on throwing his weight about for all the would to see, than he is on showing sense or ability. Acres and acres and acres of unloaded trucks, camped on sidings from Friday to Monday—just for fun. Next meet our friend the income tax collector: He socks good and hard on every possible occasion, and only lets up when the elements or the wharfies take a hand. Curiously enough, even he has not yet evolved a formula for extracting blood from a stone. Third:—“Farmers have a complex against growing wheat because it takes too much out of the soil—but this has never been proved.” It does not need to be proved, for as a fact it is too well known, and is as self evident as the law of gravitation. Devitalised ground, will always speak for itself. Fourth—Price paid to Australia. 5/9. Nobody has yet explained to me how much our beautiful rimu pine entered into that deal as a quid pro quo. [The remainder of the letter argued that Labour Governments in New Zealand and elsewhere, were inimical to farmers.] “Agricultural Farmer” writes:— Having had a lifetime of experience of grain growing, I know that although not too late to sow oats, barley, or peas, it certainly is too late to expect a good crop of wheat to gfow on raw ground. I think the Government could make up the difference in the wheat return to the farmer who is willing to take the risk and plough up more ground at this late stage of the season—paying at least Is per bushel extra for any wheat sown in September. I think by doing this extra wheat could be produced here and thus save buying from other countries for New Zealand the wheat they could send to Britain. One must consider the shipping difficulties also.