“ILL-GOTTEN GRAIN”

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25309, 8 October 1947, Page 8

“ILL-GOTTEN GRAIN”

Sir,—l have been thinking over your editorial and various correspondence about the importation of Australian wheat. I understand that the New Zealand poultry industry requires about 4,000,000 bushels of wheat now, as against 1,500,000 bushels before the war. This, I believe, is brought about partly by the increase in poultry and partly because of the of barley, oats, and maize. Before the war, the North Island poultry flocks were largely fed on cheap imported barley and maize, but these are not now available. It would appear that the real necessity for importing wheat comes because of our uneconomic poultry industry, which is bolstered up by subsidies. We seem to grow enough wheat for our flour requirements. Would it not be a better idea to import egg pulp, and even shell eggs from Australia, and thus save the importation of nearly 3,000,000 bushels of wheat?—Yours, etc.. EX-FARMER. October 7, 1947.

Sir, —The indifferent attitude of many farmers towards a self-reliant wheat policy is indeed a shame, and their greatly reduced areas of other cereals merely imposed an additional strain on the Dominion’s wheat resources. Extenuating circumstances can be pleaded—the small seeds "price attraction and the autumn deluges of 1945 and 1946; but whenever an increased price for. wheat has been given it has been the signal immediately for an outcry for more. If farmers really want to help, there is still time to sow barley, which is just as valuable as wheat for feed purposes.—Yours, etc., VERITAS. October 7, 1947.