Last Season “One Of Worst” For Wheat

Press, Volume C, Issue 29633, 2 October 1961, Page 7

Last Season “One Of Worst” For Wheat

The last wheat growing season must go down as one o' the worst on record, said the chairman, Mr C. T. A. Ward, at the annual meetings of the electoral committee and board of United Wheatgrowers (New Zealand) Ltd.

But in spite of everything wheat had proved capable of being fully utilised, said Mr Ward. Some still remained on growers’ hands but he was confident that any remaining wheat would find an outlet before next harvest. "In this connexion I know that the Wheat Committee has consistently taken all possible measures to assist the position of growers so far as this can be done and this is still the committee’s attitude. “The Wheat Research Insti tute carried out Hagberg testing of the wheat for sprout damage and this threw a heavy strain on the institute. Its work very materially assisted in the disposal of the crop.

“In passing, however, one must express appreciation not only of the co-operation extended by the Wheat Committee and the Wheat Research Institute, but also of the co-operation and tolerance exercised by brokers, millers, bakers and consumers generally, both in handling the wheat and readily using the resultant flour. Although the flour for the most part proved capable of being processed or used without serious trouble, on occasions it has brought difficulty and it is only right that I should acknowledge this.” Storage Payments Mr Ward said that to the end of August storage payments amounting to £17,615 had been paid to growers on 912,363 bushels of wheat. Only the difference between what the millers paid and the growers received by way of increments was charged in the scheme, and this difference at the end of August amounted to £10,620. Against this the storage levy collected from growers at a halfpenny a bushel on 6,887,186 bushels amounted to £14.348. Payments and collections on deliveries after August had yet to be taken into account, but it was expected that at the end of the season payments charged and collections would practically coincide.

“It has been suggested that the levy should be increased to provide for increased payments in future and the board would be pleased to receive an expression of opinion.” said Mr Ward.

“Millers have stated that they cannot promise any improvement in the rate of intake at mills next harvest because of a shortage of labour and other difficulties. It is

very necessary, therefore, that more farmers should be prepared to store their wheat until the pressure on transport and intake facilities hnS sufficiently eased to enable the wheat to be taken in. The prospect of increased production in itself renders it necessary for farmers to prepare themselves to store wheat until such time as it finds its outlet.”

Mr Ward said that United Wheatgrowers were awaiting the Government’s announcement of the 1962-63 wheat price. "The present prices, which have operated since 1958-59, have lifted wheat production from an abnormally ww level four years ago to the present position, and no-one will gainsay the advantage of this in saving overseas funds in a critical time for the country as a whole,” he said. A statement of the position of the wheatgrowers’ compensation fund showed that the balance in hand amounted to £ 116,843.