WHEAT-GROWING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3179, 1 September 1917, Page 10

WHEAT-GROWING

A QUESTION FOR FARMERS STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER The question of whether the growing of ■wheat in New Zealand should have first attention from all farmers was raised' inthe House of Representatives yesterday. Mr. E. .Newman referred to the reported statement made some days ago by Sir James Allen to the effect that according to statistics collected by the Efficiency i3oard' more -wheat than was expected would be grown in New Zealand this year, and that we should nave sufficient •wheat in this country for our own requirements. He asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the fact that there were large crops in Australia and also of the likelihood of a shortage ' of shipping after the Now Year, he would jiot advise farmers in tho North Island to turn theirs attention to growing feed •'for stock which they will have to carry over the winter, instead of growing wheat 'on land that was not wheat land, having .jn mind tho probability that it would be ' "possible to buy wheat from Australia at & less.price than ss. lOd. a bußhel, which the Government had contracted to pay. 'for New Zealand wheat. Mr. Newman v ' 6aid that farmers were not shirking tho growing of wheat, but they were anxious to know whether it was not in the inter- ' csts of the country to grow feed for stock which it would not be possible to ship. ■■'■ The- Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald: All 'the information'l have from the'Fo-«ii : 'Island, which is a report from-the Fields *-■ -Division of the Agricultural Department, ■ is that up till August 13 there are spmo •179,000 acres of land under wheat. There • -is a possibility that there would be an-: 6 . other 50,000 acres put in during, the spring. ■'= I want to say—and I havo said-this when ' .speaking both in the North Wand and -the South Island-that the Government, ; does not urge any farmer to put in wheat .•In unsuitable land. Unless they are sat- .: ifified that the land is wheat-growmjr '■ land, and will grow a payable crop.ot : wheat, we have never urged-"farmers to. break up land for wheat. There-has been - nothing to make me alter my opinion that ; where lands are suitable farmers should .grow wheat, in order that we may have •a sufficient quantity of wheat for our own requirements. We know thero is alarge area under wheat in Australia, even under most favourable conditions there does not seem to he sufficient, wheat ijn New Zealand for our own requirements next year. , Mr. Newman: Just the opposite of what Sir James Allen says. _ Mr. Mac Donald: There is no doubt that the farmers have sent.in retnrnn "promising to put in certain, areas in • wheat, but adverse conditions have arisen. Through wet weather some farmers havo not been:able to plough. Some.others have come to the conclusion that owing I to the-.shortage of labour it will not be possible for them •to harvest their crops, and thev will have to turn their ' stock on -to the wheat. This will bo done in some cases. It is purely a matter for the farmer himself to say whether '-.'ho will grow wheat or not., There is m-nbabilitv of a great wheat crop in Aus- : tralia, but w« are in this position to-day —that there are several mills going to close down within the next four or Jive days, and we have no chance of getting wheat from Australia into New Zealand. ■ for the next three or four weeks vf* Shall not be able to get a cargo of wheat over from Australia, and in that time

mills will have to close down in Auckland and in other parts of New Zealand. My opinion is that in the interests of the country we ought to provide for our own requirements, and not to waste our energy m trying to get wheat outsido of New Zealand. We are asking tue people to be economical, and to promote ctnciency, but it will not be promoting efficiency for a farmer to sow wheat in land which is not suitable. The honourable member for liangitikei has taken a very keen interest in this matter of ' wheat-growing, and has urged the farmers to grow wheat on suitable land, but the Government does not ask farmers to put wheat into unsuitable land. This would be unsatisfactory to the farmers them-', selves, and ultimately unsatisfactory to the country.