WHEAT MARKET

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 3189, 31 January 1928, Page 5

WHEAT MARKET

LITTLE BUSINESS BEING DONE,

"Use all the influence you have with the farmers in your district to induce them not to force wheat sales at the present time," said Mr A. W. Barnett, of Morven, South Canterbury representative on the Wheat Committee, to a representative of the Guardian when passing through Leeston the other day on his way south after attending meetings of the committee in Christehurch. There had been, he said, a great deal of forward buying of wheat in some parts of Canterbury and the position was that the millers did not want to purchase further supplies at the present time. Seeing that wheat threshing had not started yet, there was no need for farmers to be over anxious about selling, and if they attempted to force sales their action would have a bad effect upon prices. Wheat could not be sold just now except at a figure below its real value. The advice given recently by the Wheat Committee in regard to values was perfectly sound and he was convinced that those farmers who refrained from forcing sales would sell to much better advantage than those who were over anxious to quit.

Mr Barnett also expressed his conviction, as a result of conferences that the Wheat Committee had had with the millers lately, that the latter were out to give growers a fair deal. They simply did not wish to make further purchases at the present stage and would only do so if farmers were unwise enough to sell at lower prices than tho wheat was really worth.