THE WHEAT INDUSTRY.

Evening Star, Issue 22626, 19 April 1937, Page 8

THE WHEAT INDUSTRY.

The determination of the Government to encourage the growing of wheat in New Zealand) is much to be commended, for, despite tho fact that wheat can be grown successfully only in certain parts, the industry is of great importance to the Dominion as a whole. Any possible temptation to rely exclusively on the production of wool, mutton, and) dairy products should be avoided at all costs. Fortunately recent Governments have ■ been seized with the necessity to maintain a selfsufficing output, and the present Government’s plan to increase the production from this season’s moderate threshed afea to 300,000 acres is but an elaboration of its predecessor’s proposals. In order to control the purchase and distribution of milling wheat and to fix the buying and selling prices, the Wheat Purchase Board, with representatives of the growers and millers, was set up in 1933. Since that time the system has operated each year, and it was provided in regulations gazetted last April that the board should also fix the minimum price of flour and, if it thought fit, of the by-products of wheat. With the assistance of scientific research it is hoped that a definite understanding will be arrived at in evolving the best varieties that can be grown to suit, New Zealand’s needs. In the meantime it is most satisfactory to note that the quality of our milling wheat has been favourably commented upon by Mr Frank Winslow, formerly wheat and flour expert to the Victorian and British Governments, who has testified to the tastiness of New Zealand breads So promising dio the developments appear to be, leading possibly to the minimising of the necessity to mis Canadian and Australian produce with our own in order to procure the finest mixture for bread making, that a tendency prevalent in somo North Island quarters to criticise any suggestion of giving protection to the wheat industry can only be deplored as a selfish and short-sighted) attitude. It is true that the South Island, mainly through Canterbury’s great yield, dominates wheat growing in New Zealand, but when it. comes to distribution of the fruits of the farmer’s endeavours it must be remembered that every part of the country derives benefit. The yield is dealt in illuminating fashion by the Government’s publication, ‘ Abstract of Statistics ’ for last month, which sets out the information that the total amount of wheat threshed in January and l February was 1,965,003 bushels. Of this quantity Canterbury claimed no less than 1,670,251 bushels, most of the remainder being threshed in Marlborough and Otago. The Minister of Industries and Commerce (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan), who has been conscious of a reluctance on tho part of some growers to go in for wheat production on a sufficiently large scale to cope with the Dominion’s requirements, has just announced that he will add to fhe price to be paid for wheat this year, which in March was

fixed at 5e 3d per bushel, any increases that may be justified l by rising costs. At this stage it is of interest to note that the price fixed last month was 53d a bushel higher than that allotted last season, which, in turn, was 4d higher than the previous year’s price. Even so, some dissatisfaction still prevails because of the verdict that the increased costs brought about by the new industrial legislation have left an insufficient margin of profit for the grower. At a meeting of the South Canterbury Farmers’ Union held on Friday the drastic suggestion was made that if farmers adopted the course taken by some other industries and staged a “ sit-down ” strike, refusing to grow wheat at the price fixed by the Minister, they might get further in their protests. Fortunately, however, the meeting appeared to realise that if any such desperate recourse was organised the southern growers would merely play into the hands of those people in the north w r ho consider that the industry is not worth protecting. The consensus of opinion may be summed up in the w'ords of a member, who stated, “ I don’t think the Minister has done his best. Of course, he may have, but I would like to see him do a little better.” What the reaction will be to the Ministerial announcement following the South Canterbury meeting remains to be seen. For the sake of every branch of the community wc trust that the indication that the price may be still further increased will be a direct incentive to confident wheat growing, particularly, as the consumers are assured that their interests will be safeguarded.