WHEAT PRODUCTION

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 80, 16 March 1933, Page 6

WHEAT PRODUCTION

WORLD AGREEMENT SOUGHT MOVE BY U.S. GOVERNMENT. SUGGESTION FOR INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE. By Telegraph-Press Assn.—Copyright. (Received 16, 11.35 a.m.) Washington, March 15. The United States Government is seeking a world-wide agreement with Canada, Australia, Argentina, Russia and the Balkans to limit the production of wheat. Unofficial discussions so far are understood to include a conference between Mr "<V. D. Herridge (Canada) and President Roosevelt. The proposition is expected to be made the subject of further diplomatic conversations, culminating, if possible, in an agreement at the World Economic Conference at London.

Broadly, the plan is to set quotas of the wheat which may be produced each year by the great wheat countries. Similar international agreements retarding other agricultural products may be undertaken later, though the plans have not yet taken definite shape. The United States itself will be taking definite action to reduce the production of wheat and other products if Con' gress enacts the farm relief legislation which will be asked for shortly in a special message by President Roosevelt.

Among the principal features expected will be authority for the Secretary for Agriculture to lease from farmers part of their land to take it out of production. Numerous attempts have been made previously to get an international agreement to limit wheat production, but definite action has been prevented partly because the United States had taken no definite step to reduce her own output. The fact that the United States lias no diplomatic relations with Russia has some bearing on the problems involved, but it is hoped that the Soviet will participate in the Economic Conference.

WIDE SURVEY NEEDED. (Received 16, 10.35 a.m.) Calgary, March 15. The United Farmers of Alberta for some time have favoured some steps that would solve the wheat problem of the world. Mr Priestly, the U.F.A. vice-president, said that the U.F.A. favoured a conference not with the sole object of limiting wheat production, but of surveying the whole field. If limitation of production was found inadvisable some othei plan could be discussed. CANADIAN COMMENT. (Received 16, 10.30 a.m.) Winnipeg, March 15. “It appears that the United States has given us the lead we have sought for a long time,” said Mr J. I. McFarland, general manager of Canadian Co-operative Wheat Producers, Ltd. to-day. Mr McFarland, who for a long time has been an advocate of orderly world wheat production, said that fanners in Western Canada for a long time had stressed the folly of increased production m view’ of world conditions. CANADIAN OPINION. (Received 16, 12.30 p.m.) Ottawa, March 15. It is learned on good authority that Canada doubtless will be prepared to enter into conversations with other wheat-producing countries. The feeling here, however, is that the wheat market will cofe out of the present depression of its own accord. Recently the Minister of Trade and Commerce, Mr Stevens, made an optimistic speech in the House as to the improvement in wheat prices with world supplies diminishing. About the same time Mr W. R. Motherwell, former Liberal Minister of Agriculture, took the same view. “Any agreement to fix an export quota,” Mr Motherwell said, “will be too late to help /.lie present situation, as the market is due to improve, because of reduced supplies. without artificial regulation.” He thought that an agreement as to export quotas would be a good thing to protect grain growers against a recurrence of the disastrous prices.