THE WHEAT DEAL

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 3 June 1919, Page 4

THE WHEAT DEAL

MINISTERIAL EXPLANATION.

(by telegraph— peebs association.) CHRISTCHURCH, June 2. Mr W. "D,, S. Mac Donald, Minister of Agriculture, in connection with the wheat deal, said the millers had purchased the same quantity as they, had last year, viz., four millions of bushels. From the beginning of May the price had been increased a halfpenny per bushel. The Government had given a guarantee to purchase any balance not purchased by the millers up to the beginning of September. In the circumi stances, he could not understand why i ther e should be any trouble with re- ! spect to financial arrangements by farmers. He believed the farmers were satisfied with the prices offered by the Government and with the ordinary terms of guarantee that they would be I able to sell on the usual terms, and i that if therevwas a surplus the Governi njpnt would take it over. He felt that the prices offered by the Government for next year's cpx> must be sufficient j to enable a reasonable area to be put > under wheat, apart altogether front , patriotic considerations. As far as he could gather, the majority of the farmers were satisfied.