WHEAT GROWING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17198, 19 June 1916, Page 11

WHEAT GROWING.

TO THR KDITOR. Sir,—-At last the. Government is getting a dim consciousness of wlmt will happen when the grain-grower in Canterbury and North Otago plays tho only trump card he lias lip his sleeve. That is, to get out of the business altogether. It lias taken a very long time for Parliament to realise what this is going to mean. It will take a very much longer time to undo the mischief their inaction ■ has caused, when farmers, hoping against hope, sternly resolve to he made a convenience of no longer, as far, as wheatgrowing is concerned. I inclose the remarks in full I made about wheat when giving my presidential address at the Farmers’ Union conference held some three weeks ago. Perhaps it will be interesting at tho present juncture to many of your numerous readers. In conclusion, Mr Editor, kindly enlighten me as to the meaning of the Prime Minister’s words, “ The suggestion for a graduated import duty had been tried in England at the time ol the Corn Laws. It was a failure.’ All of us have not access to Parliamentary libraries, etc., and it is not within the ken of this present generation what hanpened at the time ol the English Corn Laws. AVe have only a dim idea that it was to encourage wheat growing in England, but as to how and where the remedies tailed most of us are very hazy. It tiie English case is analogous to our ,own, then it may be a case of history repeating itself, but. I dou t think so. Social, national and international relations are very often earned out on the motto of ’* Do unto your neighbour as he would do unto you, only do it first.” As far as the staff of life is concerned, if tho Sussex Street man once gets control that idea will be carried out to perfection. Co-ordination of certain things for national security is imperative, and the conservation of our food supply is one of these things.—l am, etc., GEORGE GARDNER. Mr Gardner's observations on wheat growing in his address at the Fanneis Union conference were as follows: Coming to' grain-growing, I am decidedly of opinion that in wheat Lanterbuvv farmers arc not getting a sqnnre deal from the rest oi New Zealand. Australia, with its vast wheat belts of cheap, easily-worked land, and its dry climate and harvesters leaves New* Zealand incomparably cut oi the running in'this matter; but there is such a thing as national security as opposed to personal profit, and it we take account of three factors onli, u-ar, droughts and strikes, then it appears to he a moM unwise policy not to safeguard our own Dominion m its food supply.

J would strongly urge on those m authority that no wheat or flour ne allowed to land in the Dominion unless the market price in Canterbury rises above 5s per bushel.

This does not necessarily mean except once in a blue moon that, it would ever get to ss. Unless something of the sort is dune, then New Zealand wheatgrowers will feel that they are only build made a convenience 01, anil l am ‘‘positive that sooner than the people think, the industry will cite out. In fact- it is only hreauso oi tho con* servative habits of a great many of our farmers that wheat-growing has existed so long as it has. I erhans it tho control of the sir,it of hie passes over to Sussex Street Sydney, then Now Zealand will get a lesson that will do it once and for alb