NEW ZEALAND WHEAT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 109, 9 May 1908, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND WHEAT.

THE FARMER CONSIDERING

DOES IT PAY TO GROW IT?

[FBOM OTJTt CORBBSPONDBNT.] ' CHRISTCHURCH, May ?: In his address tolefdite the Conciliation Board in the. farai-tlabonrers' dispute, Mr -Di Jvnesj ]who- represents the . farmersj said thfet the margin between sheep-raising and wheatgrowing .had Been shown throughout the- inquiry to be very' small, and the whole question even .now, with no award, was hanging iii the balance as to which was gpiWg to pay the better ; ,and the tendency was in the direction of a diminished production. It had been argued' that the enhariced'price of wleat would compensate for any increase "in wages, but that was a great .mistake. Australia would always be the* barrier to New Zealand farmers getting big prices for their wheat except <vhen there was a drought in Australia. Sir Joseph Ward had recognised this in his latest delivered financial statement, and when referring to the proposal to remove the existing duties on flour and wheat had said that to remove the duties would mean the death of the wheat-growing industry in New Zealand. He (Mr Jones) argued that any small additional cost put on the cost of growing wheat in Canterbury would have the same result as the removal of, the duties.

The Board, continued Mr Jones, seemed to hold the destiny of the wheat-growing industry of New Zealand in its hands. ' It would mean, if an award were made that forced the wheat-growing industry out of existence; that a million sovereigns would hWve to be sent out of the country every year to pay for the wheat consumed in the Dominion. That would have a bad effect on the trade of the Dominion, and on the community. He cited evidence to show that an award would similarly affect other crops, which could be profitably grown under existing conditions, but could not be profitably produced under the conditions of the prpposed award. He also dealt with the diminished expenditure on labour that would follow the replacement- of. cropping by sheep-raising. He asserted that whilst the farmer would be a heavy loser by any award that would limit production, the bulk of the loss must ultimately fall on the working r man. He asked the Board to bear in mind that the New Zealand farmer was already heavily handicapped owing to the distance of the Dominion from the world's markets.