WHEAT SUPPLIES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 21 December 1937, Page 11

WHEAT SUPPLIES

POSSIBILITY OF SHORTAGE IN NEW ZEALAND PRESENT DEPENDENCE ON IMPORTS rßv Trtccraph - Presß AflßOCiatlonl CHRISTCHURCH, 20th December. The necessity in the last two seasons of importing wheat and the diminution of wheat crops grown in the Dominion have focussed the attention of the Government on the possible effect on New Zealand's food supply of a war if shipping was disorganised as it has been in years past by war, and wheat was not procurable from overseas. The New Zealand crop at the present rate of production might be insufficient by a big margin to supply New Zealand's needs.

The Organisation for National Security, which under the control of Cabinet. is secretly working toward an ideal of making New Zealand self-support-ing in the event of any national emergency, has taken official recognition of the wheat position, it is stated. The decision of‘the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, to announce what prices for future seasons as early as possible so that farmers can plan their wheat acreage seasons ahead is believed to have been prompted by a realisation of the urgent need for the Dominion to be in a position to meet its own wheat requirements. Wheatgrowers have stated that if they knew the price in advance a much greater acreage could be planted. Serious as a crop shortage might be in time of emergency when shipping facilities were not readily available to bring wheat importations from overseas, the position is said to have an even more serious side. The gr.owing use of tractors on farms has made petrol an absolute necessity on very many farms. It is stated that were that petrol supply to be cut off, New Zealand’s agricultural production must drop to a considerable extent. On many farms no horses at all are kept, and the number of tractors at present working would need to be replaced by about 60,000 draught horses if farm production was to be kept at its present level without petrol supplies in the country. On Year Book statistics it is claimed that the number of draught horses is a long way short of the number that

would bo required if Iraclnrs were uol used, and as it is known llial onlv a

few months’ pel ml supply is kepi in New Zealand at one time a sudden cessation of imporlalion of motor fuel would place the Dominion in an extremely serious position in the produclinn of foodstuffs.

II is known that llie Organisation for National Soeurily keeps in close (ouch will) petrol imporlers about slocks, so that if an emergency arose present slocks might bo rationed I" serve the whole communily, but even under rationed use (he stocks now in (he Dominion could not be expected to last more than a year.

These factors have been a powerful agent, it is certain, in furthering I he desire of the Government lo have natural oilfields discovered in this country and they have also been used as arguments for the case of those who support the provision of a coal carbonisation plant in I he Dominion. The position undoubtedly is that if imports were restricted a wheat crop of the same proportions of this year's

in New Zealand would be insufficient In feed Ihe country, and even if it were sufficient, production might he sadly rurlailcd by a lack of petrol caused by the same hold-up of shipping that would prevent the imporlalion of foodstuffs.