SUPPLIES OF WHEAT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15700, 29 August 1914, Page 8

SUPPLIES OF WHEAT.

STOOKS IN DOMINION.

DIFFICULTIES of estimating.

[DT TELTOHArIt.—PRESS ASSOCIATION'.] CmusrcHUßOH, Friday. Tho statement mado in Parliament last, evening by Mr. T. Buxton—that there iras "carry over" of 1,640.000 bushels from tho 1913 wheat crop and that, with biports of Australian flour to July 31, there, would bo equal to 7,229,818 bushels of wheat to meet a 6,600,000 bushel* requirement—a Christ-church millor and merchant oxpressed the opinion that Mr. Buxt-on's figures were quito incorrect. Mr. Buxton. ho said, based his estimate of tho "carry over" on tho lowest "carry over" for a derado. Tut in 1913 there was practically no "carry over 1 " at all. There would probably hsve bjen actually a shortage, but for importa of Australia Hour, equal to over 100,000 bushcis of wheat. Importations of Australian flour this year are heavier than last year, because the position was realised that this year's short, crop, following the short ono of 1913, did not provido sufficient -'heat for tho year's requirements. Should next harvest be as late as last season's, the probability is that oil the stocks of old wheat will be exhausted before the new (rrain is available. Millers should, if possible, make some provision for hold:"",, over a quantity of old wheat for mixing with the new, as it depends entirely upon the season how soon tho new wheat is fit for milling. The speaker added that ono difficulty iu making tip estimates of probablo stocks of wheat on hand has been tho unreliability o*' figures published by the Department of Agriculture. In 1910 and 1911. no statistics Tver© collcctcd, a.nd acreage and yield wero merely guessed. In 19* 5 and IB 14, the returns were collected hy post from farmers, and these last t tto years showed substantial decreases on tl"- ' estimated" crops of 1910 and 1911, a, 'd tli« figures for these two years, not being reliable, no one could say what the " carry over" from 1911 to 1912 was. but- th? surplus from 1912, carried forward into 1913. was only sufficient to make up, with imports of Australian flour, the deficiency in the 1913 crop. No ono in the trade has been estimating a "carry over" of this year 1 n wheat into the 1914 cereal year, and "the demand for wheat for spring sowing has mado aji inroad into stocks that Wfl® not contemplated, ,