FARMERS AND WHEATGROWING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17065, 25 July 1917, Page 6

FARMERS AND WHEATGROWING.

TERMS OF DISPOSAL OF THE CROP. Speaking at the Conference of the Now Zealand Farmers' Union yesterday, Sir J. G. Wilson (president) claimcd that the farmers had responded loyally bo the appeal mado by Ivir Miussey early in the war to put in as much wheat as possible. The area sown in wheat was increased by 100,000 acre 3, but the returns were disappointing, and the difficulties of sale were intensified by Government restrictions, so that a serious loss was suffered. In the following year tho farmers reduced tho area to under 200.000 acres, and, owing to tho low average return of a.bou.t 23 bushels per acre, tho yield would not run out at more than 5,000,000 bushels. Tho outlook for the following season was not bright, and farmers wore not disposed to increase tho area in wheat owing to some extent to the injud.cious criticism and statements about their want o£ patriotism by theso who wished _to get the favour of the urban population. The visits, however, of tho Minister of Agriculture to the wheatgrowing districts were, the speaker firmly believed, going to result in a great effort to supply sufficients wheat for our requirements. If thero was a good season, from what he could gather, that would 'be accomplished. Tho question of pr.ee, however, had still to be settled; the promised price of 5s lOd, f.0.b., would act very unfairly in many districts. A farmer a hundred miles from port would bo able to deduct 6d a bushel, although tho wheat was ground into Hour in the district where it was grown. There would bo much heartburning over this, unless it was changed, as it ought to be, to the prioe "on trucks,'' or "delivered at the mill." Then, again, supposing the season was a good one, would there be storage provided, or would some arrangement bo made for delivery in turn ? Suppose thero was a block in deli-very and the farmer wanted to sell, what then? All that should bo settled, before it was too late, or there would bo disappointment and dissat:sfartion, and tho following year many wheat-growers would again drop out. It would bo well if, when the wheat was growing that a census.should 'bo taken of tho areas, and arrangements made whereby tho rotation of delivery could be decided, and oven the extent of a definite district for each mill and tho rotation of thrashing la : d down. Some arrangement would have to be made for storage of the grain to be held over for later use, and the whole question needed careful confederation and organisation. The Order-in-Counoil dealing with the price was not yet gazetted, and it was to bo hoped that wiser counsels would prevail when Cabinet considered it, and that provision would be made for all contingencies. Ojie of the arguments against an "0.T." price was that it would increase tho price of bread. At the most, the average price of 5s lOd plus freight would not bo more than 6s, and certainly the Australian wheat would cost more th<an that at the mill. If the Government was go ng to charge anything under 6s 3d there would be a loss. Yet, the farmer here was asked to take less than that price. Clearly, if the prico of Australian wheat was to bo 6s 3d, and bread remained the same price as at present, then it would not raise the price of bread if the farmers were paid an "0.T." price.