BARLEY CROP

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23327, 20 October 1937, Page 8

BARLEY CROP

NEW SEASON'S PRICES MINISTER'S ANNOUNCEMENT GRADING STANDARDS TO BE AMENDED i From Our Parliamentary Reporter! WELLINGTON. Oct. 19 Amended prices designed to encourage the barley-growing industry were announced to-day by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr W. Lee Martin). It is also intended to amend the grading standards. The Minister said that in November. 1936, and January. 1937. he had indicated the progress made by the Government in its desire tc place barley-growing on a more satisfactory basis. Four major steps had then been taken—(a) A price agreement was made with the principal users of malting barley, (b) the reintroduction of contract growing; (c) the introduction of an official grading system for disputed lines; and (d) the setting up of a Barley Advisory Committee. Agreement Reached " The price agreement was applicable to the 1936-37 harvest only," the Minister said, " and in the meantime it has been possible to go more closely into the cost of production in various districts. As a result, the department has again made representations to the principal buyers of malting barley, who have agreed to the amended scale of prices, which it is felt is reasonable and should make barley-growing a profitable undertaking and encourage the sowing of sufficient to meet the Dominion's malting barley requirements in normal seasons. A meeting of the representatives of growers and buyers was held recently to discuss the suggested scale of prices, and a complete agreement was reached The delegates represented the growers in Marlborough, Canterbury Otago and Southland, and in each case voiced the opinion that the prices agreed on would meet with the general approval of the barley-growers in their respective districts." The prices operative last season for No. 1 superior grade barley were as follows: — Hawea, Luggate, Arrowtown, ana Frankton districts (Central Otago) —ss a bushel, on trucks (stackthreshed). Garston district (Southland)—4s 6d a bushel, on trucks (stackthreshed). Canterbury and North Otago districts—4s a bushel, on trucks (stookthreshed). , ....... Marlborough and Nelson districts —4s 3d a bushel, in store (stackthreshed). The New Scale For the 1937-38 harvest, the prices for No. 1 grade superior malting barley, threshed out of the stack after at least eight weeks in the stack, will be:— Central Otago—ss 4£d a bushel, on trucks. ._ T .. Southland, Canterbury and North Otago—4s lOid a bushel, on trucks. Marlborough and Nelson—4s 10Jd a bushel, in store. Where the grower threshes his crop out of the stook, a deduction will be made at 3d per bushel from the above prices. The Minister said that where contracts had been placed at prices lower than those now operative, the growers could receive a bonus regeXnting the difference between the price specified on the contract and the district price,now arranged. The principal buyers had also agreed to purchase at the above-mentioned prices all barley offering of malting quality harvested in New Zealand during the coming season. As had been anticipated, the Minister said, the grading standards set So for last season required some amendment following further exnerience The Barley Advisory Committee had that matter under action and amended standards would be announced later.