DUMPING OF WHEAT

Otago Witness, Issue 3802, 25 January 1927, Page 19

DUMPING OF WHEAT

GOVERNMENT CRITICISED. SOUTH CANTERBURY GROWERS RESENTFUL. TLMARU, January 21. The attitude of the Government in endeavouring to place on the farmers the onus of proving that the dumping of Australian flour is going on in the Dominion, and the general unsatisfactory position in regard to the wheat market have resulted in many, wheat growers in South Canterbury seriously considering giving up grow-

ing the cereal altogether unless some protection is afforded them. They consider that in seeking to protect themselves and, incidentally, secure what is ' only their right, they received nothing but abuse, and are now determined to fight to the finish Strong opinions along these lines were expressed at a meeting of the Timara branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, held to-day, over which the president (Mr P. R. Talbot) presided. The matter was introduced as the result of a resolution from the executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union to the effect that it considered the onus was on the Government of proving that dumping was going on, and not on the farmers. The Chairman said they would probably have different opinions on the matter, but he was sure they all agreed it was the duty of the Government to prove there was dumping if such were going on. .’ There was no doubt that a lot of side-scaling was going on. At the conference in' AHiburton on January 14 a resolution was passed favouring combined action to try and push the Government. Mr W. J. Jones said they could not condemn the Government any more than they were doing. The Chairman said they had done their best to get information from the department, but had been told pointblank, that all the information they had was confidential. Mr D. Jones,. M.P., was doing his best to push the Government, but so far he had had no success. The only thing they could do was to appioach the Prime Minister as soon as he returned to the Dominion. Mr C. L. Orbell stated that the Government did not want to do anything in regard to wheat, and it was shelving the matter for all it was worth. Mr P. Porter said they should leave the growing of wheat severely alone unless they got protection against the dumping of Australian flour. They had been harping year after year on the matter, but they were no further forward. At the present prices the farmers had very little left after they had done all their work. Then again they were not getting a fair spin from the North Island, and his opinion was that they should pull away from the Dominion executive and have one of their own, They should fight their own battles, for they got no consideration whatever from the North Island. The Chairman said they had wheat On the market now, and it was the duty of the union to do’what it could for the members. Mr W. Black: We have been sat on long enough, and we should buck them off. Mr C. L. Orbell said that.any thing under a 30-bushel to the acre crop, did not pay, and they had been encouraging farmerg to grow more wheat, but, unfortunately, they had been growing on land that was not suitable. There was no doubt about the dumping business, and they had to do something for the crops that would soon be cut. They had had nothing but abuse, and as soon as a decision was reached they should drop _wheat altogether and grow something more profitable. Mr W. H. Orbell: This is the only industry where the duty has been taken off. Mr Black said there were two sides to the question. There were some farmers who were not able to grow anything but wheat, and it was the duty of the union to protect the small man. These men could keep so few sheop that it would not bo worth their while to bother about them. Mr C. L. Orbell said that was not tho position at all. If they were doing any

'good they should “box on,” but they were only getting abuse. Mr Black: Well, we will “box on” until we are knocked out. The Chairman said the Government had refused to put an embargo on flour, and ■would have nothing to do with duties, so the matter was now boiled down to a fight Against dumping.' Mr W. H. Orbell said the Government had practically given a monopoly to manufacturers of phosphates, and there had been a reduction in the north, and none in the south, so they could not expect much in the matter of wheat. The Chairman said he had been delegated ~by the executive of the South Canterbury branch of the union to attend any conference that might be held, and that was about all they could do. Or- the motion of Mr C.' L. Orbell, the chairman was given authority to act on behalf of the branch; Mr W. H. Orbell: Has our local member done anything in the matter yet? The Chairman: He is not my member. He is yours. Mr Orbell: He should be brought into the arena also. Mr Jones: I think we should do something in regard to the importation of 'wheat in view of the coming harvest. *Tfie Secretary read a return from the department of Industries and Commerce showing that. 430,385 bushels of fowl wheat' had been imported into the Dominion for the period from March to November. ■ The Chairman: We should immediately ipsk for. the figures for -December to Janu--7 ary. >-The , ; figures .. supplied have been doubted, .and further in<£pjries are being <7*ade» ‘ v.

A Member: It has been stated that some of that wheat has been put into flour. The Chairman: There is only one such case of that, and no actual proof was available.

The Chairman, refc.ring to duty free wheat held after the end ot January and February, stated they should approach' the Government and ask that any such wheat held should be made to pay duty. The whok trouble was that the merchants were buying forward, and he was given to understand some had supplies sufficient to last to the end of April. A Member: How are you going to trace it? . ' • ». The Chairman: The Government will have a record. Mr Porter: I suppose the Government will attend to it in the same way as it attended to other things. It was eventually agreed to recommend that any wheat landed after February 1 be made to pay duty. At a later stage of the meeting a letter was received from the Immigration Department containing advice of the arrival I of immigrants, but Mr W. H. Orbell stated that, in view of the attitude' adopted by the Government in discouraging wheat-; growing, they were not in a position to. absorb the labour being brought into the country. A reply to this effect, is to be' sent’ to the Government. - :-s