BARLEY-GROWING INDUSTRY

Southland Times, Issue 23335, 20 October 1937, Page 6

BARLEY-GROWING INDUSTRY

INCREASED PRICES ANNOUNCED AMENDMENT OF GRADING STANDARDS (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, October 19. Increased prices designed to encourage the barley-growing industry were announced today by the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin). The Minister also announced that it was intended to amend the grading standards. The Minister said that in November 1936 and January 1937 he indicated the progress made by the Government in its desire to place barley-growing on a more satisfactory basis. Four major steps had then been taken— a price agreement made with the principal users of malting barley, the reintroduction of contract growing, the introduction of an official grading system for disputed lines and the setting up of a Barley Advisory Committee. _ “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 an 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 representatives of growers and buyers was held recently to discuss the suggested scale of prices and a complete agreement was reached. Delegates represented the growers in Marlborough, Canterbury, Qtago and Southland, and in each case voiced the opinion that the prices agreed on would meet with the general approval of barley growers in their respective districts.”

The prices operative last season for No. 1 superior grade barley were as follows:—Hawea, Luggate, Arrowtown and Frankton districts (Central Otago), 5/- a bushel, on trucks (stack threshed); Garston district (Southland), 4/6 a bushel, on trucks (stack threshed); Canterbury and North Otago districts, 4/- a bushel, on trucks (stack threshed); Marlborough and Nelson districts, 4/3 a bushel, in store (stack threshed). 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, 5/4j a bushel, on trucks; Southland, Canterbury and North Otago, 4/101 a bushel, on trucks; Marlborough and Nelson. 4/101 a bushel, in store. Where the grower threshes a crop out of stook a deduction will be made of 3d a bushel from the above prices. The Minister said that where the contracts had been placed at prices lower than those now operative the growers would receive a bonus representing 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 the barley, offering of malting

quality harvested in New Zealand during the coming season. As had been anticipated the grading standards set up for the last season required some amendment following further experience. The Barley Advisory Committee had that matter under review and the amended standards would be announced later.