THE WHEAT DEAL

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16448, 2 June 1919, Page 7

THE WHEAT DEAL

STATEMENT BY,MINISTER. Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, June 2. Air. AV. D. S. MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture, in connection with the wheat deal, said the millers had purchased the same quantity as they had last year, viz., four millions of bushels. Erom the beginning of May 1 the price had been increased a halfpenny per bushel. The Government had given a guarantee to purchase any balance not purchased by the millers up to the beginning of September. In the circumstances ho could not understand why there should lie any trouble with respect to financial arrangements by farmers. He believed the farmers were satisfied with the proces offered by the Government, and with the ordinary terms of guarantee that they would be able to sell on the usual terms, and that if there was a surplus the Government would take it over. Ho felt that the. prices offered by the Government for next year’s crop must be sufficient to enable a reasonable area to be put under wheat, apart altogether from patriotic considerations. As' far as ho could gather the majority of the farmers were satisfied.