THE WHEAT QUESTION

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 15 December 1925, Page 13

THE WHEAT QUESTION

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. By Tele&raph —Press Association. ASHBURTON, December 13. Representatives of the North, Mid, and South Canterbury Executives o* j the.. 7 1 'armers’ Unions to-day mot the Hoit W. Nosworthy (Minister of ..‘■Agriculture), and asked that prices of 1)1926-27 wheat be as decided on by the ■ recent conference hero, viz—7s, 7s 2d, l and 7s 4d f.o.b. j The Minister said the matter was one 1 fo:: Cabinet, and he would put it beforo Cabinet when it met, probably early in the new year. EIX.ED PRICES FAVOURED. , A wheat- grower of 45 years’ experi'ence in South Canterbury stated, in conversation with a “Herald” reporter, I that lie could not understand the I members of the committee of the i Timaru A. and P. Association in try- ' ing to upset the wheat price agreement which had just been arranged with the Minister of Agriculture. “They puzzle me-completely,” he said, “and apparently have little knowledge of what they arc talking. Why, one lias only to'recoct that we had three different priccc; 'for Australian wheat last week. ;vo one eri earth can forecast the market witli any degere of accuracy, and in -fixing a price for wheat the consumer ’must lie considered as well as the "ltivscr. 1 suppose the malcontents have been mesmerised by the siliy talk v fclS'a possible 8s Gd per bushel, but anyone ought to know that wo have not a hope of getting anything like that price. Where the dissatisfied ones make a mistake is in comparing ‘•the-..price of New Zealand grown j),vher.t-with the- price - ; . of " imported ’wheat.'' It is no use doing that unless the price of imported flour is also :-taken ‘into consideration. The latest price' of Australian flour is £l4/ per ton ‘f.o.b., Sydney, and no Government is likely to-allow wheat growers hero eto get 8s fid per bushel for their wheat, or -anything like that price, When flour can be imported to make bread for sale at a prico which will mark no increase on the present price. • The wheat market has always been an erratic market and there is not the slightest • guarantee, of any stability about high prices. A month or two ago . sensational American reports Jed some, growers here to believe that the for the growing crop was going to be very high, but since 'then there has been a decided drop I*l quotations, and there is - nothing to justify, tho. (Statement that present indications point to, abnormally high prices. It shou’d be remembered too, that if the New Zealand market is broken, down by tho importation of Adstralian flour it will be a bad thing all. round for this country. The prices tagreed npr>u—fis sd, 6s 7d, and 6s fid—- ' are fail- prices. I know from a long '■ experience that it pa vs to grow wheat at these nyiecs, and in mv opinion farmers will bo well advised to adhere to the agreement made.” , Another farmer, speaking on tho same -subject, expressed very similar views,- adding some complimentary references to the good work which has been* done by the Farmers’ Union in securing, definite payable prices for this season’s crop.

. RESENTMENT IN, ASHBURTON. Strong resentment at statements appearing in newspapers to the eifect . that farmers are dissatisfied with the : wheat agreement was expressed at tho meeting of the Mid-Canterbury cxecuj tive of the Farmers’ Union at Ashburton on Friday. I Tho president (Mr J. Brown) said I the • recent conference had been representative of all the wheat-growers, and ho was glad of that, as there had been much criticism in the papers recently. Of those present, there had been only four against Government control. “If you want any discussion,’’ said Mr Brown, “you should either be careful of your statements or go into committee. It has been said that tho'farmers were dissatisfied, but we have' the backing of tho whole conference.” Mr J. Cryr said that if the farmers lot these Statements go unchallenged many- farmers who did’ not attend the meetings would think they were unanswerable. They might say that tho Farmers’ Union did not represent the farmers. It was up to the executivo either to challenge these statements or to ignore them. Mir) F. G. Evans said there was no question about the Union representing tho farmers. They • should take no notice of tho criticisms. The executive then went into committee, and on resuming the president said he . took strong exception to a statement that had been made tliat gambling was not eradicated by control. It' looks as if some people in Christchurch are ; trying to create the impression that the farmers had not. brains.enough to look after their own affairs. Re also toq> exception to the statement that the farmers, were not happily represented at the confer.on re. ; Mr Carr said the present idea seem- \ fed to be that the farmers had no business ability. His so’e ability was to 'produce, and then pass the fruits of his labours on to the various brokers. TELECE’AM-I TO MINISTER OF. W AGRICULTURE. , y _ .-- MR NOS WORTHY'S REPLY. j At their meeting on Friday last, I the committee of the Timaru A. and P. Association had a discussion on the I wheat 1 question, and passed a resolution objecting to the principle of pricefixing and asking that tho matter of fixing prices be ro-opened. A copy of this /resolution was fonvardgd to "the Minister, and the following reply was receiyed by the secretary to the. Timaru A. 'and P. Association (Mr H. H. Fraser) yesterday : i “Your telegram received. Decision ' in regard to-wheat pricts applies only t0,,1D25-I2G ..crop, and prices wore decided upon la«st May. Y°<ir Association’s , views will -vreeeivo full consideration when tiie question of price-fixing for future years is discussed.”-