WHEAT GROWING.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 21 March 1927, Page 8

WHEAT GROWING.

FARMERS’ AWKWARD PLIGHT. NEED FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION. A prominent mercantile man, in conversation with a “Herald” reporter on Saturday, referring to the wheat-growing industry, said that the present agitation to protect the industry had caused general interest, and there was no doubt but that the success of the efforts to obtain a payable price is a matter of importance to the public generally. What with present prices ruling for lamb, wheat, oats, and dairy produce there was no question but that farmers were, on the whole, not making ends meet. This could not go on indefinitely. It stood to reason that where a country depended entirely upon its primary produce, the producer could not have money to spend if the revenue which he derived was less than the cost of production. And under such circumstances the townspeople must also be affected.

It was estimated that on an average it cost more than 5/- per bushel to grow wheat, but taking 5/- as a basis, would mean a revenue of £1,750,000 from a 7,000,000 bushels crop, and there was not a section of the community which did not participate, more or less, in the distribution of this money. The loss in revenue owing to the parlous state of the dairy industry, must have an effect on the finances of the country; and the recent utterance of the Minister of Lands regarding land values, must provide food for thought, even to those who, as a rule, do not display much interest in these mattfers. There could be no doubt but that if something were not done very shortly, unemployment would become more general, and the town would feel the pinch to a greater extent than it had done before. Could it be imagined, for a moment, that if New Zealand were in a position to ship flour to Australia, the Commonwealth would not do for its producers, what New Zealand producers have so far been refused in the matter of protection? In commercial circles it was well known that New Zealand is the dumping ground of the- world, and as it had little chance of ever being able to successfully compete against outside countries in secondary products, it surely was necessary that the primary producers should be given a chance to exist. If something were not done in the very near future, a rude awakening would be in store for all. Even an increase in the price of wheat would not save all wheat growers, but it would be the means of enabling the majority of theta to meet their obligations in the meantime.