“POSITION IS SERIOUS”

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19803, 19 May 1934, Page 18

“POSITION IS SERIOUS”

FARMERS’ VIEW OF WHEAT STANDARD SUPPORT FOR A. AND P. ASSOCIATION By unanimous vote at yesterday’s meeting, the South Canterbury Executive of the Farmers’ Union, readily supported a recent motion passed by the Timaru Agricultural and Pastoral Association, asking the Wheat Purchase Board to endeavour to have the standard bushel weight of t.a.q. milling wheat reduced this year. “It is going to be very difficult for growers to place their wheat if these regulations are not amended,” said the president (Mr P. R. Talbot). The meeting, he thought, was aware that the Board’s hands were tied in the matter, as the regulations were set down by the Minister that the standard weight should be 611 b to the bushel. Scientific researca had proved that wheat being dried as much as half a dozen times during a wet season lost a certain amount of weight, but baking tests and research had also proved that such wheat might give as much flour as wheat going 611 b to the bushel. “We should adopt this motion,” he added. “Wo should go for it.” In South Canterbury this year the bakingtests as a whole had been good. In some of the frosted areas of North Canterbury, however, wneat going well over the standard weight, and good looking wheat, had a- baking test that was hardly worth mentioning. Thai surely did not mean that light wheat was not good for milling. Under the regulations, however, the Wheat Board would be obliged to take delivery of the frosted wheat because it reached 611 b to the bushel, while it could not take a terrible amount of wheat in this district, which although light, should be good milling quality. If the regulations were not amended, and a part of the wheat was rejected for store, the position in this district would be most serious. The Board’s hands were at present tied, and grower; would have to look to the Minister for an amendment to the regulations. The Board, he supposed, would like less wheat to handle, but it would, nevertheless, have to face the music. Mr F. Charles pointed out that the original Pool conditions provided first and second grade milling wheat, and he could not see why a similar position should not obtain to-day. “Too Drastic Altogether.” “We should support this. The Government has no right to fix the standard at 611 b, when most ot the wheat this season will go about 59-60, and under the present regulations be classed as fowl wheat,” said Mr W. Buchan. “What the Government has provided i too drastic altogether.” If the wheat was rejected as milling the grower not only lost the milling price bi> milling increments that f.a.q. entailed, and the washing-up bonus. The grower was thus debarred from a scheme which was instituted for the benefit of all wheatgrowers. “I would like to see the standard substantially reduced,” he said. In the opinion of Mr J. Trotter the grade should never be raised above 601 b to the bushel. The chairman explained that there was still a good deal of wneat on hand in Mid-Canterbury, .and a good percentage of this, lie had been told, would not make the required standard. In reply to Mr A. F. Campbell the chairman said that the Board had power to take action against a miller if he took wheat under standard into store. It had not done so. but the Minister, could, if such was the case, come down on top of the Board for allowing it. Correction Obvious. In moving that the motion be strongly supported, Mr L. V. Talbot said that to fix a standard ever a number df years was quite wrong. F.a.q. should be fixed according to the seasen, and this season, he thought, 59ib to the bushel would not be too low! It was possible that the Government, should be blamed, but’ he felt that the Minister was acting on the recommendation of llic Wheat Purchase Board. The Board should see the mistake that had been made; it was obvious that it should be corrected. The motion was seconded by Mr W. Buchan. Mr G. W. Cleland said he had been informed that a representative of the Board had recently been engaged in taking samples. It could be assumed he thought, that the samples would play a prominent part in the fixing of the standard. The motion was carried unanimously. MAIN CAUSE OF TROUBLE MR ALAN GRANT’S VIEWS. Mr Alan Grant, a mer. ker of the Wheat Purchase Board, interviewed by' a representative of “The Herald” said the main cause of the trouble facine the majority of growers of wheat un-

der the f.a.q. standard fixed by the regulations was stook threshed wheat, which on tests showed a moisture content of 15 to 15.8 per c::ot. From past experience it had been proved that it was not safe to purchase and bulk stack wheat more than 15 per cent, moisture.

If the standard was reduced to 601 b a bushel, a number of growers in other districts who had wheat below the f.a.q. standard, for example the 601 b wheat, and who had disposed of i their crop for fowl wheat, would have grave cause for complaint, and would certainly be unjustly treated said Mr Grant. “The Board’s grader, who recently visited the Timaru district, reports that the bulk of the stook threshed wheat is still out of condition, and will require to lose at last 1 percent. of moisture before it is safe for storage and transportation. Provided this wheat can be brought into condition, there is a probability that a large portion of wheat now weighing from 60 to 6011 b will decrease in moisture content to a degree that will bring it well within the definition o; f.a.q. milling. The moisture content of a composite sample taken over a range of fully 50 lines was 15.6 per ceilt. “Moisture Content.” “Stack threshed wheat is just coming on to the market, and while the bushel weight tends to be generally higher than the stook threshed, the moisture content has not fallen to any great extent. A mixed sample of this shows 15.2 per cent, moisture. This shows that the wheat in this district is coming out of the stack too soon, and will require further conditioning Growers who have not threshed should send a rubbed-out sample to the Wheat Research Institute. inch will advise whether the wheat is in a fit condition to be threshed. “In all wheat growing countries, a moisture content of 14 to 14i per cent, .s regarded as the maximum at which it is safe to store wheat. Experiments uave shown that over this percentage the chances of the stored wheat deto orating are very great indeed and in-n-ease in direct proportion as the moisture content rises. The above percentages apply to countries where bulk storing is practiced, but where , wheat is stored in sacks as in New j Zealand, the percentage may be in- j

creased by one-half per cent. An experiment by the Board last season of storing wheat of high moisture content, has proved that the same results can be looked for in New Zealand as elsewhere. “In conclusion,” said Mr Grant, “the chances are that any wheat from 59ilb to 60-ilb with a moisture content of 14 per cent, or under, will not increase in bushel weight with a lowering of moisture content, but wheat from 59 a to 60-ilb with a moisture content of more than 15 per cent, should be worth holding till it comes right.” THE GRADING SYSTEM ABOLITION ADVOCATED. By Telegraph—Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, May 18. The abolition of the present system of grading wheat by weight and the introduction of a system of grading on baking score was urged by*Mr J. V 7 D. Hall at the cor*'" uce of the North Canterbury branch cl the New Zealand Farmers’ Union yesterday. On his motion a remit forwarded by the Hororata branch that the provincial executive be asked to meet the Wheat Grading Committee and discuss a more scientific method of grading milling wheat than that at present in use was carried. Mr Hall said that there was a great deal of dissatisfaction with the present method.♦ As a result of frequent wetting during the harvest the wheat this year had weighed lighter than usual, but its baking qualities had not been reduced. However, because it was light a good deal of it been accepted. It seemed to him that a bc’irig test would be a more efficient means of determining the milling quality of wheat than the present f.a.q. standard At present the only means of obtaining a baking test was through the V rv * r, nt was not equipped to deal with large c~- ? ?-s. Mr Hall considered that commercial laboratories should be established to assist the farmers in this respect. He believed that one was already in operation in Timaru and that one was about to be put into ser-

| vice in Christchurch. He had been in- | formed by Dr. Hilgendorf, of Lincoln ! College, that the day was coming when 1 the baking test would replace the old j method. ! Mr W. W. Mulholland said that the fair average quality standard embodied in the Wheat Marketing (Board of Trade) regulations, of 1933, of necessity had to be determined ahead of the harvest. The standard determined what wheat the board should handle and what wheat it should not handle. The purpose of the bushel weight today was to indicate the yield of flour that the miller might expect. It was a fact that more wheat was being re- | jected to-day for being out of condii tion than was being rejected for not i being up to bushel weight. Flour Extraction Factor. ! So far as North Canterbury and | Mid-Canterbury were concerned there ! did not seem to be any great difference of opinion regarding bushel weight. The exception was with wheat harvested by the header machines, which was wetted and dried after it had been hardened. There was a possibility that this reduced the flour extructLn which was part of the quality of wheat. In fixing the grade at Glib to the b-urhel the Wheal Purchase Board tvi-i had a great struggle with the millers, but It was claimed that it had established a satisfactory basis. Weight as a factor in grade failed when it came to deal with wheat harvested by means of header machines and also wheat harvested in the orthodox way if the wheat had been subjected to a series, of wettings and dryings after it had been hardened. However, Mr Mulholland could not see anything that could be used in its place. It had been suggested that wheat should be graded on quality according to the baking score, but it would be mpracticable to have the baking score . as the whole of the specification of quality. It was recognised that thin wheat was stronger in protein than other wheat, but that did not make it a better wheat. Thin wheat was not a good proposition far millers, for its flour extraction was low and it \ ~s likely to contain impurities. Canada was the only big wheat-pro-ducing country that. attempted to

grade wheat on quality and there the baking score was only a part of the specification of quality. Canada’s method of determining quality was on protein content determined by analysis. Not Measure of Quality. It had to be remembered that the baking score used in New Zealand was not a measure of quality. It was more number of points awarded in what might be termed a baking competition. It also had. to be remembered that if a baking score was used to determine grading one point would be sufficient to throw one line of wheat out. The baking score was never devised to measure the difference between wheats. To attempt to use it for such a purpose would be to attempt to use it for a purpose which, in Mr Mulholland’s opinion, it was not suited. If the board, which bought surplus wheat, accepted wheat on the ground that it had a good baking score the board would not be able to sell it on its grading into store, for wheat was bought on its physical properties. That would mean that the board would have to regrade the wheat and sell ’1 as owl wheat.