CRITICISM OF THE QUALITY OF WHEAT.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20721, 7 May 1937, Page 8

CRITICISM OF THE QUALITY OF WHEAT.

Because of the national importance of wheat-growing as a key industry in the Dominion’s scheme of things, the devastating criticism levelled at the quality of New Zealand grown wheat, by the chairman of an important unit of the New Zealand milling industry, cannot be treated with unconcern: New Zealand, because of the vagaries of the climate, is unsuited for heading wheat, which 1* the process of cutting and threshing at the same time. Canterbury wheat should be stacked for six weeks before threshing. An unusually wet summer in Canterbury this season is resulting in an exceptionally high moisture content, the average being about 16.5 per cent., and rising as high as 19 per cent. It was quite Impossible to ship this wheat or even store it with safety. The result has been that, Instead of having four or five months’ supply of grain in our granaries, which is usual at this time of the year, our mills were reduced last month to an amount equal to a fortnight's gristing. Without being able to mix different classes of wheat, flour of a suitable standard cannot be produced, and here the mills have been gristing any grain that could be secured without regard to quality or any other factors. No allowance has been made for the high percentage of moisture, but when a belated cargo of Australian wheat arrived at the end of April, the low water content was taken fully into account in fixing the price. These are facts, and no contradiction or specious argument can alter or detract from them one iota. From time to time critical references have been made to the quality of wheat from the point of view of the baker, but the Minister of Industries and Commerce, who is responsible for the introduction of the present system of State control of the industries involved in the production of the people’s staff of life, has invariably insisted that bakers who complained of the quality of New Zealand milled flour, did not know their business. Criticism indulged in by Aucklanders invariably has been somewhat discounted because of the chronic hostility cherished in the North Island towards wheat-growing as an industry, but the points raised yesterday by a representative of the milling industry cannot be swept aside with the airy assurance that they are prompted by prejudice; on the contrary, the criticism calls for the closest investigation by all who are interested in an important industry upon which depends the direct and indirect employment of thousands of New Zealanders. It is generally recognised both in wheat-growing districts and in the northern centres that the vagaries of the weather have played havoc with agriculture this year. The abnormally wet season has certainly not made wheatgrowing any safer than usual; nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the introduction of methods that suit other countries, may not help to overcome difficulties inherent to this country.