WHEAT PAYMENTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21624, 9 April 1940, Page 6

WHEAT PAYMENTS

£1,400,000 In Seven Weeks All Received By South Island Growers By Telegraph—Press Association CHRISTCHURCH. April 8. In the seven weeks which have passed since the middle of February, the Wheat committee has paid £1.4u0.000 or £200.000 a week to growers of wheat for their crops. Practically the whole of this large sum has been paid to Canterbury and Marlborough farmers, as wheat in other parts of the country is later and returns are only now going through. The amount of wheat so far sold to the mills is 4.819.335 bushels. All the mills in the South Island have sufficient wheat to cany them through to the end of March. 1941, according to a report from the Wheat Committee, and the North Island mills have very large quantities on hand and are building up their stocks still further from wheat which is now coming forward. The figure of 4.819.335 bushels represents wheat which has actually been handled and paid for and does not tak-' into account large quantities which are still held in millers’ and brokers’ stores on account of farmers, nor any wheat which growers are still holding on their own properties. It is estimated that nearly 4.000.000 bushels have yet to be put through, but delivery of the remainder will be spread throughout the year. To the same date last year the Wheat Committee handled 2.418.000 bushels on which the pay-out was £780.000. The total harvest of milling wheat in New Zealand last year was 4.446.000 bushels, the remainder of the Dominion's requirements being made up by importations from Australia. An analysis of wheat consumption in the Dominion shows that the total amount used for all purposes is more than 5000 tons a week for the whole year. Flour takes 150.000 tons, bran anJ pollard 60.000 tons, fowl wheat 47.000 tons and seed 14.000 tons, a total of 271.000 tons yearly.