FARMERS AND WHEAT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12087, 16 August 1917, Page 2

FARMERS AND WHEAT.

IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL SUPPLY. [From Our Correspondent.] "WELLINGTON, August 15. Mr E. Newman asked the Minister of Agriculture to-day whether, in view of the large amount of wheat available in Australia., ond of tho difficulties "likely to be experienced in getting away frozen meat, tho Government would allow farmers who received wheat to grow winter feed instead of wheat. Ho heated that the season had been a very wet one in the North Island, and a quantity of wheat which would otherwise have been sown was not yet in tho ground. Mr Pooie: Green food is not wheat. The Hon \Y. I>. S. MncDonald replied that the Government was very keenly anxious that farmers should grow enough wheat for this country, notwithstanding tho fact, that th-sra was a very quantity of wheat in Australia.. As an indication of the difficulty at present of getting wheat purchased outside into the country, he stated that they had so far got t\vo shipments of wheat delivered, one at Auckland and one. at Dunedin. A third shipment, instead of consisting of 4500 tons of wheat, was only 260 tons, the vessel having to go to Fiji and finish loading with sugar. Originally it was expected to have the whole of the wheat into the Dominion by December, but he was not certain now when the balance would be obtained. The Minister added that he did j\ot think the Government would ask farmers to face a loss owing to climatic conditions, bufl he th<yaght that wherever possible farmers should try to put in wheat as well as green feed, as it was absolutely essential for New Zealand farmers to supply the country with wheat next year, owing to -the very great difficulty nf trJ»T!«T>Qrt