WHEAT GROWING

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11752, 5 February 1918, Page 4

WHEAT GROWING

I'IiOTKST FROM WAIRAKAPI FAKMKHS. The following is the copv of a letter sent to the. Hon. W, I). S. MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture:— "TIIO Wairarapa Wheat Commitlee ut the instigation of the Wnira'■•Pa wheat growers, held a mcetiiigj -it Master toil 011 Saturday last to discuss the question of the wholesale mice of new corn sacks, and the gemot al prospects lor wheat growers. The* U owing resolulioii was unanimously! carried; Lhat through climatic aaidS genera conditions, wheat growers)UV this season S wheat prospects tut '"'"•g unfiinineial compared with other CI ops, and wish to point out to thn Government the injustice to farmers having to buy sacks at from is 3d t,i jf "" (i ""'-V hemg allowed IOJd l>y Ihe Government when the majority; •»• them only grew wheat this season 1 re " 8 "» s i " consideration of I, e Oovennment's urgent appeal.' 11 is wislkhl further to point oub hat .is the f.overnment is controJco!ftrol° /h " ° j° f J" ''V"'' itd'ouhi alsci Tbe fM ./ r u lo] T U ' I>ru '° of t<H t ol the Government only all«'»ing 10jd per sack to the farmer Himply means robbing the farmer an<f putting money into the poekets of the millers, as second-hand sacks am bruiging Is 2d, therefore the miller ls profit 011 each sack. , 1 . , U l.' ilt Committee also wished to point out to you that when wheafc ,ias Hireshed there is no p r „! ti-sion made to have it stored after grading, which means that- the farmei* Hil! have to hold Lis wheat until th* Government can place it. Very few • aimers have storage, room when tho wheat is threshed, and if tliev have. mit P Yl ; 't' ]* a IfVn ;,,,W a a'u l>* v r I)usIioI suuf l<M.v«» li.l ,»„■ wu T lai tS,,; outlook lor t;|„. stintll w | l( .il[ 5i0,,,. is, ll™ uonld mat tlie f.«.v-ernment should nmkn somo provision to have wheat store,!! locally as soon as it has heeu threshed, and we maintain that as soon aw Jrri T? d ? TCrwI «l«ro aded. the Government should take, nil lurther responsibility from tlie shoon'i u* condUions » r P".vmen(i b ? tiui same as under tho woo? eommandeeml u-het, the produce i« paid for fourteen days after the Government expert, has passed it. "It was also mutually agreed that) there will bo very little wheat grmvn in the future if the present conditions with regard to labour continuo to exist and farmers have to bear the loss in• connection with tl.o sack cpiestiori.

"Another serious point is that; owing to the extraordinarv wet season practically the whole of tin, wlionfc crops in tl.o Wairarapa. am badly affected by rust ( and for the. same reason formers are finding it 10i difficult to got their crops harvested.