WHEAT SUPPLIES

Waikato Independent, Volume XL, Issue 3763, 27 September 1940, Page 7

WHEAT SUPPLIES

AUSTRALIA’S POSITION ENOUGH IF CROPS FAILED There would be no shortage of wheat in Australia even if the growing crop was a complete failure through drought, writes J. J. Hall in the Melbourne “Sun.” Huge stacks of the 56,000,000 bushels purchased by the British Government from the 1939-40 record season stand untouched and there are about 50,000,000 bushels additional still unsold. For the 10-year period before 1939-40 Australia exported yearly an average of 115,000,000 bushels out of an average yearly production of 168,000,000 bushels, which indicates a local requirement of about 53,000,000 bushels a year Surplus Sufficient Should no wheat at all be stripped this year the unsold surplus is nearly sufficient to fill that requirement. If any deficiency were to be met, no doubt it would be gladly supplied by the British Government without profit on the price it paid the Australian Wheat Board—about 4/1 a bushel for bagged wheat and 3/10 for bulk f.o.b. Canada can supply all the wheat Britain needs and can conveniently ship during the war. The large British purchase from the 1939-40 crop was a magnificent expression of good will towards Australia and materially strengthened Australian war-time economy. If needed, supplies of wheat could be made available for stock feed.. Condition of Stock So far, sheep, cattle and other stock are in surprisingly good condition, thanks to supplementary feeding from stacks of cereal and

meadow hay, built from surplus feed last year. Rains during the next fortnight could improve the wheat position, particularly in New South Wales, and would be of even greater value for pasture. To the extent pastures benefited from early and substantial rains the strain of handfeeding would be lessened. Meanwhile small pig raisers and poultry keepers continue to complain that wheat prices are too high for their requirements on an economic basis.