WORLD WHEAT ACREAGE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 81, 5 April 1930, Page 7

WORLD WHEAT ACREAGE

REDUCTION IN AMERICA POSITION OF AUSTRALIA WASHINGTON, March 26. Tho Department of Agriculture announces that reports from 50,000 individual farms showed that the farmers are planning to decrease the spring wheat acreage by 3.7, compared with 1929. Durum wheat planting in four States will be 85 per cent, of the acreage grown for the harvest of 1929, which was 5,315,000 acres. Other spring wheat plantings will be 100.1 per cent, of 1929, which was 15,664,000 acres. In view of the United States Farm Board’s plea to American wheat farmers to decrease their acreage, and the broadcast appeal to Australian fanners by the Prime Minister. Mr J. H. Scn!lin, to increase their acreage, the board’s chairman, Mr A. Legge, was asked to comment on the apparently anomalous position in the two largest wheat producing countries in tho world. Mr Legge, while acknowledging the ' fact that wheat prices are on a world parity basis, said the appeal would not interfere with the programme of the Federal Farm Board for wheat, acreage reduction in the United States. The purpose of the board was to get wheat production in America on the domestic market basis

If Australia and Argentina increased their acreage that should have no adverse effect in America. The mere fact that an acreage increase was being urged in Australia did not necessarily mean that there would be increased productin” because of the uncertain crop conditions there.

The Canadian wheat pool was advising Canadian farmers to plant less wheat It would bo to the advantage of other wheat exporting countries to follow that example, but if they desired to do otherwise, that was no reason why the American grower should not aet his production as nearly as possible on • domestic basis.