The misunderstanding, if we may call it so, about the
price of home-grown wheat was cleared up last week. The National Farmers' Union sent a deputation to the Prime Minister on Wednesday, February 16th, and were assured that the guaranteed price-would be paid. At a conference on the following day the new Minister of Agriculture arranged the terms. The farmer is to receive for his wheat at any given time the average price of wheat imported during the two previous, months, up to a maximum of 95s. a quarter, If home-grown wheat had been sold for less than imported wheat since November 6th last, the farmer would receive the balance due from the miller. The difficulty arose out of the Government control of the millers, who were, it seems, instructed to buy foreign wheat and Chinese flour rather than British wheat, so that the home-grown wheat has been almost unsaleable. The Prime Minister has remedied the farmers' grievance, but the trouble need not have arisen if the Ministry of Food, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Wheat. Commission had co-operated instead of working at cross-purposes.
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