25 April, 1917.] 



Increase the Wheat Area. 



225 



The waste which takes place durinj;; war time renders it imperative 

 that larger supplies than arc required in times of peace be made 

 available, and, if possible, a surplus should lio produced much above 

 the normal consumption. 'I'lie sinking of uhcat-hidcn vessels, the 

 destruction of food transports, the inevitable waste in sui)|)lying troops 

 on the battleiield, all tend to make a surplus amount of breadstuffs 

 necessary in time of war. England, herself, cannot hojio to increase her 

 output of wheat to any appreciable e.xtent, owing to her limited areas 

 and the fact that her man power has been drawn on to an enormous 

 e.xtent for fighting purposes. 



The duty, therefore, of Victoria ami of N'ictorians, is to do all tliat 

 is possible to keep up the food supply, to put in every acre that c.nn l)e 

 put in, and so help the Empire in the great cause she is so gallantly 

 fighting. 



Tt may be said that the many fine men we have sent to the front will 

 leave us short of labour for the purpose of ]doughing and harvesting, 

 and their alisence will i\o doubt prevent as large an area being grown 



Preparing the Land for Wheat. 



as would have been the ca.se had they been here, but with the improved 

 maeliinery for working the land, and harvesting the crops, the area 

 workable per man has been increased thi'eefold, and the very fact that 

 fewer men are available renders it still more incumbent upon those 

 remaining to make a supreme effort to do the work, and send the Mother 

 Country sufficient for her requirements in her time of need. 



The Personal Aspect. 



Reviewed from the personal aspect, such a proposition must appeal 

 as a patriotic one, and on that ground alone it should achieve its aim 

 to secure an ample food supply for our own men and oth(!rs fighting 

 for our rights and privileges, perhaps our very lives. Apart from 

 ])atriotic or sentimental grounds, however, ihe appeal for increased 

 production may bo made to rest upon the personal and national 

 advantages that will accrue. Every additional bag of wheat, every 

 extra fleece of wool, every sup]ileinenlary ])ound of cheese produced, 



:tl8l.— 2 



