4 WHEAT PRODUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND 



average annual amounts for the period 1904-13 in 



bushels being given in each case : 



Bushels. 

 Imports ... ... ... ... 14,719 



Production ... ... ... 7,327,353 



7,342,072 (a) 

 Exports ... ... ... ... 637,919 



Seed wheat ... ... ... 480,142 



1,118,011 (b) 



Total Consumption : 



Difference between (a) and (b) ... 6,224,061 



Population ... ... 968,886 



Per capita consumption ... ... 6'4 



The calculation should prove a sufficiently close 

 approximation to be reliable ; for the period over which 

 it was made is of such a length as to eliminate yearly 

 disturbances, and, moreover, as shown by statistics of 

 price and production, the period is a normal one. The 

 exports at the beginning and end are not strictly rele- 

 vant to the calculation, for it is not certain how far 

 exports in 1904 were confined to the crop of that year, 

 whereas the exports of 1914 may contain some of the 

 crop of 1913. But these errors act in opposite direc- 

 tions, and as such, being unbiassed errors, their relative 

 importance is not great. 



From this calculation it appears that the amount 

 required for home consumption is considerably more 

 than six million bushels, and a glance at the statistics 

 of production for recent years will show that this 

 amount has not been reached at several harvests. Thus 

 in 1902 only four million bushels were produced, while 

 in 1907 and 1908, and again in 1913 and 1914, the 

 amount fell short of what, according to my estimate, 

 was required for consumption by about 500,000 

 bushels. Importation to this amount was not resorted 

 to because of the relatively large supplies of previous 

 years in each case, a certain amount of which 

 apparently was held over. Nevertheless, it is obvious 

 that on the occurrence of a number of "lean" years 

 in succession such importation would be necessary. 



