WOOL BOARD MEMBERS ATTEND FARMERS’ MEETING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 68, 23 March 1949, Page 4

WOOL BOARD MEMBERS ATTEND FARMERS’ MEETING

Recently the New Zealand Wool Board met for the first time at Auckland. During their stay in the--. City the Board took the opportunity of attending the March meeting of the Provincial Executive of the Auckland Province of Federated Farmers.

Discussing the contributory charge of five per cent retention, Mr Jamieson, the Chairman of the Wool Board, stated the amount arrived at was/ a question of policy. This charge bore a relationship to the Australian rate, brokerage costs in New Zealand were heavy. Australia was much more favourably sit-, uated and had very much greater independent sources for storage. J.O. Stocks After the disposal of J.O. Stocks provision would require to be made to avoid wide fluctuations and preserve general economic conditions. Meantime J.O. Stocks had been carefully rationed without unduly disturbing the market. Indiscriminate marketing would have had un--. fortunate results. In 1950 Mr Jamieson intimated there would ' be a general review 6f J.O. operations.

The Wool Board was concerned with the question of cost structure. The dairy industry lent itself inuch more readily to such structure but difficulties were much more complex in relation to both meat and wool industries. It was important to memember that the Wool Board was not responsible for the fixing of the contributory k charge. Overweight Bales

Members of the Wool Board made it very definite that growers should honour the agreement made in respect of bale weights. The present agreement reached was considered to be fair and actually growers were fortunate, for the position could have been much more difficult. There were some offenders, however, but these seemed to be narrowed to a comparatively few individuals, although some big growers were numbered among them. Rather than take the risk of upsetting present weight agreements, comparatively favourable, growers should be advised to err on the light side even though, in some cases, it might mean a slight degree of increased cost.