Page 16 Advertisements Column 3

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18412, 19 June 1925, Page 16

AUCTIONS. H. MATSON AND CO. THE FOLLOWING IS REPRODUCED BY HMATSON and CO. in their desire to • maintain the popularity of the LOCAL WOOL SALE?, which has taken over 60 years to establish and bring to the state of efficiency and confidence that is now so well recognised throughout .he whole of the universe, ond we have pleasure in reproducing the following letter and article from an Auttrahar. paper, dated 29: h May, 1925: THE WOOL POSITION. sound sense from A grower. "A SQUEALING MINORITY." Si:-.—The interesting article in your last week's issue came very aptlv as a warning against the present degenerating tendency tj rush th* Ck>vernm n nt frr help when any adverse situation nris"S. It is disturbing to 'h'nk that any a ctlcn of Australian paetora.lisu—whose name as a whole has hi the: to been synonymous with sell-reliance and courage—fhruld ally itsc-lt with these suppliants for alms. Fortunately, however, it is well licown th-it the general body of woolgrowers are not in sympathy with th° present engineered agita'ion for control or the Australian wool-sellinct industry, with the avowed purpose of fetabil'satinn, or. in other words, fixation of pices. It is hard to believe tint any man of ordinary brain capacity could for one moment believe in tho efficacy of fixation of prices. Professedly il is yirop?sed to take such action as will prevent prices going too high or too low. Now, does anv sane ni:in prepese to call a halt when prices are on the up-grade and say to buyers, T!ui3 far, and no further? Did any grower last veer feel that pr : ccs he received were too high, and would the prrtsent small noisy section, scomprising part of th-.sc who. unfortiinlnclv, did not Fell, have been annealing if thev, too, had been paid at the high rates? 1 trow net. Docs the disTruntied grower, led by tho nose by oppo'tun'sts who bavn no real interest as pastora'i'is. ever reflet on the boundless pood fortune he has enjoyed throughout, the war, and s"bseqrent troubled average pricM for all his produce over a Ion? period, notwithstanding the travail and misery of m-ny cf the countries who have been our best cus'omers? Does be recognise that, even now, prices are much higher than lie ever kn--w them befor? (he war? Does ho over at'empt to understand the stern, inexorable laws of economics which govern all trade, or fo know tluit buyers can' only operate at prices which will enable tlnm to turn over their purchases, at a profit? Herein lies tho cms of the recent fall in value"—prices were forced to a point beyond which manufacturers could work up the raw wool materal and srll their products at a profit. They had miscalculated the power or willingness to buy on the pait of the consuming public, who locked for srbtitute fabrics at cheaper prices—and found them. I have before me the monthly trade review of England, issued by the M'dland Be.nk, Ltd., London, at the end of March, and it is a sad story generally, except where it records wcrrasing trado in various chases of goods where artifioia' f.ilk is used. The position wa» misjudged bv all concerned, including the manufacturers of all countries who bought our wool—and their, loses must bo stupendous. The-o *s no need for hysteria on our part, however. , Tho manufacturers must have time to adjust their affairs. It is well-known that supplies o£ wool -ro not large. Wool is a necessary commodity, and will bo bought at rates which it can be converted into apparel, etc., and sold profitably, and th?re is every reason to be confident that thr.sa rales will be remunerative to growers. Already there aro undoub'ed indications of a. better enquiry. Let us not lose our heads and be carried away with tho idea that a prophet has arisen among us who can fix prices. In that delusion lies disaster and los<i to all except the prophet. From the days of ancient Rome the same chimera has occurred to a variety of visionaries. Are there still some of us simple enough to be gulled by such visions of a promised land? If the proposals were practicable it would bo logical to apply it to everything we produce, and surely any thinking person, by taking a. broad view of the position, must inevitably realise the absurdity of applying the theory to the marketing of wool. A grower might just as reasonably endeavour by proclamation to stem the ocean's rising fide, or by takin? thought to raise hi 3 stature, as to fix the price •of wool by resolutions, supported or not by Government regulation. As a. woolgrower. I. like Mr Ben Chaffcy, object to tho marketing of my wool being handled by unpractical theorist and I warn the Prime Minister that, beforo heing stampeded into action, he should discuss matters with those most deeply intere ted. Before even thinking of taking any dras ic step in such direction, the Government should ascertain tho wishes of those responsible for tho building up of the _ industry, and not listen to a comparative.y noisy minority, whoee interests as owners aro negligible.—Yours, etc., ROBERT A. STATJGHTON". Gnnnedafc, N.S.W., May 23rd. The above, letter reviewed: N/O TIME FOR EXPERIMENTS'. COMMON-SENSE NEEDED. The foregoing letter on the wool position by Mr Staughton will be thoroughly endorsed by representative woolgrowers throughout the State. The woolgrowing industry to which Australia, owes so much has had many vicissitudes in the past, bub growers have never lacked in self-reliance, and have ever ,set themselves against outside interference. They accepted "control" during the dark days of war, and every section was called upon to 6ink its individuality and pull in unison, and on that spirit of loyalty tho success of tho scheme stood. When thoso who had tasted power and pride of place sought fo perpetuate war-time methods in days of peace, tbs voice of the woolgrowing industry was hoard in no uncertain tone. The hard-headed woolgrower. born and bred in a spirit of eolf-reliance, would have nothing to do with theorotical scb«ice3 to override tho inexorable laws of supply and demand. He wai fully sensib.e of what had bsen achieved under the wool appraisement scheme in the war years, but by an overwhelming, majority growers declared for normal methods in normal times. Sound common-sense guided them in refusing to accept any gilded pill to work miracles. To-day the position stands unchanged. A noisj minority in the Southern States may have developed hysteria and panio becaus3 it has been necessary to suspend sales, but the same overwhelming majority of representative growers would turn down any proposal for artificial interference with the market. Poss.b.y tho explanation of the Victorian agitation lies in the fact that a greater proportion of crossbred wool is in store, and these descriptions have, as usual, received the hardest blow, and growers are naturally susceptible to tho propaganda of opportunists who are leading a forlorn hope to secure extension of oincc and power. As our correspondent very aptly puts it, woolgrowers have enjoyed boundless good fortune during the years of war and post-war dislocation, and a happy immunity from the troubles which have beset our best customers. As events havo proved, the growers received too much money—tho prices paid have led to a. reaction and a .crumbling away of the position, and in that unhappy process our wool customers have lost immense sums of money. The money they have lost is in tho pockets of the woolgrowers. The position is unfortunate, but moro or less inevitable, and by no means hope ess. A breathing spaco is called for to allow users to adjust their position, but that is not all. What woolgrowers aro equrred to do now is to follow the course that has proved the only effective one in past periods of trial—meet the market, and by encouraging the free resumption of business inspire confidence in consuming centres Prices, though a long way bo ow the peak level are still relatively high, and wool must find its own .e-vel—a. level which will permit users to handl-* and work the raw material with a fair margin of profit. Effor.s to nx delay the return of confidence and encourage the us* oi substituted, and the sooner the price-fixing bogey is killed and buried the sooner will tho gateways of prosp again swing open to tho woolgrowing industry. MESSRS H. MATSON - and CO. aro at present booking orders for wool pacKS for the coming season, and make direct application to you, if you axe a woolgrower for the handling of your wool for tho coming season. Our business is a. direct and personal one, and wo keep closely in touch with all tho Centres, and are moro than efficiently p.Bted as regards the various markets throughout the World. In fact, wo honestly bolieve that there is no Firm m New Zealand that makes a closer study of it than we do. As heretofore, we want all producers to loot to us as of old as their adviser, their counsellor, and their friend. We want their business, but first and foremost we want to be able to give them the very best service it is possible, and the best advice as to hair, when, and where to realise their products. H. MATSON and CO. A16G42