Grim Wire Position For This Year

Chronicle (Levin), 21 May 1948, Page 3

Grim Wire Position For This Year

1 • . ^ ' i , •" Even if anticipated- supplies5 of No. 8 and barbed fencmg vvirb 'come to hand this year tliere wiii still b.e a Dominion shortage of some thousands of tons in each ciass, states a" communication from Wire Distributors. Distribution, of .available supplies will be made. to mer- , chants and Government' •departnients' equitably in relation to their outstandiug orders. Therefore, merchants will be able to receive ouly their. pifoportionate share of wliat does. come to ' hand. The company has made world-wide enquiries for plain galvanised and barbed fencing wire and for black .aunealed hay baling wire, and every assistance has been given by the Government iii these endeavours, the letter states. Not only is tliere a xvorld shortage but tliere ' are also the added difliculties of obtaining -hard currency for non-sterling areas, and in some instances of obtaining export licence from countries where the wire is manufactured. Although orders plaeed with British manufacturers have been outstanding for several years only very small token sliipinents have been coming to hand and it is at present estimated that- only about 250 tons of both plain and barbed galvanised British fencing wire is expected to arrive between now and the end. of December. The token shipments of 10 or 15 tons which liave been reeeived in recent months have been distributed asequitably as possilile amongst. merchants and Government departments, but it is easily realised that ridieulous iy small quantities only can reach each merchant. Wire is still unobtainable from Canada and Australia and is subjeet to a limited export quota from the U.S.A. It is expected that within the next seven months deliveries will commence on account of about 2000 tons of No. 8 gauge and 500 tons of galvanised barb ed wire from European gources, but until this is actualN shipped it cannot certainly be assume^l that it will come forward. Some of it may not arrive until next year. It is confidently expected that suffieient coils of bailing wire will come to hand- from U.S.A., Belgiuni and C/.eehoslovakia in time for the coming hay baling season. In view of the serious shortage of galvanised fencing wires, a small quanfity of aluminium barbed wirC has been imported. .Tlie deihand, hoivevev^ has- been confined mainly to tliq Aiickland and Waikato areas. > While tlie price of aluminium allov barbed 'wh-q is approximatelv three .times thht of galvanised barbed wire, weignt for weight; the lengtli is three times as'great and therefore the cost of the 'two wires is comparable. In'an endeaydur to give some relief to the- shortages/bverseas, orders have been placed for high straiu 12 gauge galvanised wire for delivery cdmmencing Noyember or Decenibef, Enquiries areralso being made fpr Nq. S gauge black steel wire for fencing. ,'A limited quantity of No. 9 and No. 10 gauge galvanised wire is _ expectfed td arrive towards the end of .this ybal' and orders fbr /finer vgauge -PlG. wires have also been placed for delivery in 1948.