HEMP TRADE REVIEW.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1732, 24 April 1913, Page 10

HEMP TRADE REVIEW.

. DASpER IN HIGH, PRICES. Referring during the courso of his speech, at. the? annual meeting of tho Cliauibcrnof.Comiuciw yesterday to the Ikmiip iiinrket, tho chairman, j\lr. A. H. Mabin, remarked Hint Jicinji benefited Inst wtiijim-* by • tho bountiful . Imrvost. in Amoricii, and ail anticipated shortage in competing fibres. The advauco in price and increase in production; will, ho said, fall largely into tho new season's returns, and should swell the Dominion's exports by about iI.'!UO,UOO over, the previous year, lie was sorry to say that tliero had been a serious falling off in quality of (his articlc, accordinji to the grading vetunis. Tiie. ISscfiil.' grailo g.f.a.tj" seemed to fc« getting less and less. Comparing the grading returns for tho quarters ending March 31, 101- and 191U, and dealing only with tho two main grades, g.f.a.q. anil fair, what he said was shown by tho following figures:—

"Whilst the bales graded haul nearly doubled, tlio quantity g.'F.a.q. produced had'remained stationary,' and the jiorccntago of g.f.n.q. liad fallen from lli.Klrd per' cent, to 2S per cent. But this did not ddscluso tlio full fall in quality, for whereas it large -proportion of tin- 12,583 bales graded fair in JOl2 was of high quality fair, a considerable proportion of the largo output of '.>8,891 baled in IDI3 was, he feared, low. grade fair—a qunlily not approved of by consumers. These figures, said .M r. Mai/in, tell a tale on market prices, and tlio matter is so important to (lie trade(hat lite full figures wliicli ho had taken out. for two years would be published iii I he chamber's annual report, (.'outimiing, Mr. Jlabin said: There lias been a serious blight affecting tlio leaf iu tlio ilanawatu tin's year. Hail v. millers blame, and probably rightly, the blight for tlio low ((Utility, but then; are millers not in the blight area who fail' to product good fair average. The poor, milling is attributed liy somo to tlio many new and inexperienced millers who have enteral the trade recently; by others to till) independence of I lie workmen, and ■the raising of Iho grading standard and various caus.os, but whatever the trouble the remedy must be found. I am not going to refer to the question as (o whether the grading standard has been raised ov not, as,tlio Government Department. standing as it does between miller and consumer, ought not to bo subject to inltueiice. .1 can only speak of the actual results, as shown'by the returns.

Umlor high prices there may bo a disposition. to dispense. with that mimitg (■lire and attention to every detail which is the essence of successful willing, ami which, when prices arc low, must iteccs--sarily bo given to the work to avoid loss. .High prices, in short, induce, a tendency to strive for quantity ami not for ((utility. Now this tendency must be checked or the industry will be imperilled, it is quite possible that, the miller does not •sec.an-immediafe return for the extra cost, of turning out the belter article,, but tho return is there all the while. Markets ore !.o?t because the consumer cannot obtain the better grade and cannot lise Ihe lower. This is amply borne out by recent 'happenings in America, anil Australia. Markets are readily congested with poor quality,'and prices fall.' T,el me say {» millers':' ''Keep up tho quality.' Quality pays. The position of your product at the moment, owing largely to t.lio falling-olf in grade is serious, and demands''tho immediate attention of each individual miller."

Total bales graded, both .Utiles, qualities, for tho quarter 19)2 21.7-16 1913 • .il,G3l Good fair 11)12 12,1(13 : 19t:i 117110 fair ; 1012 12,58:1 1313 28,81)1 PIT eon I. 1'erccutagc' cf g.f.a.q 1012 ■1(1.1-3 - ' . 1013 2S Percentage of fair 1012 18 ■ 1013 02