FARMING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3174, 27 August 1917, Page 8

FARMING

NEWS an:

ID NOTES.

manufacturing raw materials nro used other than wool. It is important that this machinery should be kept running, and in the event of any real scarcity of the commodities coußumed, it- would be an e.veeed : ingly unwise move not to lnJ;c advantage of any substitute which may be i'ouud of practica.l utility for this purpose. There are limits, however, in tbii> .iirectton, and as stated Inst week nothing is likely to bo invented or discovered wliioh will permanently displace wool aud its i cognised substitutes such as cotton. There is not slightest ueed for growers in any part vi L° Wol 'ld to be alarmed at any p'-ojcct which may be brought forward for displacing wool. The great fault to be fcund at the present time is that supplies are inadequate, and even when the time ecrres that they begin to come foward more fiee>y. it will be found that all that c;«n be produced will be readily consumed. > Colonial Wool Exports. Therq is-not now the same liberty in issuing wool statistics us was the cate btiore the war, and any information which one may acquire on this head largely comes through Government official circles. A disposition has been noticeable to conceal this but certain means still remain whereby some important wool statistics arc available. Not tho least important of these aro the monthly figures issued by Messrs. Dalgety aud Co., Ltd., showing the i.uantities of wool exported from Australia aLd New Zealand. In normal times the supplies coming forward to consuming ccimries have been followed. with great interest, and now that the authorities at feme have determined to build up for themselves largo reserves of the raw material one feels disposed to draw from these Cfiures some important inferences. They speak plainly of deorcasing exports, th.mgh there is nothiug whatever iu the nature of a serious fluctuation. 3t has been anticipated for two or three months that wool exports from the colonies would have io Pj ac ® t0 other more import-mt cergo, and the figures relating to exports dining that period come as a strong coi.frmation of such anticipations. During the past three or four months the experts from both Australia and New Zrnland have evidently been declining. • With re-, gard to the actual imports into this routitry during the first five months of tho present year, they are only about 100.000 bales less than in the stTme period of 1516.

Independent Enterprise,. Oue would lmve thought that anr opportunity for this was now eiulcdj the complaints most frequently heard in the trado being to the eflect that private businesses aro being: destroyed, and that all encouragement for enterprise' had ceased. It is therefore "interesting to note that a scheme has originated in influential circles whereby it is hoped to strengthen iwid enlargo the export trade of this .ctMtry. lho scheme js an ambitious one, anil though it had- its birth iu the minds of Borae Intimately counected with Government circles it is avowedly quite independent thereof, and is intended to take its pi<w.e as one of tho trading organisations of 'the nountry such we were familiar' with n ?i times. It intends to avail itself all t-be host experience and enterprise, nnd to devote itself to the distribution of Brjtish /roods. An opportunity -will ue provided for enterprising manufacturers to eecuro tho best means of finding customers in various parts of the wcrß ]t is hoped by the promoters that .strong j support will be forthcoming in order that the fullest boneflta may bo obtained. Ono i advantage of the scheme appears to he that by becoming associated with it j,o 1 party. need lose their own individuality, but can, nevertheless, make use of it for developing any market or for extending their sales of any wool commodity which they may desire to dispose of on a- larger stale. If they hare' any export business which is satisfactory, and which they can develop entirely on their own account, they are quite a/t liberty to do ?o. Greater efficiency in transacting business, economy in various expenses, and collcct ion of valuable Information aro some of the objects in view. Ail these aj*o Quito laudable, and the whole purpose of the scheme worthy of serious consideration by almost everyono interested in the wool textile trade. At the same time, one cannot refrain from asking what scope thers will fce for such an enterprise even when tho war i« ended. Reference has already been made to the stronghold. whic£ is Jjeing (ocurod by tho State, and the great fear which exists in the minds of many is that the financial returns secured will bemused as an argument in favour of ita continuance. If State control remains tho strong factor which it is at tho present time, there seems to be little hope for'nny such ambitious scheme as the one outlined, and tho best chance for ultimjito success lies in the present control being relinquished.