THE WOOL COMMANDEER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 172, 15 April 1919, Page 8

THE WOOL COMMANDEER

THE FARMER'S LOSS. Sir—Now that the censor is permitting us to see .the prices nur wool is realising in the Home market, the Act-ing-Prime Minister will surely admit that its true pre-war basic value is its selling price in London, less shipping charßes, and not the speculation value obtained at auction for about one-half of the 1913-14 clip in the Dominion, upon which his basic price of 9Jd. per lb. is erroneously fixed. To give an idea of the sacrifice our v.ool-nroducers are being called upon to make directly, and the Dominion itself indirectly, one has only to look at the nrices now being cabled daily, which wool-growers elsewhere are receiving, and compare them with the Is. 2fd. for our 1917-18 clip. The 1918-19 average may be a little higher, but this is in consequence of the lightness of the wool or.ly, as the basic price of Old. per lb. for greasy rules the price for this and next year's clip as well. Wool-growers have no regrets about the commandeer, although prices have largely increased in tlio interval, but the galling part is that the Imperial Government really offered what was equivalent to about is. 9d. per lb. average, for greasy fleeces and pioc.se, under tlie commandeer, while our Government, acting as .agents for wool-growers, misinterpretwl or misunderstood the cablegram, and closed for Is. 2?d per lb. instead. Well may the Hon. Mr. Myers say tr.at the advice of proved experts should be availed of by every Government; but all I can say is, that if the.Acting-Prime Minister did eo avail himself in this case, he has been singularly unfortunate in his selection. This loss -to the Dominion of about seven and a half million pounds sterling is now fullv confirmed' by admissions of the Imperial Wool Commissioner in London, as well as by the Home Government having permitted the freezing companies to vary their contract for slipe vool and assesses its basic >-aluo upon Home instead of Dominion, prices, v;hicli ure unfortunately still the ruling factor with greasy wool. This difference of Gd. ner lb. between Home and Dominion pre-war values in .1914 would just about pay our cost of the war, and it is not. too late" even now to correct such an eggregious error.—l am. •etc.",":'. I. hh . 8 WOOL-GROWER.