WOOL PRICES AND EXPLOITATION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 223, 14 June 1919, Page 10

WOOL PRICES AND EXPLOITATION

Sir,-I admire Sir Thomas Maekoii/jei spirited and outspoken speech beiorc lie Hociotv of Arts in London in regard to, the exploitation of the British pubho tf woollen manufacturers at Ilonid, . and trust it has met the eyes ot pur Board of Trade and every member of tho Uiu"He "evidently selected his audience and pointedlv told them,-what Ihey probably never knew, that New Zealand was supplying all her wool at only 55 .per wnt. over pre-war wiees (and lie might havo added at very much less),-whereas; Urn cost of manufactured materials wasMoiir times the price in pro-war times. Similar exploitation isibein? indulged uv by certain of 'oiir own woollen manufacturer here, without let or hindrance ot either the Board of Trade cr the Mims. tcr in Charge, who seems to devote all his time in keeping an eye upon the primary .producer and regulating and reducing his prices. Our-woollen factories pay no oo per cent over pre-war prices for their wool, no import duty of 25 per cent, or more on the manufactured article, no shipping "charges or post-war freights on raw material and cloth, and yet their prices appear to foe regulated by the cost of Hie. imported and duty-paid material. J heir shares are now in active demand at soaring prices, and sbnie of them, winch were practically unsaleable before tuo war and seldom quoted in. share lists, are selling at nearly 100 per cent, premium, i ■ . All* these significant eisnals seem to escape the vision of the Hon. Mr. MacDonald and his Board of Trade, and judging from newspaper reports of then activities one. would think .that butter was the only article that aftected the cost of living. Country people were nil very much amused at the Hon. 31 r. MacDonald ramiiaging in Wellington about some Invercareill person who had been eayiug nasty things about Cabinet Mmislers generally, and fully expected to see him brandishing his claymore in the south and (scalping (he offender, but nothing happened, and the offending gentleman didn't, even •'■apologise Mr. .MacDonald was telling them there that he is getting 100 per cent, more for his farm produce than in pre-war times. If so, it must have been queer stuff he was producing before the war, as manyof his hearers could have proved (o him by their own account sales that they are actually receiving less per iloece for last year's clip, with the 55 per cent, added, than for tho 1913 : 1! clip, which they sold in London.' The information, cabled,, within the In-t few days--will certainly help to rectify matters' in regard to wool. jMlwt. "unknown balance" has not been assigned, bii,l the reported rednclion in wool freight to 1 s*l. per )!>.. and (he infennation conveyed to Mr. Mnssey nf Home by (lie Minister of Munitions that "Xew Zealand sheep farmers have a heavy interest in (he profits on the iesalo of wool" will greatly, add to (he, not returns. This last is poor consolation (o. those who have assigned their balance ui the representation that it would 'he "infinilcsnial,' but the increased return will lo a greater or lesser, extent compensate for the loss to the Dominion of some, seven and a half millions sterling per annum through our Government here, acting as agents for the growers, inadvertently selling the Dominion clip at less than its pre-war value. The Wool Coinmissioncr in his annual report admits that it was obtained "under cost."' buk it speaks volumes for (lit , v inli'gri(y uf the Imperial Government in not holding our (jiovernini'iit Iμ tlicit- contract pik" under the commandeer, 'and sharing, profits with growers. 1 still, however, maintain that it would greatly simplify the distribution of the profit's if the mistake was corrected and shippers of greasy wool place.d upon (ho same footing as the more astute shippers of slipa wuol.'who were able, to got (ho error cor. reeled hist year.' I care, not if (hi- voluntary return now being mniln by Urn Imperial Government, is greater than tho loss refwwl lo above, but hold Unit mi.-lnkos, when discovered, should bo reclilied' and ndniilted.—l am, etc, ■WOOL GROWEK.