COMMANDEERED WOOL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 22, 21 October 1919, Page 8

COMMANDEERED WOOL

Sir,—T ilii»l: it would onlv If fair. «" t'io part, of llio Govpi'nm""! if llif *' '' mi noiiininnili»e ,,; "" ?ire-' , i 1 t p 'il l O f wool Hint WO clim-M !">l no nocrvillnn froio [Immii tlrii' on'- woo l ■ vil 1 <»o tli" To'ulo" ninrhof and co'd tnihVelv Itv auction. ai>d i'o( i>a=spd over ■'> f,i"l'iri n ? Hroic. af wliat rtII "i«u' prices." which moan' l : ust "o~t p"ic\ wit 1 ' fr'ii'ht ndd"d. By ll'.e Pnv>""iiiienf <li<»>o3 : «n- of it tin's way ."ft"' 4 Hip Vpr i« over is a br°nnh of We a™''Poil fa Iff t 1 " 1 Tmnoi-inl fjnvpr".

lonnl lipvp oar wool on eerie'" f"'""" during Hie vnr, ami we Ipvp fa'Mifn"kenl to fiat a—woout. lw.t- in""wnv over wp Miink m 'p are not tb'd '" pel Tondoo ni.irl,-<>t values. So far Hip divVion of profits promised to us lin« not boon naid in any wool frrower, and we naturallv want to l;now why this has pot been done. Tradesmen. and merchants aro allowed to charge whatever

prico they choose to ask for the goods made from our wool, and we are prohibited from getting tho fair value of our wool. I bought a suppose:! pound of wool which contained 12 one-ounce skeins, at 3d. per ekein, or 21s. for the pound, made from the class of wool that I got Is. 7d. for. If this is not profiteering on somebody's part, what is? I have a late London catalogue before me, and I seo brands from this district in small lots of two or three bale-: selling as" follows—Cost here lGjd., London price 2nd.; Ki11.—28(1.; 15{d.—33d.; IGid.—39d.; lid.— 281 d.; or an average of about 100 per cent, over what we got for it. Surely there should be something coming back to us, as per promise made of division of profits. I can only say that if tlm Government will not guarantee to put our wool up for public competition, I intend to hold my clip back until I get a fair price for it; and I think the Govcrnment will find a good many others doing tho same tiling. We have had our land and income tax increased, and a 50 per cent, super land tax imposed as well; our shearing rate and everything u«ed in connection with sheep farming put up from 50 per cent, (o 100 per cent., and'our wool taken from 11s at just about half its value to allow the big manufacturing firms at Home to make fortunes Tt is time this was stopped, and I hope the Government will fee that our wool i' sold in tho open market as suggested. —I am etc., GTSBOTiNEITE. Sir,—T hope our present Minister of Agriculture will see that the commandeer on wool is final'y abolished next June. 1 don't blame Mr. Mousey at all for tho extens'on of the contract. It was arranged under the National Government's regime. It won.ld be interesting to know 011 what figures the late Minister of Agriculture based his 55 per ce"t. increase. Wool was low in 1013-1011 season, and was it fair to assess prices on th"se values? , The Farmers' Unions throughoit tho country aro, in my opinion, responsible to a great extent for th» present stalo of affairs. They meet and meet, and do they ever raise ilicir voices in protest against this commandeer, although they know that it is to (lie detriment of tho farmers and (he country, and to the great advantase of the mont trusts? Also, it ,wns the Farmers' Unions that consented to this commandeer without, consulting those that did not belong lo unions. T have l>cen fanning for 21 years, and T was not asked whether I was in favour of the commandeer or otherwise. Before any Minister in furtire takes possession of and controls our prices. let liini take a vole of the farmers as a whole for and aeainst. and I think he will find that the majority of farmers will be in favour of mamging iheir own affairs without the aid of the Government or Farmers' Unions, for I for one fail to see the use of the latter when they allow wool to be sold at quarter its vn'>v>, end stores to be congested with nieit. What in everybody's business is nolwly's business, it seems to me. —I am, etc., A. PRODUCER,