WOOL COMMANDEER

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20044, 16 September 1939, Page 11

WOOL COMMANDEER

PROSPECTS DISCUSSED CONSIDERATION OF PRICE FIXATION OF PRICES Under wartime regulations it is considered likely that the British Government will, when necessary, impose a commandeer on New Zealand wool. Reason for believing that this course will be adopted is strengthened by the decision of the British Government to place under its control certain home-grown commodities and commodities in store in Great Britain as well as to offer to purchase Australian wool.

It is assumed that the system of payment that will be adopted will be by means of a basic price under which provision will be made for quality, count and other variations. Most of the wool-buyers will be appointed appraisers. Representatives of the vendors will check the wool, and final decision will rest with the Government officers. This is the procedure which was adopted during the Great War when the commandeer was introduced only after hostilities had been underway for more than two years. Under the former eommandc-er the average price paid was 21d a lb for Merino wool and 15c! for average crossbred. In the event of a commandeer being applied it is possible that the basic price would be fixed on the average figure for last season, which was almost lOd a lb. In fixing the price for the previous commandeer a premium was paid on the average price, and it is reasonable to assume that similar action may be taken again. Many considerations, of course, have to be taken when fixing the price to be paid, the principal of which will be the price paid to other countries. With a continuation of hostilities a similar procedure may be expected in connection with New Zealand meat. Only for meat the fixation of a price would not provide the same difficulties as with wool, for grading is already carried out efficiently in the freezing works, and, moreover, there are not the same number of variations.