WOOL VALUING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20070, 17 October 1939, Page 4

WOOL VALUING

NAPIER PROTEST GISBORNE AS CENTRE WAR-TIME SUPPLIES DIVERSION OF CLIPS A storm of protest has been raised in Napier at the possibility of Gisborne, Tokontaru Bay and Tolaga Bay being used as appraisement centres for woo) during the war period. The Napier Telegraph says: - “A suggestion appearing in the Gisborne Herald that under • the wool commandeer, Poverty Bay and Coast wool clips will be appraised at three centres—one in Gisborne and two on the coast and shipped overseas direct from Gisborne, raises a question that is of vital importance to the people of Napier and the province as a whole.” The Gisborne Herald has made no such suggestion, although no doubt Gisborne interests would be pleased to sec those centres again operating as in the last war. A statement made in .the Herald a few weeks ago referred to the practice adopted during the commandeer period in the last war and pointed out that there would be sufficient accommodation in the same centres if the same practice was adopted on the present occasion. Loss to Skilled Labour “If under war conditions these northern clips are to be handled in Gisborne,” the Telegraph states, "a large number of skilled workers will face the loss of what has for years been regular seasonal work and facilities for the efficient handling and shipping of these wools will be wasted. * “Napier is to-day the second largest wool selling centre in the Dominion. Some 120,379 bales were sold at auction at the Napier wool sales last season, the only other wool selling centre in the Dominion to exceed these figures being Wellington, where the total sold was 125,412 bales. “From a rough calculation, it is estimated that over 23,000 bales of wool came to Napier last year from Gisborne and the Coast, so that it can be realised what an effect the diversion of such a quantity will have not only upon the employment of skilled labour in. handling the clip in the wool stores, but also in its cartage and loading into overseas vessels. “From this point of view it should be emphasised that a great deal of wool store work is specialised work, and the huge amount of wool handled in Napier stores each season has resulted in the building up here of a small army of workers specially qualified for this class of work, many of them with experience extending over a great number of years. “It is highly questionable whether Gisborne is in the same position in respect to the supply of experienced men for the stores and certainly facilities for handling the clip in Gisborne are not comparable in any way with those that have been provided at Port Ahuriri. Effect On Shipping "There is also the question of shipping. The local shipping companies have been called upon to provide special facilities for the shipping of Gisborne and Coastal wool clips to the port of Napier and have through the years organised and increased their fleets to allow for efficient handling of the seasonal rush when the northern clips commence to pour into the port stores. These companies rely on the revenue from this trade to pay a definite proportion of the interest on the capital-costs of these vessels and if this revenue is to be lost it will be a heavy blow to them. “So far as overseas shipment is concerned, another factor to be considered is that the new overseas wharf at the breakwater is now approaching completion This will provide facilities for the berthage of overseas vessels for Home loading and the loss in wharfages to the Napier Harbour Board if this wool is diverted will be considerable. In addition, employment on the waterfront must, suffer, since, in the past, much of this northern wool was discharged from coastal vessels at the port for entry into store and was then loaded into overseas vessels in the roadstead after sale.”