WAR-TIME WOOL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20072, 19 October 1939, Page 4

WAR-TIME WOOL

ACTIVITY IN NAPIER i APPRAISEMENT CENTRE j OBJECTION TO GISBORNE ! j REPRESENTATIONS MADE j Every possible effort is being made j in Napier to have all Gisborne and j East Coast wool diverted to the ; Hawke's Bay centre for appraisement j purposes during the war period, and j representations have been made to the I Government on the matter. The Napier correspondent of the i Dominion writes that “as a result of ! recent rumours that northern coast wool clips would not be shipped from Napier this season,” representations j had been made to the Minister of j Marketing, the Hon. W. Nash, by the member for Napier, the Hon. W. E. Barnard. According to the message, Mr. Barnard said he realised what the diversion of this trade would mean to Napier, affecting as it would not only shipping interests but many skilled workers, as well as the Napier Harbour Board. He had approached the Minister early in tile- month, he said, and earlier representations had been made at the instance of Mr. D. B. Mcßae, who had visited Wellington for that purpose. Mr. Barnard said he was pleased to report that the subject had been taken up in the’ proper quarters in good time and before the Government had decided its policy for the shipping of wool from the Dominion to Great Britain. Farmers Indignant Gisborne farmers are indignant at the stand taken by Napier interests. They point out that if the Napier claims are successful, all wool from Gisborne and East Coast centres that in the past has been shipped direct to London for sale will have to be double-handled by shipment to Napier. In normal seasons, between 30,000 and 40,000 bales are shipped direct from Coast ports and Gisborne, this quantity usually being double that sent to Napier for sale. Napier takes only from 15,000 to 20,000 bales of Gisborne wool each season.

In addition, a number of clips from the southern portion of the Gisborne district are sent to Napier overland, and these are not included in the Gisborne figures quoted above, so that it seems reasonable to assume that Gisborne and Coast centres should be able to provide for the appraisement of approximately GO.OOO bales, if the practice in the Great War is adopted, whereby appraisement centres will be located in Gisborne, Tolaga Bay and Tokomaru Bay.. Important Centre A total of GO,OOO bales should be sufficient to make Gisborne an important centre, particularly as Timaru seldom offers more than 40,000 bales and Invercargill only occasionally more than 50,000 bales in a season. These two centres last season secured their biggest totals for a long time, and Timaru sold only 47,733 bales and Invercargill only 50.730 bales. If Napier is called upon to accommodate all the Gisborne and Coast wools, it will have to handle probably 160,000 bales in a season. The most wool it has ever sold is 120,972 bales, in 1935-3 G.

If the Gisborne and Coast wool is handled at this end, the most of its ordinary business that Napier will lose will be 20,000 bales, leaving more than 100,000 bales for that centre, a figure which exceeds the average total sales made there over many years. Wharfage Charges In addition to the double-handling necessary for woo! sent from Gisborne to Napier, there is also the consideration of cost, which growers consider should be kept down as low as possible, particularly- in a time of steadily increasing charges on the farmer. Wharfage on outward wool in Gisborne is Is per bale, and if all wool from the district is shipped direct from this port, there will be only the one wharfage charge involved, whereas shipment from Gisborne to Napier then loading to overseas vessels at that port will involve three wharfage charges, namely the Is per bale outward from Gisborne, and also inward and outward at Napier. Tlie inward wharfage at Napier Is said to be lOd. per bale. Even if wool is shipped from Coast ports to Gisborne, in the event of this port being the only appraisement centre for the district, there will be only one wharfage charge, for no impost is levied on inward wool by the Gisborne Harbour Board.