WOOL INDUSTRY CONTROL

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 19 June 1933, Page 7

WOOL INDUSTRY CONTROL

STATE ASKED TO KEEP OUT ■'BROKERS’ ASSOCIATION VIEWS. BOARD SUGGESTION OPPOSED. PRESENT SYSTEM UPHELD. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) _ WELLINGTON, Juno 19. The W ooibrekeris’ Association has issued an official statement bearing on the discussions in the Pres.s regarding a wool control board, and the standardisation of grades and binning. “It is_ desirable,” the statement says, “that the views of the 'association should be made known so that farmers during the period of hard tames may not be induced to take* any false step. i lie interests of farmers •and brokers are identical, but the brokers do not desire t-o see Governmant interference or board control ji*e-ep into a business now efficiently conducted.

“It is recognised the world over that the system of marketing wool here and in Australia is the best in the world. This also- was recognised at- the Empire Wool Conference in Melbourne in 1931 when growers were “present from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.” The statement says the industry can control itself and the business acumen of the brokers, buyers, growers and financiers does not leave room for any board, however composed, t-o interfere with advantage to the growers. “The law or supply and ctemand and worldwide competition which is obtainable through means of the wool sales here and in London,_ determine, in the only -business, practical and economic way, the. pu:ee which the grower .gets*, ’ ’ continues the statement.

“In regard to binning there is a point which should be made quite clear. Wool is not on all fours with butter, meat- or hemp. It is difficult to conceive how butter could be marketed except through the factories and as far as meat is concerned, unless the sheep are sold upon the hoof they must, be graded before being paid for. Grading of hemp has never been too satis- , factory owing to personal education and the fact tjkat the growth of the fibre varies in various districts, just as wool in the Dominion differs in growth, staple' and character in the ~ different provinces. “This in itself would render standardisation of wool grades in New Zealand a difficult problem. In all these cases the number of grades involved. is a bagatelle. The base for wool is different. The B.A.W.R.A. scheme in Australia had 840 grades and some.. . New Zealand centres require grades running into several hundreds.” It is pointed out in contrast with butter that ail wool has some value and finds a market according to quality. There are buyers for all lots, whether well or indifferent- classed, skirted or unskirted. To bin is a question to be dealt with from day'to day on. merits and the brokers give free -and impartial advice to the grower. Binning, therefore, should he left to the . discretion of the farmer and the grow-

er. ' - . Regarding the [suggestion that if some compulsion were used to- bin small dies it would give the brokers a larger quantity of wool to work noon and enable them to make larger oarcels. it- is stated that this doubtless would be the case, but it- would be introducing a bad princple and would be “using a sledge hammer to. break a nut.” _ Compulsory binning would be obnoxious and an anathema to. most businessmen and to the .farmers themselves. The report concludes by saying that the brokers would strongly object to Government officials being' Wroloyed in their stores and anythincr that savours of Government interference would meet with the strongest opposition.

FIRMING OF VALUES. OUTLOOK IN EUROPE. Received 12.15 p.m. to-day. - LONDON, June 18. Mr. W. Devereaux, representing the Australian Wool Growers) Council, reports that merino and crossbred tops at Bradford have further- advanced. Topmakers are not eager to sell. Spinners’ merino yams all command better prices. Crossbreds are firmer, although spinners cannot make a fall. Advance stocks of Continental tops at 32,500,030 kilos are a, million kilos less compared with April, chiefly on the German account.