WOOL RESEARCH

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 206, 16 September 1937, Page 10

WOOL RESEARCH

Activity In the Uniied States An indication of the growing realisation of the value of research into wool problcms is given by a recent diseussion in tho TJnited States Congress, as a result of which the appropriation fox spch work to be conducted by the Departmcnt of Agriculture was approximately doubled. Tho money available to the TJnited States Departmeut of Agriculture for studying rvool has been provided up to tho present timo from allotmcnts from au old Exeess "Wai* Brofits Fund. At tho closo of tho war it was found that a uunibcr of dealers had profits on wool above what they were entitled to, amountxng to some 750,000 dollars. Of this, 505,000 dollars was returned to the growers, but no method of allocation for the balance of 245,000 dollars could oe agreed upon, eo it was decided that the Department of Agriculture should expend this money at the rate of not more than 50,000 dollars annually in the interests of the wool-growing industry. This expenditure has been going on at tlie rate of 26.000 dollafs a year, but undcr the recent amendment of the Agriculture Appropriation Bill 50,000 dollars will "be mado available for the current year. It was indicated in the debate that when the fund is exhausted, as it soon will be. money may be made available from consolidatcd revenue. The money is to be sperit cliiefly in establisliing a standard method by which growers may deternxine the yiold of their clips, and will therefore be in a better pcsition to bargain with the private buyers who obtain a large proportion of American_ clips.