WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 October 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON NEWS

WOOU.EX CLOTTITXG.

(Special to “Guardi

WKLI.IXOTO.N. September 2*. In the various wool reviews that ore I,eiii:; circulated tlie statistical position the staple receives special consideraI ion. ;t ml we ore as.-ured that uliile the world's population ot wool users 1 1 ; ,v increased hy '2O per cent ilurillj; the

_’;i years. Ihe world’s supply of |,JI, (lerreas.-d :i nil ( iillsc'|llclit Iv tlit- demand exceeds tli" supply, which, is the basis <>t statisti("il strength. W’noHmyci's acted upon 11 test.- ■opinions last soil son ami suffered very htidlv. Actual exporiento during the past It. 1 mouths !,as shown tiiat the detuatid was not (''final to the supply, and that about a million bales were held over from the last season and prices have tumbled down. The explanation for the present position is iurnished in the

statistical review of the wool trade issued by .Messrs 11. Dawson and Co., the well-known brokers. I his firm writes : "Tim textile trade everywhere has been handicapped by the hitch price of raw materia! and in some eases hv conversion costs. An examination of retail prices allows that clothing in an averaee working-class budget was recent Iv costino I"31 per cent more than in l'.ll l as against .">7 per cent for loot! and ('ill per rent, for light, fuel. etc., and 17 tier (cut for rent. This is a verv seriotts jioint; as the wellttre of the trade rests more ot) the power ol Ihe million to buy than on a rich minority. A plentiful supply "I cheap wool would have’heett the best roti'T. Fortunately, ill the next lew years I here is a reasonable probability that wool supplies will he increased, and wool prices approximate more nearly lo the general level of other commodities." In iaee of this is it any wonder that the consumers have revolted gainst high prices. Some sections ol the trade have been exploitin'! the masses and a reaction has followed. It is diflieuli to understand what the vnolbroktTs mean by "a plenliltil snp„!v of cl wool would have heen the best relief." This seems to imply that the wnolgrowers have in some way forced up the prices ol wool, which of course, is absurd. The fault is with, the wnolbitycr.s who offered extreme erices v. loch were ol course gladly ae(opted. There is very little eltame of lie- wooli!rowers heime able to control the market and dictate the prices. Ihe most they can do is to ladd hack their wool, wliieh i, a costly, speculative panic, hut in tlte end they m.nst accept ute market price, which is the best hid obtainable In open < onipctilion. Tho wnolgrowers are accent ittg to-day s prices which are many pence below the prices i nline six or seven mouths ago. The consumers have been badly exploited. and the niece poods trade has suffered as it deserved to. Adjustments are now poiup on and prices lor the finished products are dropping. Woollen clothing is still too lies r for the masses and it may he another year or two years before there is a real revival m trade. Another aspect of the matter is that woollen netnulaeturing is a world industry, and in practically every country except liritaiu efforts tire being made to protect the industry in its locality. This enables the protected manufacturer to exploit the public, and clothes are much dearer than they otherwise would he. The Australian woolgrowcr must sell his wool iit open competition and at world parity n! prices, hut for the lahries made from I is wool hi* must pay protection prims which are invariably iaue.v or plunder prices. VAI,•;'!•: OK IM IIhKTTV. IVrindieally certain sections of the business eoimnnnitv in Wellington are attracted by the mterobex ol do-some-I liinp-for-the-eil.v, ami tliey pet very busy lor a time. Ju-.t now the cry is for publicity. The men.' word " publicity" looks pood, it i' almost epiuvalenl to progress. It is difficult to know what, is tin object of this campaign of publicity. In the Kittled States from whence mo.s! of our ideas of publicity colli:', when a city spends money on ptlblieitv it is with the object ol inereasiup the population, hut it is < lull It t I'm I whether the Wellinplon business people are actuated liy any s'teh motive, or attv motive at till. They ittsi watt I to indulge in publicity without any aim ol purpose. Wellinplon is hound to e.xnand tieeiiUsC ol its geo-

graphical nnsitii.il. Mil.l il would have been :i very iniin!i bigger lily to-day il 11 • ere wiis less prolit coring. Ilmv cun Mill' illslifv asking pCOIIIc tn CMIIIC mill live ill \W'lI iilgl O! I Mill'll II tl'l'CC 111' 1 M11!'-! IHIHU ■* I lillt CIIIIIIMt lie I'i'lltl'll fur less Ilian C2 Ids jifr week, ihe rent is e. Ii ‘i:il!\ from Cll In t'4 Ins. ( nlragein any iieai' suburb are rented at Id; per week. Transport lacilities are inadequate ami cosily, living; is expensive. If tile llllMlll's.s | H'i) j lie Wllllld

• •.)»ill>ino to reduce the illsL nl living pi Make Welli I lypI• 111 lie cheapest place m live in. I lie people won hi thick In the city, lail tn accomplish this, profiteering mid exnlnilat inn woohl have In he abandoned mnl that would hurt.

Publicity " is a poultice for profiteer