WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 3 November 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON NEWS

STATE SHIPPING

(Special to “Guardi *.n”.) WELLINGTON. October dO. A State owned .shipping service is one of the planks in the political platform of the l,uhour Party, hut none of tpe candidates have shown any desire to emphasise this. It has been re torred to in a perfunctory manner, hut the Labour candidates know that il is a dangerous subject. A State shipping service will -never pay working costs let alone profit. The T ailed States, Canada, and the Commonwealth of Australia have indulged in this luxury ami have paid dearly. Millions have lieon lost by each service, and while the I'nited States with its enormous wealth, ean stand the losses Canada and Australia cannot do so. The Commonwealth shipping line has had a very unhappy experience. There have been more strikes on this Government, line than on any other shipping line. The Government advertised the line for sale, hut made the terms so ridiculous thiil there were no Lids. A State line stands little chance of being profitable, because it must suhm.it to the competition of private enterprise and must pay the same harbour and other dues like privately owned shipping lines. The Queensland Labour Government has tried many different commercial undertakings and failed with all ol them except in respect to a public house which had an absolute monopoly. The State Hank and the State shipping line are not sale topics tor Labour to play with. The Labour candidates arc finding their land policy a regular boomerang. There are so many thousands of people now owning their own properties or arc ill the process ot acquiring them and Ihesc people arc alarmed at the confiscatory proposals of extreme Labour. To prevent the sale of property except to the State, and at the valuation fixed hv the State is nothing less than confiscation. Ihe proposal to nationalise the medical servile is also causing a good deal ot amusement. It is pointed out by a wag that with such a service the doctors would he in a position to strike. Cor instance, il a doctor wore called out after closing-time—say 5 p.m. ami he responded out of kindness of heart, the others mav strike. This is no fancy picture, for a similar incident occurred in connection with the steamer .Make. There was a strike on the vessel, because a member of the crew was engaged after p.m. Labour's platform has been riddled with shrapnel hv the opposing candidates, and the confidence exhibited by Labour a lew weeks since is vanishing. Some ol the Labour candidates in Wellington who sal in the last Parliament have now got the wind tin and are not nearly so confident as they were. Tliere will lie some election surprise.' - in Wellington oil Wednesday evening fllL WOOL MARKET.

la the course of a few days the disturbance caused by the general election and the racing in C hristchureh wid he forgotten and the attention will lie concentrated on the wool market, for the first sale of the season is to open on November llltli and the catalogue closes on November IGlfi. Wool is coming in very slowly for the weather conditions have not been favourable to shearing. What wool has come into store is reported to he in better condition than last season's clip end should he cleaner because of the extremely wet weather. There is certain to lie a fair amount of lender hogget wool. However the interest venires in the market prospects hut it is impossible to get an expression, of opinion on the matter from those interested in the trade. There is the hope that the market v, ill lie good, hut in* definite reasons can lie given why this should he the case. Latterly I here ha- been a belter tone displayed in the Bradford market and line wools have been in demand with a hardening tendency. This is no doubt due to the bold up of shipping lor a great deal of Australian merino wool must still lie awaiting shipment, and should have been in liradford store by now. If was well known that Yorkshire houses were low in stock and were Tniying from hand to mouth merely to keep the machinery employed. With the hold up of shipping stoclts are short, hence the rise in price. The same tiling happened in respect to butter, except that butter responded more quickly than wool. When the ships get moving again and heavy supplies reach the terminal markets values will adjust themselves.' No one In his so!ier senses expects to see the fancy price.i of last season repeated, especially for crossbred wool. Compared with the aterage of last season the average for the one iii't aholll to eomniem-' will he pence per 11. lower. Mat the dt-maud lor crossbred at the lower ranee of values should he good becauseit will he relatively much cheaper than other wools and the world wants cheap clothing. The drop in values will make a considerable difference to the Dominion for the fall will not he confined C wool Inti will he reflected in mutton lamb ami .sheepskins.