WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 3 September 1926, Page 3

WELLINGTON NEWS

THE WOOL MARKET. (Special to “ Guardian.”) WELLINGTON, Sept. 1. The news from Bradford in respect to the wool market is rather encouraging. There is said to be a surprisingly active demand, with a considerable turnover with prices distinctly favourable to sellers. The wool passed in at the .London sales lias been changing hands at the reserve prices. Somewhat similar experiences have been noted in Wellington. A little fleece wool was included in the last crutehing sale, most of which was passed in. There lias been a demand for this passed in wool at a penny advance on the prices hid at the sale. Wool is undoubtedly wanted and stocks in the hands of manufacturers appear to ho small. Tile London wool sales open on the Kith inst., and if nothing unforeseen h ij>pens at the meeting of the League of Nations, and the coal strike shows further signs of fizzling out, the market, should show a strong revival. The demand however is mainly for fine wools, hut coarse wools must come into the picture because of their relative cheapness. It is remarkable the vague notions that many woolgrowers have respecting the handling and marketing of wool at the Dominion sales. Most of the large clips are now classed at tho big sheds hy expert claxsers, and tlje hales arc not interfered with until they are opened for the inspection of buyers at the wool stores in the various centres. The conditions of tho wool stores are of the best, and the buy errs see to that, for they insist upon plenty of space, plenty of light and good show benches so that they may get through their work of valuing as speedily as possible. Tho smaller clips, on being classed which would yield a number of small lines, are better for being classed at the stores, and at all the wool stores in the selling centres facilities are now offered for binning wool. This is now recognised as being advantageous for the small dips, '.and in Wellington about 10,COO to 15.000 bales are binned each season. This is a comparatively small quantity, nevertheless it involves a considerable amount of labour, and costs the grower pi per lb. The work has to be rushed through during the season, and. classiers have to work a considerable

are mimed eaen season. mix is a comparatively small quantity, nevertheless it involves a considerable amount of labour, and costs the grower pi per lb. The work has to be rushed through during the season, and. classiers have to work a considerable amount of overtime. Even at pi per lb it is said that brokers have considerable difficulty in covering the cost. The buyers get through their work of valuing very sneedily, and to tho layman they would appear to he too rapid and'liast-v, hut these men arc all experts, know exactly what they want, and the price they can p(iy for the lots they want, and often a glance is sufficient to give them an idea of the value of the wool to them. It- is tho same with their bidding; it is rapid fire business' for each one has his limit and gets up to it 'as quickly as possible. For the auctioneer to dwell a little, ns has been suggested, would not bring an additional farthing in bids and would he more likely to irritate the buyers than otherwise. : COMP U ISO It Y CONTROL. Compulsory control of dairy produce is now an .accomplished fact, and there is nothing to he gained by fulminating against the Dairy .Control Board. We must wait and watch for results, and it is to be hoped, in the interests of dairy farmers, that the Board will nchieve a greater .measure of success than has tho Meat Control Board which, hy its negative policy, has created an impossible position for the frozen meat industry. The dairy farmers of Now Zealand are now, though the Control Board, theoretically in “control of their own produce” Theoretically only, for actually the dairy farmer's are deprived of such control which is now vested in tyrannical bureaucratic officialdom. Equal liberty is la postulate of demociacy. It-is not a matter of debate or majority decision. That which Is individually acquired without breaking the law of equal freedom is rightfully private property. Compulsion breaks the line of equal freedom and takes from tho individual the right to his priviati property, and this is almost confiscation. This compulsory control is regarded hy many ns compulsory cooperation,' hut the terms are contradictory. Co-operation is based on

freedopi and friendship, and a common conception of benefit and not, on force •and friction. Compulsion begins bysplitting the industry into two bitterly hostile camps, and we have yet to discover the measure -of the hostility and its effects. It is a case of wait and see.