THE WOOL YEAR

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1931, Page 2

THE WOOL YEAR

.DALGETY’3 REVIEW

THE HELP JAPAN GAVE. “Results to TYoducers,’’ compiled by Dalgety and Co., is an advance copy of the salient features of that company’s annual wool review. The review points out that when in the season just closed matters were at their worst a partial recovery came about. This was due chiefly to the influence of the abnormal position of exchange, and perhaps in a large measure to the wonderful support of the Japanese buyers who, as never before, proved a God-send to the Australian grower. The change took place in January, and values improved until April, subsequently declining a shade.

The partial recovery in values had a wonderfully inspiring effect on the industry itself, and the season closed with a general appreciation that, whilst the position was improved, the future was in the lap of the gods, but so far as all .the essential factors were concerned the outlook was more conducive to confidence than at any previous period of the season.

The best way to summarise the results of the season would be to point to the fact that the woo) cheque' was a shade less khan half the size of that Of two seasons ago, WOOL CHEQUE OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, The Australian and New Zealand wool cheque of £31,204,332 shows a fallingoff of £t ,850,627, as compared with the previous season, of £38,135,106, as comi pared with two seasons back, and of £42,673,360, as compared with three seasons ago. It is the lowest point since 1920-1921, which was the year wool sales were resumed after the appraisement scheme, and there was an enormous carry-over of unsold wool. It is, however, larger than the pre-war wool cheque by reason of an increased turnover at a lower average of values.

The previous season showed a decrease in turnover, and this development was further accentuated to the extent of '52,772 bales, making a decrease of 294,876 bales as compared with 19281929. There was a drop of £2 <N lid per bale as compared with the previous season, of £lO 17s 3d as compared with two seasons back, and of £l4 6s 8d as contrasted with three seasons ago. The season’s results are below the appraisement scheme figures, but are only ahead of pre-war figures by reason of the much larger turnover nowadays, the Australian and New Zealand average per 'bale being the lowest since the -e----ginning of the century, when the low figure of £9 6s 4d was returned.