FUTURE PROSPECTS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 574, 7 June 1913, Page 3

FUTURE PROSPECTS.

FOR THE MAN ON THE LAND. The future prospects for the producer is a matter which gives rise to considerble discussion, and the remarks o£ Mr J. G. Wilson, President of the Provincial Farmers' Union Conference, recently held at Masterton, in this connection should be read with interest. Mr Wilson stated in the course of his annual address that it v, as always a somewhat hazardous task to speak of the future. There seemed however, no reason to expect any rapid fall in the value of wool. The stocks at Home were light, and all the world over there seemed to be lessening numbers of sheep kept. Austalia had quite a number of bales less wool than the previous year. The rains, which had been so plentiful—too plentiful, in fact, and some damage had been done by floods all over AustraJia' —should make the coming season a good one, and the cilp larger, but there had been many losses during the drought, which would keep down the quantity. The United States of America were apparently going to take New Zealand wool free, so as to reduce the cost of living. This must increase the demand for New Zealand wool, but not so much perhaps as some people thought. Each suit of clothes took about 7£ yards of cloth a yard wide; it took about one pound of wool to make a yard, and in Great Britain this was 3old by the manufacturers at from 2s to 2s 6d, although at the present cost of wool those prices must increase. Roughly, about one-third of the cost of cloth was paid for the raw material. The result would no doubt be that instead of the Americans buying the light-in-groase expenaive wools, which always went up 10 or 15 per cent., they will be able to buy the rougher, heavier lots, including locks and pieces, which hitherto the tariff had barred them from doing. IE they required more wool they would of course put prices up. If on the other hand the tariff was lowered in "piece goods," which seemed likely, he wool would be manufactured in Great Britain and exported. In any case whatever change in values took place it wasi fairly certain it would be in New Zealand's favour. "Our meat," the speaker continued, "seems to be fetching good prices, and there is no reason to expect a lower level being reached in the near future. In butter and cheese there is scarcely the same prospect. Cheese must be improved to fetch the prices of a year or two back. Butter has a serious rival in margarine, especially when the former is high in price. Yet it is scarcely likely that much lower values will rule than last year. After the result of last year's consignment, it is likely that most of the butter and cheese will be sold in the Dominion, and this generally results, I have noticed, in prices being kept up. Those who have bought, take care of that." Trade was good at Home, Mr Wilson stated. There was immense expenditure on the navy, and if war was averted, which seemed fairly certain, farmers might look for good prices for their produce. Much, however, depended upon themselves. It was the quality of any article that attracted. If they coud keep up the quality of their produce, or rather improve it year by year, there was ho fear but that they would get the top price.