Japan Offers Likely Market For Old Wool

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26619, 15 November 1947, Page 2

Japan Offers Likely Market For Old Wool

The Farm

No move has yet been reported for the resumption of New Zealand’s sale of wool to Japan, who was one of the Dominion’s principal customers before the war. Cabled reports from America and Australia say that the United States is planning the largescale development of Japan's mills and that Australia has offered a large quantity of wool for sale to Japan. It has been suggested that Japan offers a likely market for the surplus of old wool held by the Joint Organisation. While half of the initial stock of 10,000,000 bales was quickly sold, the remainder comprises New Zealand crossbred and a large quantity of Australian wool of rather inferior character which will not be sold so rapidly. Now that Japan wants wool again, it has been suggested that she should not be permitted to take higher quality wools—which could all be absorbed by the Bradford, Continental and American markets—while the inferior old wool stocks remain on the shelf. Mr H. M. Christie, chairman of the Wool Disposal Commission, answering an inquiry made by the Daily Times in Wellington the other day, said that there had been many rumours of what the United States intended to do with the Japanese woollen industry. It was clear that she must take important steps towards the general rehabilitation of Japan, and that clothing was an essential in short supply there at the moment. Plans had been reported for the re-estab-lishment of the woollen mills. It was quite obvious that Japan would not be able to buy raw wool unless dollars were made available or unless she had goods to offer in exchange. She appeared to have little in the way of goods to offer to Australia or New Zealand and dollars might therefore be involved. So far, however, said Mr Christie, there was no official information about any projected sale of wool or exchange of products with Japan. “ Too Little, Too Late ” The price of 8s a bushel for wheat, announced this week by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr Nordmeyer, has been described by one wheatgrower as “ too little and too late,” when the price increase was considered as an inducement to greater wheat production. The 1947-48 crop is already in the ground. On the same day as the announcement was made, the freighter Inchwells arrived in Dunedin with a cargo of Australian wheat for which the New Zealand Government paid 5s 9d a bushel. The Australian grower receives about 18s a bushel for this wheat, the Commonwealth Government meeting the difference out of the Australian taxpayers’ pockets. While the late Mr Sullivan, as Minister of Industries and Commerce, made a good business deal when he signed the five-year contract to buy" Australian wheat at 5s 9d a bushel, it was bad business for the New Zealand wheatgrowing industry. With Australian supplies assured, there has been no urgent need td increase the New Zealand wheat acreage greatly and, accordingly, the New Zealand wheatgrower has not received all the encouragement he should. Wheat acreages in New Zealand tell the story more effectively than words. Gorse Seed Weevil The gorse seed weevil is already firmly established almost throughout New Zealand. A list of the districts in which the weevil has been liberated is given by Mr D. Miller in the Journal of Agriculture and includes a number of centres in Otago and Southland, such as Alexandra, Arrowtown, Balclutha, Balfour, Berwick, Bluff, Dunedin, Five Rivers, Fortrose, Gore, Grasslands. Heriot, Invercargill, Kurow, Lawrence, Lovell’s Flat, McNab, Middlemarch, Miller’s Flat, Milton, Nightcaps, Oamaru, Ohai, Owaka, Palmerston, Ranfurly, Riverton, Roxburgh, Seacliff, Te Houka, Wanaka, Waikouaiti, Waipahi, and Weston. The liberation has certainly been thorough. The weevil does not destroy the gorse plant, but bores into the pod and kills the seed during its development. Already, says Mr Miller, farmers in Nelson, where gorse is grown for sheep, have been unable to obtain sufficient seed even when 4s per lb was offered. The weevil was first liberated in February, 1931, near Alexandra, and at Nelson.