THE WOOL CLIP.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 96, 20 November 1916, Page 4

THE WOOL CLIP.

HOME GOVERNMENT'S REPLY. . 1,..1Per Press Association. Wellington, November 17. The reply of the Imperial Board of Trade to the communications received from New Zealand regarding the wool purchase takes the form of an amende'] offer. The British authorities have not agreed to pay the increased price demanded by the wool growers and brokers at the conference. It is understood that they have not advanced their offer beyond the original proposal of a 45 per .cent, increase on 1913-14 prices; but they have amended the basis of the proposed payments, with the object of removing the inequalities that were stated to arise under the original scheme, owing to the fact that certain classes of wool, notably coarse cross-breds, have shown a bigger advance in price, proportionately, than the finer qualities. The amended offer will be considered by the conference, and though the amount of money proposed to bo paid for the clip is not as huge as it would have been if the conference's scale had been accepted, there seems to be a likelihood that the new offer will be accepted. The Government has not yet applied any pressure in connection with the scheme, but the delegates who have been representing the farmers in the course of the negotiations are aware that the Imperial authorities are, in a position to insist upon a settlement. The wool can go nowhere but to the United Kingdom; it cannot he moved unless the London Tonnage Committee assists to provide ships, and every bale can be commandeered on arrival at a British port. The wool-growers in the United Kingdom, it is pointed out, were notconsulted at all about the disposal ot their wool. The Government simply announced that the clip would be requisitioned under the Defence of the Realm Act, and that the prices would be according to a fixed scale. These prices are not as high as the prices that have been offered to the New Zealand growers.