FARMERS' COLUMN.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 114, 16 January 1915, Page 2

FARMERS' COLUMN.

ENGLISH WOOL MARKET BRAD F 0R D REPO RT. ■ December 41 h. —The prices of merino wools have fallen consistently and continuously tor several weeks. The reductions shown at Melbourne and Sydney promptly put down the quotations for forward soiling, whilst the more recent sales at Brisbane and the large preponderance of merinos to be offered, in London next week ar.e also having their effect’ on prices; Whilst the spot quotation for 64's tops has been well maintained at 32 pence and is only slightly easier this week,'forward delivery in February-March has been clone at 28d. Only the uncertainty of delivery has prevented the spot quotation from dropping seriously, as the fear was pretty general that the Government had commandeered the bulk cf the ships for carrying the Australasian troops to the exclusion cf wool freight. This apprehension would now seem to have been groundless to a certain degree; but whether G4’s will fall to 2s per lb as seme are saying will soon be put to the test cf public auction. The seventh series of London wool sales opens on December Bth and out cf a total offering of 75,000 bales there are only 9000 bales from New Zealand; With the steady and continuous demand for military clohting, not only for our own army hut for those of both France and Russia, the prices for crossbreds have reached a famine basis. Big business has been done in Huddersfield and Leeds, and most makers of army cloths are fully contracted till the end of May. Our own Government is now only ordering two months ahead, so as not to be caught with dead prices. The chief demand is on 46’s to 56’s, which are very strong for spot, and on the average these may be quoted lid per lb ’css for delivery January-February at 13d to 181(1 for 40’s. The low and me dtum sorts are rather weaker this week. Arrivals of new wools from Smith A merica have Irmn rather swuiv. and ai the Im/ilining were' cheaper thwi Mow Z o Yhr , fi quotations h”t have err.dually hardened whilst Now ealand sorts have come down siightly. It is reported that America has been buying freely cf Urn Rp-e:' Plate weds,-.and doubtless your readers will have heard that our Yankee ccuAns have been rather indie-nr-ut at the embargo placed on woe 7 by cur War Office. They made the serious mistake of sending back large cmnnti+ies of crossbred wool to London at-cutset of the war, thinking it would be o ver quickly, and to take advantage cf the high prices prevailing then they actually left themselves with ices than two months’ supply at Boston, it is hardly likely our own authorities will go out of their way to oblige tb 8 Yankees, seeing that there is no guarantee that they would not' sell to the enemy, as it is believed has already occurred. American pastoralists are said to be considering favourably the idea of importing pew blood from New Zealand docks. American merinos have been notoriously badly preapred and graded, and a movement has begun in Washington to educate the farmers cn Australian lines. It was high time that some light was thrown upon the obsolete methods in vogue among American dealers who got rich cn an 11 cents tariil These folks’are now' trying to douche .the movement, for if Australian and New Zealand methods were adopted there would be less talk cf a revival of the tariff. The absurdity of such arguments is evident when it is remembered that directly the tariff was removed American growers received more money for their wool than when the ti/.d duty obtained. Nscesity lias no law, it is said; but surely we never expected in the land of the free that cur factories would, bo practically, under compulsion to work for the Government only; and it looks like as if we shall become accustomed to State interference in many departments of life in a way we never anticipated felx months ago. Still we have a big job cn hand, and as Lord Kitchener is reported to have said, if it takes three years or more to bring the Kaiser to bis knees we mean to do it, and certainly we can’t afford to stand on cermony or on old-fashioned ideas cf the liberty of the subject in snnli a time of war. We are not. downhearted by any means.