The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE FRIDAY, JULY 21, 1916. THE COMING WOOL CLIP.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 160, 21 July 1916, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 1916. THE COMING WOOL CLIP.

(With which ia 'incorporated The Tal hape Post and Waimarino News.)

The British Government has requisitioned the whole of the Home wool clip. This step has caused growers in Australia and New Zealand to cast about them to learn whether the requisitioning process is likely to be applied on this side of the equator. To reach an approximately sound solution it is first necessary to satisfy ourselves of the British Government’s object in claiming the whole wool output. It is admitted that Britain does not stand in particular need of wool; her stocks have been kept well up, and it is not shown that any of her Allies are hars driven for that article. It seems either that provision a long way ahead has to be made, which means that the war is to continue for another year, or, the war may end in a comparatively short time and in that case it has become necessary to see that the factories of the British Empire are not short of that all-impor-tant commodity; that British trade shall not suffer through the wool of the world having been gathered up by the emissaries of Germany. Which of these is it that has led to the commandeering of the whole of the British wool clip? If it is a precaution against Britain being outwitted by the wool buying of Germany, then we may feel almost certain that the commandeering will reach to this land, and sheep farmers may be prepared for the mandate, which is almost sure to come along before this season’s shearing has well commenced. If commandeering is, on the other hand, to furnish clothing for our soldiers in a protracted campaign we need not trouble ourselves about what has taken place with respect to British wool. It is no secret that Germany has been and is, feverishly raking in wool wherever it is obtainable; no transaction has been two small or too large. She now nolds enormous stocks in several countries; in some it is already stored in her own ships ready to cross over to the fatherland with the first puff from the pipe of peace. Germany has, to an extent, outwitted the United States in South American countries, which has left the latter with dangerously depleted stocks, stocks that are altogether inadequate for her needs and demands, while Germany now holds wool in store that will enable her to set all her wool Industry in motion and rapidly supply, at a low price, the needs she is endeavouring to create and extenu-

ate, not only in America and other

neutral countries, but also in tne countries of the B’ritish Empire and those of her Allies. The indications strongly are, that Germany sees her career of human butchery drawing to a close, and she is strenuously making provision against as equally bad a defeat in trade and commerce. Therefore, in commandeering the wool of the Empire Britain is taking the only safe and sure means of preventing it being manufactured into clothing material in German factories while nothing is left to warrant the wheels of ; our own factories being kept in motion and, what is worse, we shall, to some considerable degree have to : wear German factory woollen clothing or go without. To commandeer our wool is a drastic measure but it must be admitted that drastic ills need drastic treatment, and so long as values are not arbitrarily interfered I with, growers have little cause to complain of their small adjunct to stemming a tide of disaster that lowpriced German woollen goods would 1 almost assuredly bring about in future values of this country’s staple product. For the woollen trade of the world to be dominated by Germany would, constitute an incalculably greater calamity in this country than her domination of any oth« r avenue of trade and the inconveniences caused by requisition, if there are any, will be extremely insignificant when compared with the advantages accruing to British trade and manufactures, and to the permanency of future wool values. All aspects considered, it seems fairly certain that the coming wool clip will be compulsorily kept within in the Empire, it may not be so, but all indications point in that direction. if the world’s wool were now permitted to drift into German hands there would undoubtedly be great scarcity and a burning demand, and requisitioning then would, obviously, be of less advantage to either Empire or grower, as under German domination values could not be x-elied upon to be either uniform or settled. We may rest assured that if our arch enemy

gets the opportunity she will manipulate the market to our disadvantage. All things conshlered we do not think the prospect of wool requisitioning should give to . slightest cause for uneasiness i'.- our wool-growers, as it seems to I i ( he one cause that win keep up the hiture demand in British factories, as they will thereby be furnished with the raw material to keep all looms and weaving machines going from the outset of peace, and so enable us to shut out everything of the kind “made in Germany.”