CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 32, 1 August 1911, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

A RECORD WOOL CLIP. We have received a copy of the Annual Wool Review, published by Dalgety and Co., Ltd., which is now in its thirteenth year of issue, and, as customary, shows every indication of having been carefully written, while the statistics, always j of a valuable nature, appear to be very' complete and comprehensive. There is so much of interest in the publication, dealing not only with the past season, but with a number of current topics in connection with the pastoral industry, that every producer should endeavor to' procure a copy, either to keep as a record, oi for the purpose of perusing a number of facts in connection with tha disposal of the wool clip. The principal feature of the wool year has been that a record clip was shorn, the oversea exparts having amounted to 2,468,750 bales, an increase of 34,107 bales on the shipments of the previous twelve months. Owing to a slightly lower level of prices, the average per bale was £l2 10s 4d, as compared with £l3 12s 8d in the preceding season; but even at this rate the value of the clip was a little over £30,000,000. It is a fact worthy of notice that the 2,000,000 bales limit in exports was reached for the year 1900-7, and that the past year's returns are nearly double those of 1903-4. There could not, therefore, fee better proof of the marvellous recuperative powers of the country than is shown by these figures. According to the figures given, the flocks in Australia and New Zealand now total a little over 116 millions, having increased during the past twr'vo months months by a little over half a million head. A greater number of sheep, however, are now depastured in Australasia than at any period during the past 17 years, the previous record having been in 1891, when the figures reached a few under 125 millions. The increase during the past twelve months is considerably below that which had been expected, but is accounted for to a considerable extent by tho very large numbers which have'been slaughtered for export and home consumption. A very high standard with respect to the cut per head has now been reached, especially in regard to merinos, a fact which will be appreciated when it is stated that though there were many more sheep to shear 20 years ago, the clip shorn during the past season eclipses all previous records. As regards the future, the Review states that prospects for another bounteous season are encouraging. while the outlook, broadly speaking, is distinctly good. A splendidly grown and sound wool clip is expected, and provided somewhere about current rates are maintained during the coming selling season, wool-growers will again reap a good reward for their labors, which continue to do so much towards the general prosperity of these lands. Stocks of raw wool 'being everywhere, normal, the trade practically enters upon a new season without being in any

way encumbered, bo that there seems every probability of a satisfactory demand prevailing during the ensuing twelvfe months. Present wool values are by no means excessive; in fact, they are well below the average of the past 50 years, and are fully justified under existing tratle conditions, The compilers can be congratulated upon the excellent manner in which the report of the past season's wool business has been written, as well as upon the very interesting way in which the statistical portion is shown.

THE SHORTAGE OF LABOR. The complaints of ■ shortage of labor which are being made by employers in New South Wales are confirmed by the annual report of tho Department, of Labor and Industry, which was presented to the State Parliament last week. The clerk in charge of the Department is very frank in his statements. 1 "Never before, I think, in the history of the Department," he writes, "has there been such a general outcry, at tho difficulty in obtaining skilled hands in almost j overy branch of the manufacturing inI dustries." He states that during the | year the supply of labor became entirely exhausted and no new workers came forward to fill the gap. About the middle of the year he was assured that the clothing and whitework industry alone could absorb over 2000 women at good wages, but it was impossible to secure any, and "the conditions since have become even more critical." The manager of one of the large woollen mills in the State informed the Department recently that he could teach reasonably smart girls in a few -weeks all they would require to-k iow in order to'earn from 25s to 308 a week at the looms, but he had tho greatest difficulty in obtaining girls. A large woollen mill close to Sydney has been offering 25s a week to boys who have had only three months' experience, and even on these terms labor is unobtainable. Five girls, all under sixteen years of age, recently left a shirt factory where they were earning 25s a week, higher wages , having been offered them' elsewhere. I Instances of this kind are quoted ,in the I Labor Department's report, and the clerk in charge states that a remedy must be found. He has pointed out repeatedly to manufacturers the necessity for paying more attention than they have done in the past to the training of unskilled hands and apprentices, But he is not disposed to blame the employers alone for the shortage of labor. He is of opinion that a more liberal proportion of apprentices will have to -bo allowed in many of the important manufacturing industries, or the question of securing skilled workers from the manufacturing centres of the 01<1 World will have to be faced. From the point of view of the workers both suggestions are heretical, but apparently they are sound,