VALUATION OF WOOL.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 December 1917, Page 7

VALUATION OF WOOL.

I THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT'S [ REQUIREMENTS. (Special Correspondent). i Wellington, Dec. 18. Complaints that have been 'reaching the Imperial Supplies Department indicates that the methods of valuation of wool is not yet clearly understood by all the farmers. Some producers are under the impression that they are not being fairly treated in the payments made for dirty and seedy wool. A' Hawke's Bay farmer, for example, protests that he received only 3Ad per lb for a bale of crutclnngs containing pin piri. The officers of the Department explain that for the purpose of ascertaining the exact value of each grade and quality of wool, the schedule of greasy values (55 per cent, advance on pre-war prices), is extanded! to iits equivalent in clean scoured wool, and the wool is valued according to its grade, quality and yield on this basis. Thus the price paid for a bale of seedy wool would be the value of the clean scoured wool obtained from that bale after the seed had 'been removed. Provision has been made in the regulations that if an owner is dissatisfied with the valuation placed upon his wool he may appeal within forty-eight hours (extended to seventy-two hours on good cause being shown) to an umpire nominated by the wool growers. A fee is payable before adjudication;, in order to deter frivolous and useless appeals', and the fee ia returned if the appeal is upheld. The number of appeals made last season was very small indeed.

"It is safe to say," states the 'Department, "that at no time in the history of New Zealand wool sales has the 'get up*, and condition of the clip been so sure of getting its full return. The accident of competition or want of competition being removed, each lot is valued at its strict relative valuation on -a scientific basis. There is no inducement to the valuer to fix other than a fair and just valuation as between the grower and the Imperial Government." The officers jitato in this connection that tho Imperial Govefhment is not anxious to take very dirty or seedy wool at all, and they point out that for very bad samples of these classes there was no market before the war. The wool is taken now, at what is considered a fair valuation chiefly in order to avoid creating a grievance