FUTURE PROSPECTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 December 1920, Page 16 (Supplement)

FUTURE PROSPECTS.

ATTITUDE OF FARMERS. The state of the wool market at present and the possibilities of the near future were discussed at a meeting of the executive of the North Canterbury Fanners' Union. Mr. W. W. Mulholland, the chairman, said that if farmers held their woo!, as they were advised to do, they would miss the local sales. The only .outlet for the small producer then was the export outlet. The farmer who exported had to send his wool to some commission house at Home which sold at auction and the wool was absolutely out of the farmer's control. If wool) was to he held, then some scheme should be devised to enable the small producers to combine and handle the wool in quantities. -He added that the majority were in a position to tide a certain period of leanness; the people who were going to feel it were those who had taken up land at a high price, and had bought stock at a high price, and now found that about onehalf of the anticipated return had evaporated. He suggested that the Producers'/ Committee and the Board of Agriculture should b« asked to organise matters especially, in respect of "die small clips, so that, if necessary, growers would be able to hold their clips beyond the periods of the New Zealand sales postponed to a later dale, say till May or later. Mr. 0. Sheat said that in his opinion the growers would have to face the position and accept lower prices. The Chairman: There is no doubt about that. Mr. Sheat: We might as well face it as try to stave it oil'. Prices had been on a fictitious basis, and* the opinion of mercantile men interested in woo! was Unit lower prices would have to lie accepted; if they counselled men with one or two bales to hold them, it would be unwise on their part, and would be I untenable and impossible. He was inI elined :;o let every man back his own ! opinion. Mr. \V. .1. Tlccney said the small man had to sell, and even the man who did not need to sell would sell, because he | wanted hj, put his money into somo- \ tiling more profitable. The human | element was going to rule the situation. i and no arrangement that could lie made | would nli'oct it. ! The Chairman: It's a case of get nut ! how you can. lie was inclined to i think with Mr. Sheat that any considi erable recovery was unlikelv. | Mr. Sbc.it said he hoped'the disensj sion would not create the false impresMon that [.rowers would get 17.1 or J lSd for hall-bred wool; if thev got Hid ! for half-bred wool they should' accept ! it and "f.ice the music," because that i was the world's'value.