AMERICA AND COLONIAL WOOL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 15 May 1913, Page 4

AMERICA AND COLONIAL WOOL.

For more than fifty yeans (says the Hawera Star) people in New Zealand have felt what a fine thing it would bo if wool were admitted free or even under a moderate duty, to the United States of America. Apparently the change is now at hand. The United States House of Representatives has, by a large majority, pass-

Ed a Bill under which, if it is successful in its passage through the Senate., raw wool will bo admitted five. The result will be an economic revolution not only for the people of America, but for cie Avoolgrowers of the Southern -Hemisphere. At present the duties are ojd per lb oil greasy wool, -6d per lb extra for woo! that iias been washed on the sheep's back; to which ha* to be added another duty on scoured wools, winch brings the gross prohibitive tariff up to 16Jd p.T lb-" The difference between this and nothing means millions, and even if the duty ;s only substantially reduced, the alteration will still be of great advantage to the woolgrowors of Australia and New Zealand. The wool clip of the United States is declining, and at present | amounts to less than 850.000.000 lbs. whereas the -market is on the increas-' and now takes about 500.000,000 -lbs to satisfy it. At present New Zealand's output is not far ■short- oi 200000,000 lbs a year, of which she uses only about (5,000,000 lbs. It is. therefore, very plain indeed that with an onen or all but open market in the United States, a new era in connection with the wool trade is in store for this Dominion. The Panama Canal will be an important factor in this trade, too, so that tha neainess of its opening must be regarde;! with the keenest interest by all New Zealand ers.