EXPORT OF WOOL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 72, 7 January 1936, Page 6

EXPORT OF WOOL.

SHIPMENTS TO GERMANY.

MARKET TO BE RESTRICTED

(Special to the "Guardian.") CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Fast on the news that Germany has imported the first cargo of froen meat for five years comes her decision to restrict and ration wool imports. The meat was taken from South America, and it is understood that there "is a provisional arrangement to import iio,ooo tons under the German - Argentine and German - Uruguayon clearing agreement. There are only certain countries from which the wool is to be taken. The importation of frozen meat gives i\ki\v Zealand no opportunity for that trade with Germany; and we.are to lose because of the anticipated decrease in wool importation.

However j it is ten years .since frozen meat from this country has gone to Germany. There are only two years since the War in which Germany has taken meat from here. In 1925 she took 30,44.7 cwt, and by the end of the next year, when the demand ceased abruptly, that amount had declined to 18,915 cwt.

This big decline in so short a time, followed by the complete discontinuance, would appear, to show that the circumstances attendant upon importing from New Zealand were not suitable to Germany. To import under the clearing agreement is a decided advantage, since the meat is only to alleviate the position of the poor in industrial centres. Thus the cost of helping the poor will not represent an irrecoverable amount.

Statistics for last year show, too, that the decrease of all exports from New Zealand to Germany represents an amount of £786,000. This unwillingness to keep a deiinite trade balance with a country which has progressively taken more of Germany's exports is a sufficiently clear indication of Germany's attitude. Even if Germany were to import under free and usual terms there seems little likelihood that she would consider New Zealand at all generously. But Germany has generally been in the line of buyers for New Zealand wool. This trade was diverted by the war for seven years, but since 1921 it has continued uninterruptedly. Of late years it has shown an increase/ Over the three years 1932-34 the number of bales of wool sent to Germany rose from 24,938 to 43,245. So New Zealand, not mentioned in the- German quota, is to lose a customer. And there seems to be a very great possibility that the customer will be gone for a very long time. It is true that the German textile factories have yet to make popular the material in which wool and artificial fibre are combined; but Germany is a country which has had noticeable success in doing such things. Then there has been a tremendous increase in Germany's own sheep flocks. This year they will no doubt be further increased. If the artificial wool is a failure, it seems that there will be no need by that time for Germany to import wool in great bulk.