WOOL PRICES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 60, 20 December 1948, Page 4

WOOL PRICES

COMPANY-''MANAGER’S COMMENTS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Dec. IS. All tlie argument would appear to be over a small matter of a farthing, said Mr E. Moore, general manager of the Wellington Woollen Company, today, commenting on statements of the Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland) about wool prices. Mr Moore said the record price oi 81d recently paid in Christchurch for wool was solely the result of world prices and should not he made the basis for any remarks about inflation or the Government’s policy of subsidising wool to the woollen industry to enable locally-made goods to he made available to the New Zealand consumer at a price lower than that which would be necessary without the subsidy. , , .. 0 , t,, “If a local mill had not paid 81 d the wool would have been knocked down to some overseas buyer at 80hi and the local mill could be excused for plunging on a trifling line ot lour bales at a price which may be a permanent advertisement for it, m view of the fact that this record 0f..81d may never again he obtained,” Mr Mooie said “Especially is this so when it is known that any price paid- above the average price for any particular class of wool over a period of three months has to be paid by the local mill and not by th® Government,

EXECUTIVE’S ACTION DEFENDED STATEMENT BY NATIONAL SECRETARY (P A ) WELLINGTON, December 19. »ln spite of all that the president of the Wellington branch, and the national council member of the Tramway Employees’ Union, Mr G.. N. Amos, has to say, instruction of the union s national executive was made in accordance with the rules of the union,” said the union’s national secretary (Mr r. A. Hansen) replying to-night to the statement by Mr Amos. . “While the rules give a certain authority to the national executive, said Mr'Hansen, “they also contain ample provision to curb any national executive of the union which at any time may exhibit dictatorial tendencies. Copies of the minutes of meetings of the national executive have been forwarded to branches, and also to members of the national counci . Mr Amos is included among those to whom copies have been supplied and he would he well advised to direct his protest through the proper channels. “Immediately Mr Amos places the matter before us in a proper manner it will be given prompt consideration, hut no regard will he given his rather unique attempt to have the business of the union conducted through the columns of the press,” Mr Hansen said.