FREE MARKET FOR WOOL.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 63, 14 March 1919, Page 8

FREE MARKET FOR WOOL.

liroui (>ur -peeial Correspondent.) LONDON". January 14. Sir Arthur Goldfinch, Director of Raw Materials, at a meeting of the Wool Council in London last week, said no decision hail been arrived at in regard to the question of the Government purclinse of the British woo] clip. While 80 per cent, over li) 14 prices was far from being outside market possibilities, it was not a safe ba-is for Government purchase, and yet even HO per cent, was apparently not acceptable to all farmers, especially those in Scotland. He hoped tbe idea of Government purchase would be abandoned, but lie saw no reason why fanners should not do as well or better by marketing their produce on ordinary lilies. The War Ollice was pressing to have from Australasia a stream of shipments of 40,000 tons of wool a month continued for six months. This would i provide for British consumption and leave a surplus over for the requirements of France and Belgium. ; Mc intended to propose that the orders restricting tbe importation or the lice sale of wool should be cancelled as rapidly as possible; the restriction on export to be maintained in a milder form than at present and with due consideration to tlie interests of the British farmer. Under this system all wool except Australian and New Zealand will be freely sold in British markets at prices iixed by competition. As early as possible auction sales of Australian and New Zealand wool would take place in London.