NEWS AND NOTES

Press, Volume L, Issue 14985, 4 June 1914, Page 13

NEWS AND NOTES

AMERICAN WOOL,

CLIP BADLY HANDLED

UNFAVOURABLE CONTRAST "WITH

[AUSTRALASIA

(rnox a corkesponiAnt.) j SAN EI.ANCISCO, May 12. Americans have a good deal to learn from their distant neighbours in Australia. That from 10 to SO per cent, of the value of the American wool crop'! is lost annually through the neglect of a few simple measures is announced by the Department-of Agriculture of vibe ! United States Government in a preliminary report of its investigation. in- J to tho presen. methods of marketing wool. According, to the report, when Australian and American wools, aro placed side by sido the results of tho poof handling of the latter product aro so noticeable that its price is adversely j affectedY "figures prepared by tho bureau .of*'_tat__ti__,". says the.report, "show that at the present time about half of tho flock-owners sack ewe, lamb I and buck wool separately, about 60 per. cent, separate thq black fleece and tie : with paper twiuo, and. less than one j half put tags in separate sacks. It is pointed but, however, that the corres. j pondents wlio took the trouble to answer tho enquiries of' the investiga- j tors, and from whoso replies £heso statistics, are compiled presumably ro- j present the mora progressive elemont. in 1 the industry, and that if it wero possible to obtain the facts from every wool grower in tho countrj. the percentage of those using tho. improved, methods would be found to he much lower. The i remedy, the. investigators declare, is to raise tho reputation" of a locality by an agreement among the growers not to permit any poorly handled wool to leave the community." The ; report of the Government bureau conclusively prove, that the American 1 wool din. when placed in competition Jvitli that of. Australia suffered through 1 indifferont handling. Thoro has never existed any doubt among American manufacturers that Austral.ihn.wool has no equal in tho world, barring that of New Zealand.