THE DOMINION'S WOOL.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15767, 7 December 1916, Page 8

THE DOMINION'S WOOL.

BRITISH ACTION. FULL CONTROL EXPECTED. (By Cable.—Prcs3 Association. —Copyright.) <Auitr»Haa aid Cable Association.) (Received December 6th, 9.3 p.m.) LONDON. December 5. Jt is understood that two Bradford experts have been appointed to deal with the New Zealand wool clip when it arrives. This lias intensified the impression that the Army Council intends to take the entire control cf the trade, which means a new Government . orr ganisation. 7 In the meantime there is mu<jh doubt " as to whether the. London sales will be ' held on December 12th. : The AVool Conference decided to take ! a census of the stocks of wool tops, yarn, and cloth in the United Kingdom on December 21st. It is understood that if there is a surplus after heme requirements aro provided for, exportation of wool cloth will be permitted to the United States and to South America. LOCAL COMMITTEE APPOINTED. I DISSATISFACTION "WITH GOVERNMENT METHODS. A meeting of delegates from the Canterbury Sheep-owners' Union, tbe North Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Associations and the branches of the North Canterbury Farmers' Union was held in the Canterbury A. and P. Association's rooms yesterday afternoon to appoint a local committee to deal with any disputes that might arise in regard to tho purchaso of the Dominion's wool clip by the Imperial Government. Mr AV. F. Parkinson, president of the Sheep-owners' Union, occupied the chair, and thero was an attendance of about thirty. The chairman directed that a letter from tho Minister of Agriculture should be read. The letter forwarded the resolutions carried at- the recent Wool Conference with rcga,rd to tho forming of local committees and a central committee to deal with the present wool situation. The chairman said the following nominations had been received for the local committee for North Canterbury:—Messrs L. C. Gardiner and H. D. Acland (New Zealand Shccp-owncrs' Union), D. Jones and R. Evans (Farmers' Union), and 0. H. Ensdr and G. Gould (A. and P. Associations). Mr Coop said he -understood that the meeting had been called to make the nominations. Mr Ensor said that tho matter had to be done rather hurriedly. There was no objection to receiving further nominations if the meeting thpught fit, but the organisations interested had sent in tho names. Mr AV. T. Robinson movc4 that the names of the A. and P. Association's delegates be approved as representatives on the committee. Mr H. Overton seconded the motion. Mr Gould said that ho did not wish tlie meeting to think that ho thrust himself forward for the position by any means. He would be pleased to stand down for anyone the meeting proposed, and if he was elected he would do his best, though he would be just as well satisfied to be off the committee. Mr Lochhead said that all tho men nominated were Christchurch men or resided near Christchurch. He thought it would be better to have other districts represented... The chairman- said that it would be wise to have men handy. Things moved quickly nowadays, and a quick decision might have to be made. I Some little discussion ensued as to J tho nominations, arid tho chairman said that really the meeting had little to do. The bodies interested had sent forward their nominations, and the meeting could only approve of them. It was resolved that- the gentlemen nominated should constitute the local Wool Committee. Mr C. "H. Ensor said the committee that'was set up that afternoon had the important duty of protecting the "sellers' interests in tho great deal made for New Zealand wool, a deal worth about £14,000,000. and by far the biggest deal ever put through in the Dominion. The meeting could probably assist in arranging the details of the sale, for there would no doubt be many matters cropping up and needing adjuatmfcfrtt ' Tjhe committeo Idesired suggestions and advice from the delegates present. Personally, he thought that the sellers should be protected by the advice of experts. Mr Coop said the wool-brokers were holding a meeting that afternoon. They seemed to have all the necessary information, but the farmers came to the meeting without much knowledge at all. ° Mr D. Jones said there had been a number of valuers sent down to Christchurchi, who had gone through the stores and come to an agreement with the brokers as to values, and had acted on it. The Government had broken its agreemenc with the woolgrowers, and on tho plea that two shipments of wool were to be got away quickly. it had not carried out its lobligat/iorits, nor k>rotec|sd the growers' interests " in the wav it had promised to do. There was much dissatisfaction with this method amongst the brokers. They had accepted the values in some cases', but no arbitrator had been appointed, as the Government promised. The brokers should absolutely refuse to dispose of any wool until* the arbitrator was appointed. He thought the woolgrowers should strike now, and absolutely refuse to sell their wool until the Government had carried out its agreement. There had been far too much secrecy in the brokers' arrangements, and he thought the public should know that . the brokers had power to refuse to sell the wool on a valuation which they did not agrep with. The grower conld refuse to sell his wool to the Government, and all the Government could do would be to refuse shipping space. There was a question, too, as to the competence of some of the valuers. He thought there should be at least three independent valuers to value the wool on behalf of the growers. Mr R. O. Dixon saidlie could obtain j n 0 information as to what attitude the j Government took lm -with regard to scoured wool. H h'ad not been mentioned in the negotiations, so far as he | could find out. ! Mr J. A. Pannctt deprecated Mr Jones"-c attitude. The first shipment ' of wool had to be rather hurriedlv arranged, and things would no doubt be I ' done better in future. He thought it * : would have- been better for the valuers j '■ to havt' all gone together to the stores I : and to have all agreed to th c value thev j " placed on the wool. n ' j I Thc chairman =aid the growers should i < have some protection here, and he sug- ! < gested that two really competent men i < like. say. Mr Nicholl?, of Belfast, and < Mr Clark, should be appointed to value s the wool on. behalf of tie growers. i i

Mr Coop said he thought that these gentlemen would not d»,~as they were buyers. Mr It. 0. Dixon and the chairman said that former buyers could not do business now, as the wool bad already been bought by the Government. Air Coop and Mr AYright ttill contended that, as former buyers, the gentlemen mentioned would" have a Oias in favour of the buyers. 3lr Wright said he thought Mr Gifkins would be a very suitable man : he had had a lifelong experience, and was no: interested. Mr AY. Ncoworthy, M.P., said he thought the meeting was fully justified in demanding from tile Government the lull protection which wn*> promised by the- imperial Government at the time the arrangements for the purchase ol wool were made. He considered the farmers should make a strong protest. Mr Pannett asked in what way had the Government not fulfilled its obligations. He had only Jieurd of the non-appointment of an arbitrator. The chairman -said that the Government- had appointed its valuers, but an opportunity nau not been giveu to the to appoint their valuers to protect their interests. Mr Nosworthy stud the Government had made certain arrangements, and ithad a right to carry tnem out. The farmers would be perfectly willing to work amicably with the Government if things were parried out- properly. Mr Dixon v.antcd to know if the local authorities had not been remiss in not appointing valuers for the sellers. The chairman said there bad not been any local authority to do that —that was the trouble. Mr Bailey said it sec-med that the local brokers were acting as the sellers' representatives. That, ho believed, was the Government's original idea. Mr AYright said the sheep-owners should appoint three really eapable men to act as their representatives and check valuations. He would movo that, as a recommendation to the local committee. Mr Panuctt doubted if this could be done. The Government appointed its valuers, and expected the brokers to act for the sellers. Mr Gardiner said he thought the producers would not unanimously agree to pay for those valuers. It would be better to appoint two men. who would be asked to act or arbitrate in the case of any dispute. Mr Wright's motion was carried. The, following resolution was sent forward from the meeting of tho Sheepowners' Union, and endorsed by the meeting of delegates: —"That, in view of the extent of the scouring industry and the number of men employed therein, it be a reomraendation of the Canterbury ShcipownCrs' Union that the Government bo requested to make provision in tho interests of the woolscouring industry for at least as much wool to bo treated by local works under the requisition scheme as has been treated in the past." Mr Boyl e waited on the meeting and gavo a resume of what bad been done in regard to the valuing of wool in Christchurch. Instead of the Government sending down three or four men and an arbitrator to ..Christchurch who could have all gone round the stores together, and thus got an even valuation of all the wool available, a dozen men, with, a supervisor, had been sent down in pairs. The brokers were not particularly enamoured of this system because they considorcd that there was a chance of tho wool in the different stores being unevenly valued, as '•*■ whole. " So far as tho values affecting the wool in the speaker's stores was concerned, they were fairly even, and compared well with the catalogue valuation, in the majority of casos. He believed tho buyers were valuing perfectly fairly on their own system. They had a cui>and-dried system, but tho values did not work out very well in all cases as compared with the basis of the 1914 sales plus ?5 per cent. 7n most cases the Government value was a fair value; probably in 90 per cent, of the cases the value was good. In tho remaining 10 per cent, of cases the prices wero in favour of the buyers. The brokers had made appeals in these cases, and in sonic of them had been upheld; in other cases they had not. The growers, ho thought, could not realise that tho brokers, who were being paid by someone else, would look after their interests, but he could assure them that never had they worked harder in the growers' interests. He was satisfied that tho growers were getting a fair price for their wool, except possibly in a few cases, where certain classes of wool would have probably fetched more than tho Government valuation at auction. Mr Boyle, at the request of the meeting, then proceeded to give some confidential information which was taken in committee.

On returning the following motion was adopted: -''That the Government be urged to appoint as soon as possible, as promised to tho woolgrowers, an arbitrator to act in eases of appeals on (|iiestions of valuation of wool, and that swh arbitrator should be approved of by all parties interested." Tho resolutions massed at the meetin <r have been telegranhed to the Hon. "V 7? D. S. MaeDonald'bv Air W. F. Parkinson. President of the Canterbury Sheepowners' Union.

At yesterday's meeting of the Lvttelton Harbour Board. a letter was read from the Harbours Association, statins; that the Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald bad assured the executive of the Association that Harbour Boards -will not b ft affected as regards their clues and charges by tho purchose of the wool clip by the Imperial Government.