THE WOOL PRICE

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23891, 9 March 1943, Page 4

THE WOOL PRICE

MR BARCLAY DEFENDS | GOVERNMENT NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRITAIN (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, March 8. Opposition criticism of the Government's handling of the increase in the wool price granted by the British Government was answered in the House of Representatives to-day by the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. J. G. Barclay), who said that New Zealand woolgrowers were receiving 50 per cent, more for their wool than in the pre-war season. Reviewing the wool-price negotiations, Mr Barclay said that when war broke out, the Imperial Government offered to purchase the New Zealand clip for the period of the war and one year afterwards, and the price offered was 9.17 d per lb, less brokerage charges. When this was communicated to a conference of growers and brokers, they were staggered. They had set up a committee to consider the position, and reported to the Minister that if Is per lb was paid it would be all right. They stated that there would be increased costs during the war, which they had allowed for in the proposed price. The Imperial Government eventually decided to pay 12Jd per lb, and as it was ultimately found that they also paid nearly all brokerage charges, the result to growers was 12Jd per lb, which was an increase of more than 35 per cent, on the pre-war price. Now they had received a further 14 per cent., making a total of 50 per cent. Mr W. Sullivan (National, Bay of Plenty): That does not justify holding back 15 per cent. The Minister added that he knew that next week there was going to be a National ramp about wool prices. Opposition members: Why call it a The Minister: I'll call it a National Party meeting then; the same as the women's protest meeting at Lower Htitt regarding prices. He gave the following details of woolgrowers' incomes in respect of wool produced for export and New Zealand consumption:—l 937-38, £12,775.000; 1938-39, £12,577,000; 193940 £16,411,000; 1940-41, £17,272,000; 1941-42, £18,167,000. Mr Barclay said there had been an increase in production in the last two years, but in price alone the sheepfarmer was better off to the extent of 36 per cent., and yet he (the Minister) was called an enemy of the farmer. If any Minister got a 36 per cent, increase for the workers he would be called the friend of the trade unions. The whole of the increased income was being paid to the farmer in bonds or Mr Barclay added that the same sort of arguments were brought up about the guaranteed price, and vested interests had opposed this as it did the land settlement policy of John MacKenzie, and the Internal Marketing Division. He said that it was the Government which really understood the farmers' position, and it was trying to stabilise it in the same way as it wished to stabilise the position of the workers to-day.