Wool Board Wants Say In Fixing Freight Rate

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31908, 8 February 1969, Page 42

Wool Board Wants Say In Fixing Freight Rate

(N.Z. Press Assn. —Copyright) WELLINGTON, Feb. 7. The Wool Board may seek Government sponsorship this year for legislation allowing it to negotiate shipping freight rates for wool. A spokesman for the board said yesterday such a move had been discussed" recently and would be considered again this year. At present the rates are fixed by the shipping companies. in consultatidn with wool shippers but, according to the Wool Board, the shippers have not in recent years beep influential in reducing the rates' declared by the; companies. In 1960 the board Was 1 close to seeking legislative authority to negotiate all wool rates, but it took no action at that time because two Continental lines entered the trade and a freight war en-, sued. From 1964 to 1967 the wool rate maintained a close rela-tionship-to the refrigerated rate, even ’ with Continental, lines in the field, and the board saw some benefits to growers in this relationship.( Wool Rate Raised Last year, when the refrigerated rate rose by only 3.7 per cent, says -.the Wool Board, the wool rate to Britain and Europe was raised by 8.5 per cent. The chairman of the board (Sir John Acland) said recently the action of the shipping companies in destroying the ratio between the two rates at a time when prices for'wool were at their lowest for 20 years warranted a thorough examination of the negotiating procedure. The chairman of the Wool

Commission (Mr E. L. Greensmith) reported last year that although the commission had been a signatory to the wool freights agreement it had not agreed to the increase last year. The shipowners had provided no detailed information to support the proposed increase and had politely de-

dined a request to produce more statistics to back up their general statements, So far no proposal has reached the Government, but the Minister of Overseas Trade (Mr Marshall) has said the Government would seriously consider any practical proposal put forward by the board.