Talks on wool marketing held

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32700, 1 September 1971, Page 16

Talks on wool marketing held

Broad outlines of the Wool Board’s marketing plans were discussed in Christchurch yesterday when members of the board

met the executive committee of the New Zealand Woolbuyers’ Association.

The general manager of i the board (Mr J. D. Fraser) I said last evening that the ] meeting had afforded the 1 buyers an opportunity to put i a series of questions to Dr I.' L. Kinne, the leader of the Battelle Memorial Institute’s 1 research team. The board commissioned 1 the institute to study the i

marketing of wool and on the basis of the institute’s report proposed to the Government the establishment of a wool marketing corporation with wide powers. Certainly more discussions would be necessary between the buyers and the board, Mr Fraser said, and arrangements were in hand for these to take place. After the meeting the chairman of the board (Sir John Acland) clarified references that have been made to the future of the auction system in the board’s proposals. He said it was not intended that the auction system should be abandoned soon, but in line with the institute’s findings adaptations to the system or its eventual replacement might occur as a marketing system developed. ■>. According to the marketing plan the auction system would continue as long as it demonstrated its viability. Mr Fraser said that copies of the Battelle report and the board’s marketing plan would be distributed at the end of this week. They would be sent to people who the board thought would want to read than, but. they would also be available to others who

wanted them. Board members at yesterday’s meeting in addition to Sir John Acland were Messrs L. P. Chapman, J. Clarke and F. G. Spackman. The accompanying photograph was taken before the meeting started. From left are Mr I. L L Mackay, president of the Woolbuyers’ Association, Dr Kinne, and Sir. John Acland.