Release on report on wool sought

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32701, 2 September 1971, Page 14

Release on report on wool sought

A call for the release of the Battelle Report on wool marketing to interested and concerned organisations was made by the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce at its monthly meeting last evening.

The vice-president (Mr J.' M. Hargreaves) said that be-i cause the Battelle Memorial; Institute in the United States had been paid $38,000 by woolgrowers and $38,000 by taxpayers for the report, it was a public document and should be made available to interested bodies. He said he understood that the report was to be released at the end of this week but not the full recommendations made by the institute. These recommendations were the most important part of the whole thing, said Mr Hargreaves. Mr A. L. Mulholland said

: there would be a meeting of i the meat and wool section and the provincial executive of Federated Farmers on Friday to discuss the report but until he knew more of what was in it he could make "ttle comment.

He said the attitude of farmers toward it would depend entirely on whether they would be better off as a result of it or not.

A request that the terms under which waters! ders worked the ACT 3 at Wellington last week-end be published was made by the president (Mr L. A. Holland) who said that it was a matter that concerned him deeply.

“There was a statement published in the newspapers that the terms and conditions agreed to for working on the ACT 3 that week-end would not be published and I want to know why,” said Mr Holland.

“Why should there be secrecy over working the ACT 3 at the week-end? Why should the people of the country not know? This is not just a private matter between the shipowners and the watersiders—it is a matter which affects every man, woman and child in the country.”