The worst of both worlds for wool

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33035, 30 September 1972, Page 16

The worst of both worlds for wool

The unfortunate temporising over the establishment of the proposed wool marketing corporation seems likely to give woolgrowers the worst of both worlds —the extra costs of a new bureaucracy without the benefits of a single marketing authority—for at least four vears. In retrospect, it is now apparent that the Wool Board, the electoral committee, and the leaders of Federated Farmers—the farming “establishment” —seriously underrated the opposition to compulsory acquisition among less well-informed growers. The Wool Board members, in particular, should have taken more time and trouble in the early months of this year to explain to growers their “ conversion ” to compulsory acquisition. The amendment requiring a referendum on total acquisition—and a 60 per cent majority—will apparently give both the mixed farmer who runs a few hundred sheen and the high-country runholder almost totally denendent on his wool cheque one vote each “ One man. one vote ” is surely inannronriate in this context: whv could the votes not be weighted in accordance with the number of sheen owned bv each voter? The timing of the referendum—“ not before Anril 1. 1974 ” —virtually ensures that this matter will again be an election Hsim in 1975

The new corporation cannot be exnected to produce convincing evidence in 12 months of the sunerioritv of a svstem of total acquisition and coordinated marketin'* Other farmers’ organisations nreferahiv Federated Farmers —will have to take the initiative in informing growers and in shaping industry opinion Sadiv jt seems that the most elective persuader would be a collapse of world prices fotyfool.