AUCKLAND WOOL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 406, 15 January 1909, Page 4

AUCKLAND WOOL.

ALLEGED SYSTEMATIC DECEPTION.

"PACKED" BALES (Bl TEIEOBAPII—SPECIAL COBBFPrONDENT.)

... ,'.';„; . , ■ : ■ Auckland, JanuarylL, was gonernU : complaint among, the buyers'.a£; yesterday's : wool sales concerning the '■ in which; wool is marketed at Auckland. ■;: JJr- T. .0. Price, buyer for Brad : ford ;: and "'Americau:' houses,, speaking to a reporter from fifteen years' ■;: expenonoe, of Auckland''wool'sales, said he regretted to find that, the practices the buyers so stronuously condemned wero not decreasing but. wore rather on the' increase. .There were lines-on, offer, at the: sales for >hich ho would have girori : 2dV'tO 3d', hotter prices on account of American 'housed, butj knowing as he. did. "that 'the' wools were not: properly got : up, that, pieces werp-'mixed with fleeces and.--tellies, and' dirty wools rammed in, and:cotted fleeces "packed into the same bales, he had to reduce his limit by. that 2d. to 3d. per.lb.,'. and the wool consequently would go to.the Bradford'market, where there .was ;no import' duty of's}d;?per'lb. f as in America. : The lm-'; .port duty in/America necessitated the buying only' of.. the brightest • and cleanest / wools of the i-liglitest shrinkage for that trade.' « 'stood'to.reason that America.could not:buy. unless ..the'wool was' properly; prepared for the.market, and New Zealand,: if : .it:wanted ! high •prices': for iwobl;. , would have tocater for. ■the American, trade. ..'.. '■■: ' ;"-, ' : : In reply]to-.a;i.question regarding.a.com-. : parison '.with other> centre's, ..Mr'.v Price ■ said ! I Auckland ,'•: was ■'; a: .coarse crossbred market' j similar-to'-Napier. arid.lhvercargill. , -, There, '.was' ho 'doubt', that "the general. character of the wbol -here'Was The. fault'lay with the .At ■■Invercargill and Napier the proportion' of bellies and :pieces catalogued:was.nbt- less than ten.per iceht/'.'ofi'tlie total.'.wool' , offered, and.buyers 1 ■could see for't-liemsolves'what the'proportion 1 Wflsj and .that gav.e. them greater .confidence, in operating'' ■': In Auckland the proportion. '■of r very limited, and'it , ■ there'foro followed that: tlwt wool was mixed •■>-itlt;the 'fleecp''siffpbla. .There was. a popular idetesion'.thtK; a'.maif.idid just,as'well as his ■rt«'ig.h"l)«ii'r if' iibfe'-sldrting'. ■■' A man .might ;gGt.,.the..Aanie. J prAce..by J i.np.t .skirting,'but,,if. 'he got ,'2d'.. to 3d. more by skirting' it: would, ipay- hinv«welL'-';:>y>:V''H l ' ; v. ./.■:■' :.■ ; ;■■'■'•'- : .

'.•■•?'-?.'! Eyer." . ; :.'■,'■- '-'""iffer ;ift<;eri : .years' .experience," added •Mi. Price/;'tL; find .the/Auckland farmers are' in. the direction _in;dicatedi':; contrary, they . are trying more dodges-.than. ever..-■ , I have seen .the: iwdbl-turhedv.out; :at;iHorhe, ; and I :can>seure ashamed of buying it, sometimes_. - : In the wool, offered at thie iJanuiiry'-f T found numerous in**tarieesVpt-/r.toppirig.-';vp£ bales, with a f few ; :;nice ; .,c]ean.'flijeces and .qf, false packing of thq ifleecjs/ exhibited for sale; and that has boon ;th'e'.esperiehco:'offather"'buyers oh.the bench to-day.'; The; Aucklajid _ia not likely 'tb.grow jn;.inipbrtance;''-n6r will.it attract the. ■;full strength, of-Homel'; and rforeign buyers until 'is done'to : remedy this state !6f : affairs,-ijnd that:**Von"%.be till the.growers ■realise .the-.'-iinpoctalW'eß 'flot* only ..of growing good wool but:of. preparing it for the mariket;- and the.,;better the. wool,the: mpre>fe-. ip£trati&it ,in ; .6rder! th&tHhe-grbwer. TOay. receive : the^rery,-beet price going." *.* . ".■..■ ■/: '■■: ' ! "\Vh"at"-is':your"'experience of false packing .;h^e^."*^fe;Brice.a!!asi4sk e d. ... : ,~ ..i , .-.-' , -. *•■' ''It.is'a.'grOW.ing'eYil.oh this;market,", he' Tppliqd.'■".".".;''i;'am"s6r'ry7'to have to say; so, ;but .it ; is a fact."; ;^ l■:have.seen numerous:in■stancgs" of "the" iriterior.'of bales purporting to be only fine fleece .wools .'containing cotted, fle&es; -'in;;fact;'; it almost put tile ■ worst 'fleec'is; ai'.Hhe.'bottbri'i or ..liithe centre.': ' I >think the. time has come for 'some action ito to buyers, but. by the. brokers wppl-growers. themselves. '}.■ -The Agricultural and Pastoral Association should : ;v : '; > .h\ : :y ■ '..-Haye ttesfefacts ,, -tiad:'.ieffect. bn:;prices at this'saleP.'-V-,;';.': v;.-.:■..:;, . ■;;■■,■.,■ ■.■.■'■.';■••• K.'f'The' them selves to ■^Pi^e:4stLe'nfc'/.by..debl.ining : to bid, anything but jowj.:figures :for ~}ois, where .they see: , false packing, ah^' -topping, 'and..the: fall in .values: β-day .is largely due to these- facts. I wish ■jbo - point-Jout ..-most -.emphatically that if . the sale:'dragged,;at;:all it.:'was. duo t0... the; fact that' tM.bjiSerJß ;felt they ; 'could .'not'operate witfc /. : '.There;., was lip. douht>thafcyreservesV ; were. too high, ''and. , jthat'-wasrpjrp.bably'.jduer to i.farmers basing results; of sajes -in other Vehtres: where': Jhe: wools are properly! pre- ■; ■•/■'- '■':■•;. .-■ ': : -'■■■ : . •^■l< t," :;; :Regulatlbns: Needed, V ; '< > to. some,b.etter!understandihg, and do businesstoge'trier/'TV'ith', a greater amount of; confid-. :€iice"it-.inusf. mean : the;drafting of somoregu:lations'':f6r.,■ thefshdwing-of 'wools. '-'seiit: - fegUlatitfiis '■- 4W"ceHainly ' not adequate y ■and, do npt;,offer ; ;sufficient protection to; the 'buyei , / anidrat; migbt-'end-.'in pu'r v -.having:to iiisistUupoh".-every,)bale: being;cut open from /end.'to endi ''Theire" is- no doubt that they '<Jan : •groTv:.;"abod'''"Woc)l- i here-, ix they : go ' about. it jh-the Tight way. ■ I':should ,imagine from ithe iwoblthat.thero is.a .great deal ,-of TjusK and" piimioo country,': arid it is possible "to: expect good wool-from those districts j ? but 0 an - great '■.-, de^l'. can be. done/ by, ■'proper; is a very large Tpro-' ■iportion'oEAlog-stained and. 'earthy ; wools -and ;of:cotted fleeces;! ;v - ! ■. : "■ ' ,: -i-'--:. !■' '.' It'-IS: e'fiderit'.from/'the fact -of there being -many clips wliicli"; compare .favourably with; the' best we)can buy at other : centres;: that it is possible ito produce good wool in favourable conditions. Wools .of '.a yalue'.exceedirig this would,ck>'infinitely/better if properly..skirted;*" Hbjiest"'lrqwersV who' Strive to get; up the woof'and; pack'it, properly, suffer because, of the dishohesty-of others.'. 1 and other buyers ,had;t6 make'bur;.valuation ,as much asfrpin 2d. to/35l.,::iess.; per,-lb.r.than;we would : hilve, b«en prepared -to. do; if the wools had been '.properly ..skirted, .and all: dirty wool 'taken' .out: ; ;.;;., ; :;. ; *,* v I*.'■ ■ ,:\ •' • .* .*/'; ft '''!'Allpwing for : a" certain .amount of ignor-: 'once is to what is retiuired, I am constrained to'thiiik' that there is a .degree of systematic fdecp'ption.;,going.coii,'.-and-1 have tnarked on my' catalogues ■ several lots, which; it is paijcut. to'my : mind;wcre/.packed deliberately to de■ceiyfci'the'.rbuyer.";.;,;;:-;":: ./' ••■"..--. : .:;:■' iy.v',;'\ t Übehiaj by a , Sheepfarmer. .--..-•.■ ;■ ■.; ■"!*■' 'Replj-ing'; to '.this '.strictures of Mr. Price, aWaikato'sheepfarmer the charges■ of false packing.. Ho. admitted that thcre ; might be isolated cases.where the bales with aii intent,to' mislead the buyers, but in thei "vast-majority ofcases the only genuine xomplaint that- could.';he , . , made: was. that .the wool was;;not properly classed, and in this <juestion points out .Iliiit ■tioii-classingji-giust ;exist among the small .lots.' , .'He goes 4 v to assert.that-.the average lot, sentrforward per far.riier would "not'exceed thrfefe-'bales. There*are- very, few ■big'. : i runlioldera:':iii'. ; the . north, arid sheepfarming is mbstlv;. parried on in conjurictiori ■-,with.;,other rural- pVrsuits, so that where t\yo or three represent'the entire clip,; it : would be' impossible to separate ..the. long.*.from, the ,shorty wool-without mailing up half bales. .■,The. ; in'sinuation against the honesty of- th'e'i'Auqklflrid, farmers will, he says, be -generally.', denied...' It .has been stated that the put irt the' bottom (or/ the centre of the bales. . This is hardly'.possible in vigjV, of. the ■ faat that liiany growers brand'at'both ends; and the bottom, is as .likely., to .-be opened up by : the buyers as the top. *' A " v " _ *■•' : : " My opinion, is that this is simply an excuse on the part of'the buyers, said the grower in question, "and covers an attempt to bear'the njafket.'. Yesterday the fluctuation, which took place- represented a loss to ;the [Auckland growers' of £10,000, Before charges arer brought /against farmers, let us remem-. Iwr'tho character for r jßli-pnosß enjoyod by the ■Yorkshiremen. juy.rbinarks do not, of course,apply' to thoVAmerican buyers. I know- that they "must h> ve .clean, wool when they are ~c/*iled; ' iipon |ojpay. an import duty of 5Jd. be.rjb": on all-they buy;"but even in this case ..|he-\fact remains-.4hat-thcre was plenty-of was passed in &t;.yi3stqrdayjs sale'.""';:". ■• ■'.: '.*/'• Unsatisfactory" "Oet-up." : : Interviewed 1 rpgardirig* tho class of; wools offered yesterday the principal of the wool department of the Now Zealand Loan, and Mercantile Agency Company said that gener-

ally speaking tho condition of tho wool was not so good as at the previous salo hold in November, there being a larger •proportion of bush wools in tho catalogue. Now that thero was a strong buying of wool for tho American trade it was,more than over dosirablq that farmers should pay nioro attention to the get-up of wool by at least removing all .the dirt and the stained looks and pieces. Unfortunately for the Auckland Bales, this was not recognised by a large number of fanners, with the ■ result that Auckland wools suffered very much in comparison with those shown in some of tho southern districts; and accordingly there was not the competition at this salo that the growing importance;of Auckland as a wool centre, should onsurc. When farmers were sending sheep or cattle to market they .took pride in getting their stock in the best, condition to attract competition,: and why should they not do so in the case of wool? A ; wool pack did not prevent the .defects from being seen, and the fact was that the best avenue'for sale that was open to far-' mers—that was, : 'the American trade—was absolutely ' closed ■to unskirted and dirty wools; 7. ' . "'../.. ';: :' ,:. ;.' ■'i ■■ '