THE BARTERING OF WOOL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1018, 6 January 1911, Page 8

THE BARTERING OF WOOL.

I . A BUYER'S•STOET. - i ±vew Zealanders would be a little at sea [ at buying,-selling, or dealing in wool in ! the Argentine.' , "In the/Argentine," .said-a.wool buyer fto a DoiiiNibx representative, "they have ( no, sales of yool Jby public auction. The ~:f£rmers soud their, wool-'.to' brokers, who ''have big ' sales in "town . (say ■ Buenos Aj-Sres'or Monte Video). The broker hears ;.thst,a ..particular buyer has limits, i aftd .appoints him., . ■ t. "'I .havo soma-wool in'my store. Come and see -it; and tell me what-you'll give . for it.' So savs the broker to the buyer. The buyer sees., the ; wool makes : an t offer of, say, sixpence. . ; ". 'Well, I'll see the owner and let yon j.know about, that pride,' says the broker, i andvthe buyer departs. , r: "When,the buyer is out of sight the v broker.looks, up another .bnyei; and puts thim through the same performance. Ho ■ is by this buyer;, say, fivc-pence. ...He .says that is too little,, as he has been !' offered sixpence.' Then.;'another buyer, is ; sought./ Perhaps; lie'-'. oSers; .say,.. seyehf*pence.:.. That is probably accepted, and the. broker rings up the first buyer and f tells him ho can't have the wool as sondefope has made :d.better, offer.; ... > r "It is a rotten system; arid, not nearly. I. as-fair or as satisfactory as the-auction t'systetn which-is adhered, to. jn. fcew Zealand.,■..■ Also, it is a- fearfully- slow' way f of.. dijinf;business. There 'is room for jr. undei-h&f.d work, and the farmer never 'i. really .khofrs'how his end .of the business •i ha-s'.been. looked .after, or if. he has re"ceived as. much for his wool, as he should have. . Further,, one never knows the real | state; of tho market, as one ,does at tho j.nuction, where the law of supply-and.de-generally reflected- fairly-con- ! sisfceiitly.', .. ..... . "Arid the bad featuro of woojrbuving in --thp Argentine ij that,when we'get tho s wpol.it fs inert* sorted. It has to be / classed after we buy. it, and before, we !:shjp if.' Therefpre every buyer takes a i-maii-. about with him to do-that work alone. . . \.r-. "Of. course, the, system. entails delay in ;■ shipping, arid great uncertainty. in buyr ' insr, as. or.o Simply has to average the ' Talue of the purchases." . :