OUR AMERICAN WOOL TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1031, 21 January 1911, Page 10

OUR AMERICAN WOOL TRADE.

.'.THE COST* OF THE / TARIFF.:.' ; • ■ The possibility of Congress lifting the United States wool tariff -has caused the eves of ,all ,interested in," the -Dominion's wool, trade to bo'" turned".to-wards-'the business with tlio. States. To arrivo at just-what the lifting of the duty would-mbaii in £ s. d. to New Zealand, is matter.- In'the 1009-10 season, this country. exported' 265,184' bales, the distribution of. which was as follows: —United Kingdonv, 130,000 bales; European countries (particularly France), 40,000; United States, '25,000; and local manufacturers"2o,lß4. Those are tho iigures:giveh'in Messrs/ Dalgety's-.'annuaT compilation. Tliess Hgures must, be' tak'on 'as approximate', for/as\a Wellington authority pointed out,.-it is impossible for. even the brokers to tell; for certain where all the wool gbe's.- -Our'.wool, trade with the States in, 1909-10 was double what it was' in 1908-9, and may still further, develop. ■ A -The-duty which . has to' bo. paid* t-o get wool into the States may be reckoned, as being. SJ(I. per pounds. The number •of bales of- wool shipped to America last.season is estimated'to b'o . In weight, ';t]re 'bales averaged 'lherefcre, ii\ pounds ,our wpol^esport. to 1 hat .country' .'was , 3j357,50();. A 2}d. • diity onvthat quantity runs,' int0,,£192,234. . .As >a .plain,- straight-out -issue, " it wouldhe a" benefit, t-o; New Zealand'.to •have that, tariff- wiped ! outj for .as . a fairly. direct - result of ' lifting ; of the duty, they would f get some'of : tho But-there -is something more behind it,-and possibly the "something ' np^lV-i^^-Of' ,gr<?ijer importance" tcr. New Zealand "growers than the directjssue., .It is;,this: If_the duty .was lifted,' t'lie American, buyers could 'afford to bid higher, at the New Zealand sales, and if they did"'so "it" 'would forco-the-bnvers of other countries : to do: likewise,; with the..result that there, would; bo an .all-rdund.!'riso .in-the -fleeces.-