AUSTRALIA'S BEST SHEEP

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 140, 14 June 1924, Page 8

AUSTRALIA'S BEST SHEEP

SOLD- TO FOREIGN COMPETITORS.

At the conference of the New South Wales Graziers' Association, held in Sydney recently, a lengthy discussion took place on a motion submitted by the local committee of i'oung and Narromine, that. Parliament be asUed to prohibit the export of merino rams and ewes from Australia.

Mr. F. H. Tout (young), in presenting the motion, said it was. a business proposition. Under present conditions they were creating competitors who were in a more favourable position than themselves as regarded markets. France had set out with the objective of 100,000.000 sheep. . It was certain that the breeders there could not compete with Australia as regarded the quality of wool. Still they had those people coming here and using every endeavour to buy the very best sheep at high prices, and it surely was not good business to thus build up competition that might become a- serious factor against us in the production of fine wool. Some graziers were against his proposal, but only because they made some immediate profit by the export of sheep, and liked to see competition from South Africa at the ram sales.

Mr. T. M. Scott (Dubbo) said South Africa had bought sheep extensively since the war, and having secured some of the-best sheep from Australia would soon become a serious competitor in the wool world. Morocco, really France, would be an even more1 serious competitor than South Africa, because its climate was better, its pastures were -better, and the country was closer to the market. Figures were quoted by Mr P A Wright (Armidale) to show the advance made by South Africa in regard-to sheepraising. In 1903 practically no wool of any commercial value was grown'there, bufc since 19C9 the weight per head had increased every year. Since 1909 just over 27,000. stud sheep had been purchased in Australia for South Africa, the total payment being £413 000' Mr D. W. Gordon (Goulburn) said' they lived in the British Empire, and if the motion were carried it would be great detriment—it would be going back to the dark ages. . Mr. p. E. Body (Trangie) argued that to carry the motion would seriously cripple the wool industry. Mr. A. E. Hunt ; M.L.C., said that with her huge debt Australia's only hope was her primary production. He considered the principle contained in the motion was good business.

The President (Dr. Kater) said the way he managed his own business was not to sell his best sheep. In all probability other stud breeders did the same, selling. only sheep for which they had no use at home. Nevertheless, the motion was a.distinct restriction of trade, and to adopt it would be against the principles of the association, which stood' for freedom of trade and freedom of contract. The motion was defeated.