RETURN FROM WOOL

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 3, 3 July 1943, Page 6

RETURN FROM WOOL

LOCAL PRICES NOT TO RISE

' Wool payment bonds received by farmers .will be made payable back to the-appraisal-dates, according to a statement made by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Barclay) in the House of Representatives yesterday after[hoon, in replying,to several points concerning wooL prices. The Minister also made a-declaration, that the Government would not raise the.price of wool,to local consumers.; . Mr. H. G. Dickie (National, Pa tea) said that a considerable amount of the wool sold to the United Kingdom was resold ito other countries. The prices x*ece^ved from those countries would be.the ruling local prices, which were considerably,, above those received in New Zealand, and .he wondered how much, profit had accrued. from the 272,000 bales sold to those countries last year. The Minister said, that the Government was urged to raise the price of wool to local consumers by £220,000, but it -would not do so. The farmers were receiving every/penny coming to New Zealand from Britain. <. . Amid a chorus of dissent from the Opposition, the Minister declared that the Government did not have a weak--case on the. wool question. People who had received 20: per, cent, more than they said they wanted desired the price of wool to poor people, returned soldiers,,and children to.be raised. The wool growers had had a higher rise than any other section of the community. The more, they were given the more they wanted.. ..Mr. W. A. Bodkin (National, Cen- ; tral Otago) asked .the Prime Minister if the Government would be prepared to give favourable consideration to the acceptance of the wool bonds by the Lands Department in payment for rent. No "section of the community laboured under greater difficulties than.the men farming in the high , country. If the concession he suggested were.' granted even to the holders of third-class leasehold land it would be a great help and would be appreciated..