WOOL FOR UNITED STATES

Evening Star, Issue 25769, 16 April 1946, Page 8

WOOL FOR UNITED STATES

INABILITY TO DATE SHIPMENTS NO REGULAR SERVICES (P.A.) WELLINGTON April 15. The reasons why it had not been possible for the New Zealand marketing authority to give in advance a linn undertaking regarding the time of shipment of wool orders placed in the Dominion by American purchasers were given by the Minister of Marketing, Mr B. (Roberts, when replying to the criticism by Lord Barnby that the United States would have taken a still larger total of New Zealand wool if the New Zealand marketing arrangements had been more expeditious and had more closely approached the efficiency in Australia. The Minister said that the extraordinary difficulties during the war in regard to shipping to the United States were well known to New Zealand traders. The situation in Australia was known to have been easier but every opportunity of shipment from New Zealand was taken. There was no regular shipping service between New Zealand and the United States, the only opportunities for shipment being in United States war transport vessels on their return journeys. In some cases, wool was held waiting an opportunity to ship for periods of three to four months. The Shipping Committee worked to make the best use of these opportunities, but the exigencies of war involved the necessity for sudden changes without notice in ships' movements, and the difficulty or impossibility of the New Zealand marketing authority giving in advance a firm undertaking regarding time of shipment was apparent. Shipments of New Zealand wool to the United States during 1939 and the war years were: 1939, approximately 40,000 bales; 1939-40, nil; 1940-41. 7,582; 194142, 40,042; 1942-43, 42,100: 1943-44, 57,278; 194445, 130,167. "The criticism of Lord Barnby, which was made during the war, related to the natural desire of American purchasers to get complete fulfilment of orders placed in New Zealand and a firm undertaking regarding the time of shipment," said Mr (Roberts. "Every effort was made by the New Zealand marketing authority to meet these requirements within the inescapa'ble limitations arising from the war, which were made known to Lord Barnby on a number Of occasions by the New Zealand Minister in Washington and the director of export marketing."