WOOL SHORTAGE

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 May 1924, Page 5

WOOL SHORTAGE

' MOBJS SHEEP NECESSARY. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, May 7. Sir A. Goldfinch entertained a distinguished company of over one hundred persons, representative of Australia and New Zealand in the Yorkshire wool trade, to celebrate the successful termination of the Imperial wool purchase scheme. Sir A. Goldfinch, toasting the woolgrowing Dominions, paid a tribute to Australia and New Zealand’s co-oper-ation when the Empire in war time needed their wool. He emphasised the fact that there was no haggling oyer prices for the Imperial purchase. The Dominion Governments, woolgrowers and people, were willing to do anything for the national good. Looking at the future, he said that he desired to declare with the utmost deliberation the importance of increasing the world's sheep population. He expressed the opinion that there was no business in the world in which capital could be invested with greater certainty of a profitable return than in sheep farming. Such developments,, while advantaging investors and Australia and New Zealand, would render great service to Britain, which was threatened with a serious wool shortage.

Sir James Allen, responding, outlined the practical recognition which New Zealand sheep growers had shown for the services of the Mercantile Marine by a scheme of setting aside £250,000 of their profits for assistance to the dependants of mercantile mariners who gave their Eves in the war, He pointed out that arrangements had been made to take to New Zealand, fifty boys every quarter for training in settlement. He was glad to announce that New Zealand’s sheep population was now increasing.