STORAGE OF WOOL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21551, 2 November 1944, Page 4

STORAGE OF WOOL

MINISTERIAL ACTION STATEMENT~BY BROKERS STATE RESPONSIBILITY The commandeer of the Gisborne drill hall lor the emergency storage of wool continues to excite discussion, and tile protest forwarded by the Mayor. Mr. N. H. Bull as a result oi representations made to him on Monday lias secured the promise of ar investigation by members of th Cabinet.

The reply of the Minister of Apiculture, the Hon. B. Roberts, to the Mayor’s telegram slates that Mr, Roberts understands the utilisation o, the hall for wool storage was being considered by the Minister of Works the Hon. R. Semple, who was oi opinion that wool storage must take precedence. Mr. Roberts expresses iiis own regret that the storage posiion necessitates the action taken, and adds that if future conditions warrant it, tiie matter may be reviewed. The reply of the Prime Minister, or the other hand, is considered to hole nore of promise, for the Rt. Hon. Fraser states that lie has arranger for the Minister of Works to look into the position forthwith and advise th< Gisborne Borough Council of the result of his inquiries. Tiie fact that the decision to use lh« drill hall for storage purposes was unde by a representative of the export division of .tiie Marketing Department. acting on authority con erred by tiie Government. is emphasised in a statement made today by Mr. H. C. Hanes, chairman o' ‘he Gisborne Woolbrokers’ Association. Mr. Hanes took occasion h •efer to some of t.he statements madt at Tuesday night's meeting of tin Gisborne Borough Council, and ii particular to the remarks of Mr. R Morse. United Kingdom Ownership "The wool to be stored in alternative accommodation is the property of the British Government, and the drill hall was taken over not by the Gisborne woolbrokers but by an officer of the export division of the Marketing Department." stated Mr. Hanes. “This official recently visited Gisborne in the course of a North Island survey of suitable storage accommodation for appraised wool. The drill hall was considered to be desirable for the purpose, and brokers were then and there instructed to load in a specified type of wool. Particular care is being taken to see that the floor is not damaged, and only undumped bales are tc be stored there. “When it became known a few months ago that very little, if any, of last season's clip held in Gisborne appraisal stores would be shipped, the problem of finding alternative storage locally for approximately 30,000 bales was taken in hand very energetically by a sub-committee appointed by the Gisborne Woolbrokers’ Association. This sub-committee surveyed every likely building in the district, as was evidenced by the comprehensive report submitted to the association under date of August 31. The survey included the brick-works, referred to in the borough council discussion as capable of holding 20,000 bales; but this building was ruled out by the sub-committee as being definitely unsuitable in its existing state for storing wool. “Several other locations are still being investigated, but at the moment space is required for several thousand bales in order to clear the brokers’ stores sufficiently to permit of the new clip being handled, this clip being now on its way into the stores in fair quantities. Relief by shipment of a few thousand bales is a possibility, and if this takes place reasonably soon tiie solving of the problem, for the season, will be in sight. Co-operation by Wool Brokers

“At the council table it was stated that more co-operation among the woolbrokers would result in more storage becoming available: also that there is not one store in Gisborne really lull,” continued Mr. Hanes. “Ever since Gisborne became a wool appraisal centre the majority of the brokers have experienced difficulty in seeing each season through, and in order to make very necessary working space available have been forced to resort to expensive block-stacking. “AfteT each appraisal, wool is dumped and stacked according to types—and there are over 200 of these types, any of which may be ordered out for shipment at any time, and which must be kept reasonably accessible. It is not, therefore, practicable to stack any appraisal store from iloor to ceiling in a solid mass, as Mr. R. Morse expects to see done. “Co-operation among the Gisborne brokers is particularly evident, and this fact was made the subject of special reference by Mr C. G. Trotter, president of the New Zealand Woolbrokers’ Association, on a recent visit to Gisborne. For instance, one firm could have retained for its own use the old Waipaoa freezing works buildings, but instead it ‘pooled’ this valuable space for the benefit of all the brokers. The further statement, that one store could be used for displaying all wool for appraisals is of course quite impracticable, as anyone with knowledge of the highly technical nature of the work involved in preparing for an appraisal knows full well.

“The present storage crisis is a national one. involving the holding in alternative storage, mainly, of a total of at least 650,000 bales in New Zealand, and in addition the new clip now coming into store. It therefore behoves each centre to do everything possible to help solve this huge problem. As for Gisborne, the local woolbrokers have done all they possibly can to help themselves in this matter, having in mind also the importance to Gisborne and the surrounding .districts of retaining the status of a wool-selling centre when the present commandeer terminates.”