MARKETING OF WOOL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 272, 1 November 1932, Page 11

MARKETING OF WOOL

meat board control. PRINCIPLE REJECTED. The principal of having the Meat Producers’ Board assume the functions of a Wool Marketing Board in addition to its normal activities was not generally favoured by the Dominion executive of the Farmers’ Union last week, when the Wool Committee presented its report. The report stated that after considering the various phases of the wool marketing problem the committee had decided upon the following general points: (1) The formation of a Wool Marketing Board was highly essential and urgent; (2) the Meat Producers’ Board should take over the functions of the Wool Marketing Board, as it had all the machinery available, and the present Wool Committee should be disbanded. Amending legislation should be introduced to give the Meat Board the necessary power and to include a representative of the wool-buying interests on the Wool Marketing Board; (3) the main functions of the Wool Marketing Board should be (a) regulation of wool sales and amounts offered, (b) reduction of overhead costs from shed to manufacturer, and (c) insistence on uniformity of classing by licensed wool classers and of compulsory binning of small and irregular lots. If extra finance was required, the report added, the Wool Marketing Board should have power through legislation to make a small levy on all wool sold either locally or exported.

Mr L. Hammond (Wellington), a member of the committee, said that although it was considered necessary that there should be a Wool Marketing Board it was felt that there were enough boards already, and that the creation of another would mean additional expense to the producers. The Meat Board practically represented the same producers’ as would be represented on the Wool Marketing Board. Mr W. R. Hammond (Mid-Canter-bury) said he was strongly opposed to the proposal that the Meat Board should act as the Wool Board. It had been working comparatively smoothly, and the introduction of fresh interests would divert its attention from meat.

The motion to adopt the report was lost, but it was agreed to forward the report to the Meat Board and the Sheepowners’ Federation for their views.