PUBLIC AFFAIRS IN U.S.A.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 15 October 1920, Page 3

PUBLIC AFFAIRS IN U.S.A.

MEAT AND WOOL POSSIBILITIES.'

Mr A. Boyle, of Ghristchureh, who returned last week from an extended visit to the > United States and bo British Columbia, gave a representative of the Press some interesting impressions of American affairs which came under his observation. M~ Boyle left the Dominion early in June, and, in addition to visiting British Columbia, he visited the following States: Washington, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, "Wyoming, Nevada, California, Colorado, North and South Dakota, Utah., .Nebraska, lowa and Arizona. Trade conditions, Mr Boyle said, were good, but a great deal of trade was being held up awaiting- the result of the Presidential election. Money appeared to be plentiful; .hi fact, it re_ quired to be, because the cost of living was so extraordinarily high. As to where the people were supposed to be Anglo-American feeling, in the West, more antagonistic to Britain than in the East, Mr Boyle found that though the people were somewhat jealous of Great Britain's trade, there was universal admiration for British justice and law, and also for the nationai code of honour, especially in sporting matters. Where Americans were gathered in conference their sentiments were;, •probably, not so pro-British as were the opinions expressed by individual Americans. The individual American, while recognising that Great Britain had very often bested America in trade matters, realised the honesty of purpose and justice of Britishers. One matter that perturbed the American was the British hold over the oil of the world. Sir Auckland' Geddes, .in a speech delivered' soon after his arrival in America, stated that the ideas prevalent 'in the United States on this aspect of the subject were fallacious, and that Great Britain only owned practically 7 per.cent of the world's oil; but'the Americans claim that though Great Britain' might only own the percentage stated, she held vast oilfields that were still undeveloped. , British law provided that no alien should be allowed to purchase oilfields in-British possessions, and that not more than 20 per cent of the shares in that company might be held by others than British subjects. This law naturally affected the Americans materially;, and they had no law which provided (Similar safeguards. When Mr Wilson went to France in connection with the League of Nations, he was pressed to endeavour to have this matter put right, but he refused to-bring any com. mercial matters into the discussion." As to the possibility of the Peace : Treaty being ratified by the United 1 States, Mr Boyle found that it was i most difficult to obtain any decided opinion. The Presidential election was being fought in the keenest possible spirit, and the opinion in the Western States was that the Republican candidate Mr Harding, would be elected. He had few opportunities of getting the opinion of the Eastern States, but there was most certainly a very strongi feeling all over America'adverse to any support of Mr Wilson's policy. "As to meat, the question is a most dangerous one to. touch on at the present moment," said Mr Boyle, "there is no doubt whatever that America cannot supply herself with meat, and must look to other countries for both beef and mutton. Naturally, she turns to feoutli America, but as far as 1 sould gather she realises that Australia md New Zealand must be looked to in *c future for supplies. .Last winter ft'as a particularly bad one* in America md the rough spring . experienced j wrought about the worst lambino- ever I cnown in the Sfock-raising States. ' Lhere is no diubt that even the small} tupply sent up to the*' present from . Sew Zealand materially affected the' narket. The stock raisers had antici>ated very much higher prices as a re>ult of the shortage of home supplies, rat the shipment of New Zealand lamb r it did not lower the market, presented any rise in values. The seasons I n America being the exact opposite >t ours, it appears that America could I sake a fair quantity o f our lambs durng the American winter months with>ut m any way affecting the value of neat raised in1 the States. 1 "The wool market at v the present' noment is m a shaky state. Many voollen factories are closed, and the prices for this year's clip are fully 50 ?er cent below the prices obtained last season, and very little has been sold. Auction sales practically do not exist md nearly all olip s are bought privately. Several big ranch holders are in favour of auction sales, and of a proper marketing of their wool; but at present the old system prevails of private purchase. The wool producers have been hard hit by their great Josses during the last winter,- and by the re-1 tusal of the banks to make advances' against the present clip." To meet the * high cost of 'woollen goods, Mr Boyle stated, there was an inclination in various States for the ranch holders to start their own woollen mills and mill their own wools. He thought that there should be an opening for the finer New Zealand wools on the American market, and was strongly of opinion that there was a good market for New Zealand manufactured woollen o-oods The class of sheep bred in America,: hardly appealed to a New Zealander J ■ Ihey had some fine merinos—Ramboulli«t merinos—and they crossed their surplu^ewes principally, with Hamp. shire. Downs, Cotswolds, and Romney Marsh. Many ranch holders were greatly, impressed with the Corriedale breed, and were likely to draw upon New Zealand for stock of this class. A tew breeders were starting on a Jjincoln-mermo cross, but the English .Leicester was almost unknown As compared with New Zealand, ' sheen raising in the States was expensive • all sheeD were herded, and the usual practice was to have one herd to every 2000 sheep. J Mr Boyle was struck by the vast areas in some of the States he visited that appeared to be barren country Dut he was informed that with irrio-a! tion they were capable of producing: any class of crop. Lucerne was a bil factor in supplying winter feed in practically all the States he visited He was astonished to find sunflowers grown extensively «as a crop for silos;, they provided very fattening feed. ' louching upon the effect of the prohibition law in the States, Mr Boyle *v \ a*' taken;la? a whole, as far as the public sale of liquor was concerned tnenaw was generally observed, except m certain out-of-the-way places. But liquor could be obtained in practically any town but at very high prices. Private individuals, as a irule, had liquor in their houses—both wines and spirits—but they were under the necessity of guarding it very carefully. Many devices had to be adopted to prevent private stores of liquor being raided— not by the officers of the law or by prohibitionists, but by men in search or liquor for their own consumption. in some households the liquor was kept in a proper steel Bafe. One householder showed him a safe with a double door and remarked that he expected that it would be dynamited, in which case the whole house would be demolished ! Hardly a day passed without there being recorded raids on stores of liquor in j private houses. Contrary to anticipations, the grape owners of California, instead of being ruined by the prohibition law, were doing about three times

as well as before prohibition came into operation. This was due to the ship- | njent of the grape'juice, which was reduced to a form permitting its transport to France and Spain. , ' Dealing with other subjects, Mr ! Boyle said that there was an impression that the price of. motor cars in the States wouid fall consequent upon the demand being supplied. There was a possibility, also, that, the price of all i machinery would drop. . He thought j'that there w-ere dig opportunities for I reciprocal tra«>. between the States and I New Zealand. There appeared little ■ doubt that there existed a strong dei sire to restrict the influx of Japanese, i but no policy to effect it was yet ready.