SURPLUS WOOL

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 24 March 1922, Page 5

SURPLUS WOOL

A MISSING CONTRACT

STATEMENT BY MR POLSON

CLAIM ON IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT. i (by telegraph—press association i ! WELLINGTON, March 23. Mr W. J. Poison (president) reporti ed to the Dominion Executive of the N.Z. Farmers' Union to-day what h« termed "The missing wool contract," in ; conformity with the resolution passed : at the last meeting of the executive. ( He stated that he had endeavoured to ' obtain the necessary information from ! the Government to enable him to state a case for a legal opinion for the guidance of the executive regarding the Im- : penal wool contract, but he regretted to report that, so far, he had been unsuccessful. He had asked for informa- ' tion regarding sales and contracts, the amount of the surplus wool sold at a " loss and profit respectively, and whether the Government would view favourably the institution of a friendly suit against the Imperial Government to clear up any points in dispute. < Mr Poison detailed how he Lad an- ' proached the Government, first through ; Mr 0. J. Hawken, M.P., chairman of the Producers' Wool Committee, and ' then through the member for his disttnet, and commented strongly on the delays that had met him at every turn ■ He said he had not time to wait, cap m hand, on the steps of Parliament House begging for the information they should have as a right. He asked the executive to relieve him from that responsibility, and to appoint someone in Wellington to undertake it. He did not suggest that the Government had any object in delaying the matter, but' he did submit that such procrastination extending over years, lent colour to the suspicion existing.in the minds of many people that there was something to conceal. I JKw J?- Mattl»eson (Eketahuna) ' said that the executive should, in view of the president's statements, press the Government for a frank answer to his questions. It was an extraordinary . position that the Government would i not be frank. It was a matter of a : written contract. The wool-growers . were most closely concerned in it, and ' they had the right to see the contract. Mr G. L. Marshall (Marton) under- j stood that the Prime Minister had said , that he was going to get a legal opin- i ion on the matter, and it all depended ; upon that opinion. ; The chairman stated that'if the de-* cision was in the wool-growers' favour ' , the profits they were entitled to would ; run into some £8,000,000, which was! more than the price of a whole wool clip at present, and if they got it it would be a very great thing for the P^^cers of the Dominion. (Hear, ]V? r™- ?• Joll (Hastings) understood ! that Mr Massey had stated that Eng- j lisn lawyers were emphatic that the wool-growers had no.claim, while New ' , Zealand lawyers were just as emphatic • ( that they had a claim. The president thought there must be some mistake about that. He did not think the Prime Minister had made < such a statement. i Mr G. Leadley (Ashburton) said that' I he had seen a copy of the contract in « the hands of the legal gentlemen, who c held the opinion that the whole thin* 1 depended upon whether the Imperial i Government were purchasers of the < surplus wool or agents for the sellers. J It they were agents for the vendor they ( were responsible, but if not the wool- * growers had no case. That opinion ] was endorsed by some of the Wai i Jurhts of Wellington. If the Imperial < Government were agents they ought to "' account to the wool-growers for the * whole proceeds. | c After further discussion it was re- ' \ solved that the secretary be instructed * to take further action on the-lines of 1 the chairman's report, in order to get I an answer to the questions the chair- ' i man had asked. j j