THE WOOL SEASON

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 241, 10 September 1932, Page 12

THE WOOL SEASON

REVIEW OF STATISTICS

VIRILE JAPANESE DEMAND

“For three successive seasons the Australian and New Zealand woolgrower lias faced the depressing influence of abnormal economic conditions in the realisation of tho product of his flocks, and has had ample justification for dissatisfaction in tho returns secured,” states Dalgety’s Annual "Wool Review, in dealing with Australian and New Zealand wool trade statistics for the year ended June 30, 1932. “There is. however, a source of satisfaction in tne fact that lie was favoured by a bountiful season and, in some measure, increased production compensated for a disappointingly low level of values. He was fortunate .also in that, despite a world-wide depression of unparalleled severity, he was able to practically clear the current record production. Fortunate too, that when the big Continental wool-using countries were forced to slow down in their operations, a virile Japanese demand developed in a truly amazing manner and made a clearance of the clip possible.”

The average returns to producers in Australia and New Zealand were 4s lid per hale lower than the previous season’s figures, which were very low. The figures, as compared with 1928-29, show a drop of £36,124,794 in the season’s receipts and of £ll 2s 2d in the average price. While the future may and, it is hoped, will have something better in store, a lessening of the burdens of taxation will expedite the restoration of the industry. A comparison of the annual Australian and New Zealand wool cheque with those of the two previous years of slump conditions, and of three yearly averages' going back to the pre-war days, gives the following interesting figures: 1931-32 season’s wool cheque, £33,214,644; 193031, £31,204,332; 1929-30, £39,054,959; average of three previous seasons, £69,345,295; average of three postscheme years, £37,049,615; average of three wool scheme years, £58,657,516; average of first three war years, £32,532,602; average of three pre-war years £24,468,089.

THE AVERAGE VALUE. “The average value throughout Australia and New Zealand was £lO 8s 4d per hale, or 8.04 d per lb., as compared with £lO 13s 3d per bale or 8.2 d per lb. in 1930-31; £l3 2s 2d per bale, or 10.2 d per lb. in 1929-30, and £2l 10s 6d per bale, or 16.3 d per lb. in 1928-29. The record average was made in 1924-25, when £33 13s lOd per bale was netted for a clip of 2,050,545 bales. It is interesting to note that in 1903-04 the price per bale was £l2, and it had risen to £l6 10s lOd by 1915-16; and at £22 15s 7d in 1919-20. Prices then dropped £7-odd a bale for two years, but recovered and soared upwards to £29 9s 9d in 1923-24 and the record of £33 13s lOd in 1924-25. Wool was commanding £2l 10s 6d in 1928-29, but next yea? dropped to £l3 2s 2d, last year to £lO 13s 3d and in the year under review to £lO 8s 4d. The net production of New Zealand last season was 774,000 bales weighing 265,505,2201b5., and averaging 3431bs per bale as compared with 785,000 bales weighing 265,722,500!bs and averaging 3391b5. in 1930-31, the circular adds. Oversea shipments from New Zealand amounted to 653,780 bales, as compared with 644,5871 bales and 561,840 bales in the two previous seasons. An analysis of the destinations of the wool purchased reveals the fact that the United Kingdom was the best individual customer. The most striking feature of the analysis is the continued expansion in the purchases made for the East, which reached a record figure. From a position of comparative insignificance in pre-war days, the Eastern demand has shown rapid and continued expansion and, in the period under review, has reached second place in point of volume. There was also a welcome expansion in tile trade with Italy, which helped as a compensation for a fallingoff in the activity of the main Continental countries.

MORE SCOURED WOOL. The proportions of Merino wool produced in Australia and New Zealand was 72 per cent., and of crossbred 28 per cent., the figures being identical with those of the two previous seasons. The proportions of greasy and scoured wool were 96 per cent, and 4 per cent, respectively, compared with 97 and 3 per cent, in tho previous season.