WOOL INDUSTRY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 71, 23 February 1937, Page 2

WOOL INDUSTRY

GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE. DENIAL OF COMMANDEER. Per Press Association. DUNEDIN, Feb. 22. Reference to the suggested commandeering by the Government of wool was made by the Prime Minister (lit. Hon. M. J.'Savage) at a Chamber of Chnimerce luncheon to-day. Growers lately have been exercised in mind over rumours that the Government proposed to take over the marketing of wool as well as dairy produce, but such fears as had been engendered will be well laid by Mr Savage’s statement that the Government would keep out of the way as far as wool was concerned as long as the industry was not in need of assistance.

Mr Savage said that business-men had nothing to fear from the Labour Government and, in illustration of his point, he related how three woolbrokers had recently waited upon him at his office in Parliament Buildings to ascertain their position in the event of a commandeer of wool. They explained that they intended building large new wool stores. It was important, ■ therefore, that they should know where they would stand with regard to these premises when the Government took over the control of wool. They were obviously much perturbed, the Prime Minister said, and seemed to be badly in need of reassurance. “I told them,”. Mr Savage said, “that I had a fairly good idea of what the Government’s intentions were with regard to new legislation, but the proposal mentioned by them was a new one to me. Then I simply asked them if they were doing all right and when they told me they were. I asked them why the Government should interfere with their industry. They did not see why it should, and then I asked them if all they wanted us to do was to ' keep out of their way P They said ‘Yes.’ I was then able to assure them that that was exactly what we would do.”