A CHRISTCHURCH SUGGESTION

Nelson Evening Mail, 16 November 1916, Page 5

A CHRISTCHURCH SUGGESTION

FOR CONTROL OF WOOL OUTPUT.

"With reference to the Wellington! Conference a Ghristchurch Press reporter interviewed Mr H. S. Bourn', president; of the Christchurch Chamber of Commerce and last year's president of the New Zealand Woolbrokers' Association. Speaking for the producers generally, Mr Bourn expressed the opinion that they would be quite willing to make reasonable sacrifices towards meeting the wishes of the Imperial Government. Three interests were directly concerned : .prodiicer, ■consumer, and financing woclibroker. The 'basis of value of wool is "count and clear scour," and a schedule should 'be drawn up of the relation of the count and the clean scour to tihe greasy or raw state, and values struck m accordance, based upon. 1 prices of Bradford l tops, or a price the Imperial •Governmenifc may see n't to give. The actual count and' clean scour can only be arrived at by the estimates of experts available in the representatives of Home firms who are now in the Dominion. Mr Bourns suggests that a chief valuer should' be appointed for each 1 district or chief port- The valuer should be under the Controller of Customs, and it should •be ihae duty to prepare a report (though not to fix a value) which would be submatted to the producer who would have •the right of appeal within, say, seven days, (payment to be made against store warrant to be made withini 14 days of the . expiration l of the date of the right of appeal. The consumer was entitled to protection against undue speculative increases and exploitation'. The wool-broking fmaubier was also entitled to consideration for the reason that he made advances without which the .producer of the "wool could not carry oil' ihis business. In consideration of the comtnession earning in tne selling and' interest earning -uicon. the expenditure •in warehouse ipremises all wool, or at least j "that portion' of it that usually ■passes through the ilocal sales, should igo into the warehouse, or as directed •by the wool-broker, for examinat : on. "It would be the duty of the wool-broker ■to examine the wool and check the Government, experts' report and for consideration or remfuneration receive a fee or stated commission, plus warehouse charges.

There is another section of the trade interested, the wool-scourer and his employee. In order that they shall <not be pub out of ibusiness all 'wools 'below a certain yield should be sent to the scourer in the proportion of the capacity of his works; pooled, scoured and re •turned to the examining warehouse, and in turn .graded. Advances could be imade against this and final payment of--, ter the grading. The advantage claimed for this scheme is that the -whole of the Dominion's wool clip would he graded separately ibranded after acceptance of the report and 'bulk-stacked, thereby conserving the shortage, and 'being accommodated iunt?l shipping tonnage was available. It would also materially assist the London Beard of Trade in distribution to users of the description .of wool required.