WAR PRICES.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13929, 11 July 1917, Page 3

WAR PRICES.

v V. . To •the Editor of The Tinier ... Sir,—Under the - heading "l-olitical Review by Politicus" in your paper of iitli instant, i! is asserted that Mr Mas- .. . sev and Sir Joseph Ward "should lie heartily ashamed of themselves" for exacting from ihe British Government ...anything over pre-war prices for this ... -year's Dominion wool clip. This, Sir, 1 is strong language, mid biassed persons • . may read between the lines the usual . charge of exploitation by or on behalf of the farmer for having obtained the extra ;w per cent, . Do you think "Politicus" has overlooked the fact that the Dominion Treasurer, having al- • ready imposed his war tax of. 45 per, cent, on all profits from the sale of New Zealand products over pre-war prices, the acceptance of less on behalf of the producers would have deprived the Dominion Government of a large portion of its revenue from the wool growers? The additional 10 per cent, which these gentlemen were able to obtain will enable flic Dominion Treasurer to get a " digger pull in the shape of the war tax out of the squatter and sheep farmer, and the impression gains ground that Sir Joseph's aim was more in the direction of increased revenue than benefit •to the wool grower. The magnitude of the concession in the price • of wool, which our squatters and sheep farmers have so willingly made to the British Clovenimont towards providing "warm clothing for the soldiers ami sailors of the Umpire"

may lie gnaged from the price that a feiv bales nf scoured merino from tliis distrir-t, sent to London for- sale at auction in tlie usual' way, a short time before the clip was commandeered, realised no less than 4 s oil per lb, The same class of wool in tlie grease was appraised by the Government valuers at Is 2d and a ;l(i per cent, loss in weight and cost of scouring will 1 bring the comparative value of tlijs sheep farmer's merino clip to L's per lb., instead of say 4s nett, which he obtained for the few odd bales sold in London about the same time. It does seem strange that wool growers in England, Scotland, Ireland, and other British possessions were not called upon to make like concessions, and until very lately have been receiving the full Loudon market values for all their productions. If my information is correct, and T have no reason to doubt it, the New Zealand wool' growers have contributed this season no less than eleven millions sterling towards the conduct of the war in addition to the ■J3 per cent, war tax to the Dominion Government. We are not now favoured with London quotations for wool, and it would be very interesting to lcno\y the price the British Goverinnon' is retailing New Zealand wool to its contractors and others at Home and ill the Dominion. Knitting worsted manufactured in our New Zealand mills is, I understand, being sold io our womenfolk at 9s to fls Gd per lb., chiefly for soldiers' comforts, aud as I can compute it tlie raw material, scbured" and fit "for manufacture, cannot cost them nirtvo thad L's I '(id per lb. As there is no duty, the difference of Ps 6d to 7s per lb. is made up of cost of manufacture and distribution. I have seen the process of manufacture, and it does not appear so expensive as this. I am only asking for information, as I have no means of knowing what the British Government is charging for' our wool. It amuses me to see these' smipluses in' exports heaved at the farmer as a proof of the big profits lie is making, when we all know that nine-tenths of his produce passes into other hands before shipment, and that much of 'the excess is therefore absorbed by the middle-man. In days gone by these excesses in the value of our exports were extolled by politicians and newspapers as signs of the prosperity of the Dominion as a whole, and so they are; but. the re-

verse'is tlio order -of, tilings to-day, and soino people are prepared to argue that tlie stoppage of exports, would, ho a blessing to local consumers. Lot us hope that the stale of affairs to-day r.iav hot prove a blessing in disguise. I wonder what townsfolk would say.if they were asked to contribute the same proportion of their earnings towards the prosecution, of the ' war.—l am, etc., fai mm.