MARKETING OF WOOL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14912, 10 February 1912, Page 8

MARKETING OF WOOL.

NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT. COMPLAINTS AGAINST GROWERS. The importance of an improvement on the present methods of packing wool for the Auckland markets was urged in a letter received from Mr. Jas. W. Million, of Onehunga, which was read at a meeting of the -council of the Chamber of Commerce yesterday. Mr. Mullon said that at the recent sale the brokers had occasion to draw attention to the want of skirting, neglect of classing, and bad packing (amounting in some cases to dishonesty) which stall obtained in regard to the wool of this province. Some of the visiting buyers had also been loud in their condemnation of tho methods obtaining;, in the Auckland market. These complaints cropped up periodicail;p, but bo far very little had been done to improve the position. Eighteen months ago the wool-buyers beat down prices to a very low level as a protest against tho large amount of • false packing. At that time he {Mr. Mullon) enlisted , the co-operation of : the Auckland A. and P. Association and Mr. George George (director of technical education) and something had been done by way of an exhibition and classes at Auckland and Opotiki, but Mr. George found that ho could not induce a sufficient number of farmers in country districts to guarantee to attend classes to warrant him in preceding any further. Ho (the writer) had also approached the Farmers' Union but so far they were not any , further ahead. Ho suggested that the matter should be dealt with by appointing a special officer of the Department of Agriculture to" give lectures on the subject. He suggested that representatives of the Chamber, the A. and P. Association, and the Farmers', Union and Mr. George George should meet him to discuss the question. . , The President said he had sent the letter to Mr. Bodle, of the Loan and Mercantile Co., who in his reply had stated that Mr. Mullen's suggestions were eminently reasonable and , worthy •of every consideration. Mr. Bodle added that he would be pleased to give any assistance possible. ;.._. ':.■"-' I,On the President's suggestion it was decided to refer the letter to the Agricultural and i Produce . Committee.:

THE WORST IN THE DOMINION.

A CONFERENCE SUGGESTED. ■ •At the meeting of the Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association; yesterday afternoon. Mr. Dick (chairman) said he had received complaints from "* buyers which indicated : that v the condition ,of , ' the .wool sent" .to the Auckland sales "was the worst in the Dominion. There was a danger, should imah a ' state of things continue, ;.;j that' Auckland's reputation would suffer. Buyers could % not take a bale of wool to | pieces to make an examination, and they had -simply ;■ to take a;: sample arid trust j to the honesty of the grower that the re- I mainder of the contents was equal to the j sample. Mr. Anderson pointed out that although those consigning . such / badly-prepared wool were very much in the minority, the unfortunate part of the business was that there seemed to be an inclination on the part of buyers to regard the get-up of all the. wool "on the Auckland market as being of a very low standard. ■•"• 'Mr: E. Hall said the Chamber of Commerce had forwarded *a- suggestion that a conference of -i representatives ;of j agricultural bodies should be held to discuss the matter, when a remedy might poeaibly' be discovered.

f It was eventually decided to appoint three, members of ; the association to meet the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and the Farmers' Union.