THE WOOL STORES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22974, 28 February 1938, Page 7

THE WOOL STORES

NO SATURDAY WORK THIRD SUCCESSIVE WEEK ONLY AUCKLAND AFFECTED

For the third successive week 250 employees in wool, grain, hide and manure stores 111 Auckland were idle on Saturday, following a decision of storemen not to work on Saturday mornings at ordinary rates of pay. Littlo progress toward a .settlement has been made during the past week. The men will report for duty as usual this morning. •The secretary of the Auckland Storemen's and Packers' Union, Mr. W. Miller, visited Wellington last week and word was received in Auckland that, while workers in the south sympathised with the Auckland men in their action, they were not willing to join them in a Dominion-wide strike on Saturdays. Several meetings were to have been held by the storemen in Auckland in the latter part of last week, but pending the return of Mr. Miller it was decided to leave the question in abeyance. The seven sitores affected on Saturday were those of Abraham and Williams, Limited, Alfred Buckland and Sons, Limited, Dalgetv and Company, Limited, the Is'ew Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, the New Zealand Shipping Company, Limited; and the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company, Limited, and the Farmers' Co-opcrativo Auctioneering Company, Limited. Wages were fixed on a 40-hour week basis in an Arbitration Court award, but work for four hours on Saturday morning at ordinary rates of pay was permitted. The men have demanded j time and a-half for four hours' work I on Saturday and double time thereafter. Opinion is sharply divided among the men, and a large number consider that as the work is only casual and will bo terminated after the third Auckland sale on March 26 there is nothing to bs gained until the award is -reconsidered in November, when work for the next season will commence. The opinion that the employers were not worrying was expressed last night by Mr. B. J. Marquet, president of the Auckland Woolbrokers' Association. The stoppagd of work lias caused little inconvenience at this late stage of the season, although, the position might have been more serious if the men had taken similar action before the earlier sales. Very little work now remains to be done for the third Auckland sale, as there is not expected to be any accumulation of wool before the fixture.

MARKET IN CHINA WAR CAUSES LOSS OF TRADE LONDON. Feb. 20 China took 1,000,0001b. of wool tops from England in January, 1937, but none at all in January this year. In discussing the effects of the war in China upon the wool market, a Yorkshire Post correspondent says there has been a big loss of trade in yarns and tissues with both China and Japan. Yorkshire manufacturers have met increasing competition also from Italian cheap woollen fabrics. These made up almost half the total of 1,000.000 square yards imported into England in January. It is believed in Yorkshire that Italian exports are subsidised at least to the extent of 20 per cent of the United Kingdom duty.

EXPORT OF MEAT LARGER SHIPMENTS MADE ALL-ROUND INCREASES Substantially larger quantities of all classes of meat, with the exception of pork, have been exported from New Zealand in the first four and a-half months of the current season than in the same period last season. Marked advances are shown in frozen and boneless beef, according to figures supplied by the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board. Heavier lamb killings are reflected in a rise of over 46,000 carcases in the amount shipped to overseas markets. For the first half of the current month 418,768 carcases have been shipped. The earlier decline in mutton has oeen arrested, and total shipments are now over 81,000 carcases higher than last year. Exports from October 1, 1936, to February 15 compare as follows with those of the sartie period last season: — 1037-38 1030-37 Chilled beef (quarters) 73,108 07,030 Frozen beef (quarters) 40,725 38,0-18 Mutton (carcases) , .. 403,853 382,200 Lamb (carcases) .. 2,200,131 2,102,038 Pork (carcases) .. 230,7)17 215,101 Boneless beef (bags) 85,304 48,332 A comparison of killings shows that works are operating at much greater pressure than last year, and the following table shows that increases are evident in every cluss:— 1037-38 1030-37 Chilled beef (quarters) 83,120 07,157 Frozen beef (quarters) . 10,078 0,071 Wethers (carcases) .. 38»,881 253,533 Ewes (carcases) .. 402,800 103,805 Lambs (carcases) .. 4,512,083 4,200,304 Porkers (carcases) . . 178,785 104,052 Baconers (carcases) ... 142,511 150,018 Boneless* beef (freight carcases) .. ..' 158,058 76,500 Boneless bobby veal (carcases) . . . . 73,101 70,313 Sundries (carcases) .. 120,083. 103,772 'Stocks ashore and afloat also point'to considerable activity in the industry, and practically without exception the accumulated stocks arc much heavier than last year. Pride of place is easily held by lamb, 1,800.204 carcases being in store, against 1,785,238 carcases last year. MARKETS AT SMITHFIELD .LARGER SUPPLIES OF LAMB The Bank of New Zealand has received the following advice from its London office, as at- the close of business last week :—Wethers: The market is quiet and unchanged. Ewes: Demand aim prices ai'e steady. Lambs: Demand is not so good.'Larger supplies have caused prices to weaken. Wethers, light, ojd to si{d per lb; heavy, 3ijd to ltd; owes, 2jd to 41d; lambs, twos, 7Ad to 7id; eights, "7Jd to 7ld; fours, 7ld to 7id; seconds, 7d to 7id.

GERMANY AND ARGENTINA TRADE AGREEMENT RENEWED The trade agreement between Germany and Argentina has been extended for two years as from, January 1, 1938. When the agreement was renewed for 1937 it was provided that Germany should increase her annual purchases of Argentine frozen beef from 20,000 to 50,000 tons,- and this larger amount is again to be effective in the years 1938 and 1930. . Measures are also to bo taken to increase the export of Argentine wool and other products to Germany. Under the original agreement of •September, 1934 the Argentine Government undertook to grant "most-favoured-natiqn exchange treatment to German imports up to the amount of Argentine exports to that country after the deduction of a reasonable sum. On the other hand, Germany gave a similar undertaking with respect to the exchange treatment of imports from Argentina, and also promised to give Argentina goods "eqiutablG treatment as regards quotas.