DUNEDIN WOOL SALES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12564, 19 January 1903, Page 11 (Supplement)

DUNEDIN WOOL SALES.

DISPUTE BETWEEN BUYERS AND SELLING BROKERS. , There was a good nttcntlanco of buyers, growers, and others interested at tho Victoria Hal! on January 5, the Duncdin Woolbrokcrs' Association having advertised that their first sale of the season would take place at 11.20 a.m. Tho first auctioneer to commence proceedings was Mr Prain, representing tho Otago Farmers' Co-operative Association, antl he intimated, as ie customary, that tho conditions of sale wouldbe those printed on the catalogue, and similar ill all rospects to those which have been in use. for many years. On this announcement Mr Waller 15. "Hill, secretary of the Buyers' Association, asked if clause 7 was not to bo amended in terms of the demands made by the buyers. The reply was that the conditions would stand as printed, whereupon the buyers rose in a tody and left their tables and, most of them, the hall, end proceedings thus came to nn abrupt termination, nor was any further attempt made at a sale during the day. Clause 7, referred to above, reads as fallows:— "The> buyer shall in all oases pay the broker for delivery Is 6d per bale, 9d per fadge, and 3d per bag. The same to include re-branding, sewing, and delivery at the railway station or sidings (on trucks), wharves, or within town boundary. But where the buyer does his own carting from the warehouse an allowance of 3d per bale will be made." The only point in dispute is ae to tho last sentence of the above clause. The buyers demand that a rebate- of 6d per bale instead of 3d be made to those that do their own carting. The selling brokers object to this, and say (hat the actual cost of cartage is only 3d per bale. Thi> brokers say, further, that the original charge for delivery was gd per pound, equal to 3s 6cl or Is pßr bale; and that rate is still current iu the Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, and Brisbane markets. Here, however, upon tho representation of the buyers, the charge was some years ago reduced to 2s 6(1 per bale, and, at a later date, to Is 6d, tho prepcnt rate. This latter figure was admitted by the buyers to bo -no more than the actual cost of the service rendered. Further, it is understood that the objeot the selling brokers have in view in witliitandinj; the demand of the- buyers is to ensure that the expenses incurved on behalf of the purchaser in connection with delivery shall bo paid by him, and not thrown upon the grower.

Our reporter subsequently obtained the following statement of the facts of tho dispute from the Secretary of tho Buyers' Association, who oaicl:— "Wo wore seeking uniformity of (lie conditions of sale six years ago, and as a result conditions were framed which all the Brokerr' Associations in the colony accepted with the exception of clause 7. Christclmrch and Timani accepted them with the rebato of 6tl to local buyers. Dunedin and the other centres allowed buyers only 3d, local buyers not being members of our association. Since then circumstances have altered. 'Most of the local buyers liavo joined us. They,find that buyers in Timaru and Christclmrch are getting the M rebate, and (hoy want it'too, and have forced the foreign buyers into line. At a sale hero a. year npio the question was put as it woe put to-day, and tho brokers refused to make more than the 3d allowance; but at a meeting of-buyers held in the room it was agreed to waive the point on the Brokers' Association giving an assurance tliafc the claim would be allowed this year. Tha secretary of the Buyers' Association addressed the chairman of the Dmiedin Brokers' Arsoeiation, and the chairman gave his assurance that ho would do his best to bring about uniformity. That meant, from our point of view, the.same conditions as at Christchurch and Timani. The chairman of the Dunedin Brokers' Afeoointion now argu<s3 that if he got Christchurch and Tiinani to come down to the 3d that would be uniformity. As a.matter of fact, nothing has been done to remedy our grievance, and wo consider the present position the result of the misunderstanding between the chairman and the secretary of tho two associations. There is not much money in it—probably not i more than £100 a year between all tho selling brokers,—and for the niOEt of us there is nothing in it at all, but it is a matter of principle, and, as you have seen, we ore acting together." From inquiries made from the woolbrokcrn' side of the question it would appear that the secretary of the Woolbuyers' Association wrote to the chairman of the Dnncdin Woolbrokers , Association on January 10, 1902, confirming the latter's view of the position, which was that he (tho secretary) was under the impression that an assurance had been given Unit the Dunodiii brokers would fall into line with the Christchnrcli conditions next year. But what actually was said by the. chairman to the secretary of the Buyers' Association just prior to the commencement of the wool sales was that he (the chairman) could not at that time call a meeting of his association and could not therefore givo any ansurance, but he promised to do his utmost to bring about uniformity in all the centres. In confirmation of the above, a letter written by the chairman of the Brokers' Association on January W was shown our representative, from which the following is quoted:—"You are not exactly correct in saying that I gave u definite assurance that next season tho clause would be similar to what now appears in the Cliristcharoh catalogues, but I certainly gave you to understand that I would do my utmost to bring about uniformity at all the centres." The chairman of the Brokers' Association, as a matter of fact, did coinmiimeato with all the other selling; centres, and found that all were perfectly agreeable to mako a rebato of 3d but strongly objected to giving 6d to buyers who did their own cartage, tho Christchnrch association alone being agreonhle to give 6tl. What the local brokers cannot understand, we are assured, is how, in tho face of their letter of January ' W, the buyers permitted a large sale of wool to take place on January 30 without any reference being made to this matter. The Timaru Woolhrokers' Association had for somn special reason given way conditionally on the point, and for their first sale only, but had reserved the right to reconsider their position, and would now probably follow Dunedin's lead and staftd firm. Again, it is maintained that as the buyers in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney have to pay the brokers jd per 11) for delivery, equal to 3s 6d to 4s 3d per bale, it is quite evident that Dunedin brokers are letting the buyers off very lightly in charging only Is 6d per bale for the same services, and in Rome instances rebating evon 3d upon this figure. THE DISPUTE SETTLED. Tho chairman of the Dunedin Woolbrokcro' Association informed us on the 7th inst. (hat the buyers and sellers had come to an amicable understanding with regard

to the matter that lind bom in dispute between thorn as to delivery charges. Am allowance of 6rf per bale is to be made to local buyers who do their own carting, but not to outside buyers. The buyers were in favour of a sale being .held on Friday, 9th inst., lint as tho brokers had issued a circular intimating that their next sale would take place on the 29th inst., it was deemed inadvisable to hold one at an earlier date. INVBROARGILL GIVES WAY. ' INVERCARGILL, January 6. At. a eonferenco between the waolbrokera and buyers to-day with reference to tbedifferenco of opinion which originated in Dunedin regarding the charges, it was agreed, after much discussion, that tho buyer shall in all cases pay the broker Is 6d nor halo for delivery, and 9d per bale for any bale weighing not more than l£owt., tlio sanie to include robranding, sowing, and delivery at railway station or sidings (on trucks), wharves, or within tho town boundary; but whore a. local buyer does his own carting from tho warehouse an allowance of 6d per bale shall be made. THE INVERCARGILL SALES. (From Our Own Cop.hksposdf.jjt.) IKVERCAHGILL, January 8. T.horo were 3500 bales, catalogued for tho first wool sale hold to-day, tho greater port of which were sold by auction, and most of tho remainder by private solo There were moat buyers present, bath foreign and local, than usual, and the.bicfding was keen throughout, especially for crossbred hoggets wool of good character, which realised from 2d to 2Jil per lb more than at tho corresponding sale of last year. Merinos wero poorly represented, and they and halfbreds were not in such slrong demand as at former first Ealos, but the advance was equal to Id to ljd. Pieces all round were very keenly competed for, and showed an advance of 2d. Merino fetched 7Jd to 10d, according to quality; halfbred, 7(1 to Did; fine crossbred, G.'.tl to 7Jd; strong croEsbred, 5d to GJd; pieces, 3d to sid. Some of the reserves fixed were very high, tho impression being that prices will tighten. Tlie 0d allowance concede:! by the Woolbrokers' Association is only to loral buyers who do their own carting, and thcro'is a proviso that if other associations do not come into line the local association are at liberty to reconsider the situation.