THE RURAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21537, 8 January 1932, Page 3

THE RURAL WORLD.

FARM AND STATION NEWS.

By Rusticus

Waitati Show The excellent entries received for the Blueskin A. and P. Society’s show at Waitati, and the interesting programme of ring and field competitions that has been arranged, should have the effect of attracting a large crowd of city visitors to this jiopular event. All arrangements have been made for the accommodation of visitors, and those who decide to spend the day at Waitati can depend on plenty to amuse and interest them.

Meal Board Publicity Mr N. S. Maclumpha, the travelling agent for the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board, is doing good work on behalf of New Zealand meat. Recently he has made an extension to his other work in the north of England and Scotland, and is delivering lectures to audiences which are likely to be useful in popularising Dominion produce. A report of his most recent address appears in the Meat Trade Journal, submitted' by the Glasgow correspondent. An address, illustrated by kinematograph views on the New Zealand lamb trade, was delivered to the students attending the trade technical classes in Dundas Vale School Gymnasium. The address was given by Mr N. S. Maclumpha, of, the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board, and accompanying him on the platform were Mr James Reid and Mr John Nesbit (past presidents, Retail Association), the headmasters and teaching staff of the schools, and Mr William W. Smith (supervisor of the trade classes). The film showed New Zealand farm life with various types of sheep. The selection of finished lambs for the British market, their conveyance by road- and rail to the slaughter house. The inspection, grading,, and freezing of the carcasses, and finally their unloading in London. The film provided an excellent view of the Canterbury lamb trade from the farm to the distributing centre, and was highly informative, and of educational value to the students. It gave a close-up view of the care and discrimination exercised in an important branch of the imported meat industry. Mr Maclumpha gave an interesting discourse on the features of the film, and said lie hoped shortly to show another which would also describe the colonial meat trade. He intimated that to encourage interest among the lads he would give a prize for the. best essay from a studeuo on a description of the Canterbury lamb trade.

World Price* A reminder that Australia and New Zealand escaped the effects of the fur-, ther fall in world prices through Britain » going off the gold standard on September 21 is contained in an interview by Dr D. B. Copland (says the Dominion). After some temporary gains, prices have remained fairly steady in terms of sterling these last three months. But, as we know, sterling is a severely depreciated currency, and, if sterling pricea have held, gold prices have continued to fall. Thus the United States and France are still suffering the economic consequences of deflation, as is reflected in’ the succession of bank failures in the former and reports of increasing financial stringency in the latter. South Africa is also holding to gold, and . her producers are on the verge of universal bankruptcy owing to the fall in prices which has gone unnoted here and in Australia. Important results for the world may yet come out of the golden vice in which the two principal creditor countries," America and France, are now being squeezed.

Wellington Wool Receipt* The disappointing return to wool growers from the first Wellington sale of the season held on December 8 is shown by the realisation figures compiled _by the Wellington Woolbrokers’ Association. Of a total offering of over 22,000 bales, 15,867 bales, or 71.38 per cent., were sold, the gross proceeds being £119,212. The average price per bale at £7 10s 3d was 9s more than that realised at the December sale a year ago, and the average price per pound was about l-3d better. The averages, however, were not so good as those of the final Wellington sale of last season, held in April, being lower by £1 17s 104 d a bale, and 1.221 d a lb. The detailed prices for last months sale are as follow: — Total offered, 22,228 bales. Total sold, 15,867 bales. Passed in, 6361 bales. ~ Net weight of wool, 5,544,4861 b. Gross proceeds, £119,212 7s 4d. Average price per bale, £7 10s 3d. Average price per lb, 5.164 d.

Past Season*’ Figures The returns of the Wellington Woolbrokers’ Association show that the average price for the five Wellington sales during the 1930-31 season was lees than Cd per pound—s.B9sd to be exact. The average price per bale was £8 11s Id, and the gross proceeds amounted to £805,069 17s 6d. Details of the offerings, the number of bales sold, and the average price realised per pound and per bale for the Wellington sales of last season are as follow: —

Looking Back The following table shows the numbers of bales sold and the average prices realised at Wellington sales for the last eight years: —

The whole of the wool sold in the Dominion during the 1930-3] season averaged only 5.67 d per lb, which is the lowest return recorded for 28 years (state Da - gety and Co., Ltd., in their annual review of the market). This figure is 2.88 d per. Ib less than the 1929-30 average of 8.55 d per lb. The average gross price per bale realised during the 1930-31 season was only £7 19s lOd, as compared with £l2 le per bale in 1929-30—a decrease of £4 Is 2d per bale. The number of bales sold in the Dominion was 445,196 —an increase of 19,294 bales over the 1929-30 season, but the gross realisation was f 1,572,310 lees. The net weight of the wool sold iu 1930-31 was 6,685,2461 b more than in the preceding season, and the weight per bale averaged lib more.

Export Lamb Competition In connection with Clause 5 of the conditions of the export lamb competition, which states that the individual weight of each lamb shipped shall not exceed 381 b freezing weight, the following clause lias been added: —“That in the

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case of an exhibitor entering tw r o pens and having one or more inferior or damaged carcasses, he may have one pen made up from the two pens after killing.” The number of entries from each district shall not be less than 20 pens, which is equal to 60 lambs. As the compeition is in the nature of an advertisement for the Dominion, it is essential that no inferior lambs should be included in any district shipment. It has beeen suggested that some reliable person should be appointed with authority to reject any pens that would detract from the general merit'of the display. The main object of the competition is to improve the quality of lambs, which is recognised as a most important industry in this colony, and it is most important and essential that the Dominion’s display contains the best lambs in London.

THE WOOL MARKET IMPORTANCE OF FORECASTING AN INTERESTING ADDRESS "Throughout the entire world there is a marked and steady increase in wool production which may be reasonably expected to continue, counteracted by the_ present general depression and bad prices tor wool and mutton." So said Mr Ralph E. Whitaker, in the course of an address on “Wool Market Forecasting " to the members of the Bradfodd Textile Society. Mr Whitaker urged that the question of market forecasting is of primary importance in business management, and more than ever so under present conditions, when seasonal trade fluctuations are becoming ever more intense and wheu price fluctuations are thus more extreme. "Aa a dealer in raw material, 1 cannot agree with those who desire a market without fluctuations—a steady market,” he said. “The expenses which business in this country is called upon to carry thanks mainly to the extravagance of Governments —national and local —incur such high charges on industrial effort that it is in many and, one might say, in most, cases extremely difficult to make profit by what is usually termed normal trading. “Thus most businesses must partly rely on speculative success for their continuance, and the opportunity for this can only be found in price fluctuations as we have learned to experience.” What he recommended was a general study of wool types, production, movements, stocks, consumption from a world, and not a purely local, viewpoint, while a general knowledge of world conditions in every phase should also be gained. The Australian production, he said, was expected to exceeed that of last year by 70,000,0001 b, or 8 per cent. The coming New Zealand clip was expected to be 10,000, 0001 b—or, rather less than 5 per cent.—below that of last year; while South Africa this year was expected further to increase her production to an extent which would bring the total up to approximately 1,000,000 bales of wellnourished, good length, sound stapled, and light-conditioned wool. The Argentine fleece wool production for this season is likely to be the same as that of last year, with, perhaps, a little more super wool. A decline of 15 per cent, in Uruguayan production was forecast, and respecting America, the speaker said that if available statistics could be relied upon production now exceeded consumption. This increased domestic production was the primary reason for the decrease in American imports of foreign wool over the past 10 years. “ The most remarkable development of recent times,” added Mr Whitaker, “ is registered by Japan, whose wool imports, which must bear some relation to consumption, have increased from 18,000,000 pounds in 1913 to 114,000,0001 b in 1930. Japan is invading British markets for textile manufactures in China, India, South Africa, and smaller countries.” In a subsequent reference to Japanese competition, the speaker said: “On broad lines, it is not bad policy to buy when Japan is inactive, and restrain from buying under obverse conditions. There is, as yet, no Japanese competition in London and South America.” Mr Whitaker emphasised that “ the fiscal policy of most countries favours tariffs, and, as these are indisputable obstructions to inter-commerce, it is particularly important to know something of fiscal policies, especially those of our customers.”

Touching upon Russia, he, said that we were supplying Communism with machinery and credit, were helping it materially and financially, and were assisting its efforts, with brain, power as well. We may be unconsciously threatening our very existence. “When Russia is satisfied or feels satisfied that she can manage without the assistance of the outside world, what attitude must we expect, knowing her desire to smash capitalism and to introduce coramunial ownership.” In a reference to England, Mr Whitaker said: “British labour has been the dearest commodity in the Eastern hemisphere. For years we have attempted to sell labour at her own valuation, and when the world has been unable to accept it we have been content to make payment with gold. “We, a nation of a paltry 47,000,000, with a working population of 17,000,000 people, have, in effect, said to the world, ‘Take it or leave it.’ They have left it, and our policy has impoverished our industry. “We have to decide whether we will work at the world valuation or starve. There are no alternatives. Unless we are prepared to put and maintain our house in order we are doomed, and the decline of Great Britain will inevitably continue. “The decision to abandon the gold standard, though admittedly unavoidable, is worthy of high praise if it has accomplished nothing more than to have already improved our world competitive position.”

USE MORE WOOL ELEVEN GOOD REASONS AN EXPERT SUMMARY What are the special virtues of wool? Dr S. G. Barbour, director of research of the Wool Industries’ Association, summarises as the 11 points of healthy apparel;— 1. Woo] absorbs water more readily thau any other textile fibre, and holds it longer. There is no tendency for it to deposit moisture on the skin, with consequent discomfort to the wearer and liability to catch cold with small changes in atmospheric conditions. 2. Wool generates heat in itself. When water is absorbed, heat is generated by the wool itself, thus creating a healthy glow on the skin when the initial perspiration is absorbed by a freshly-aired garment.

3. Wool is the best insulator for heat. It has a low heat conductivity, and the beard of fine fibres on a wool garment entraps air so as to form a healthy insulating layer next to the body and maintain it at an equable temperature. 4. Wool is light. A wool fibre is lighter in weight than any other textile fibre of the same thickness. 5. Wool is perfectly elastic. Wool makes a perfect and complete recovery from strain, and has the extraordinary power of taking up large extensions without rupture or permanent damage. 6. Wool transmits the health-giving ultra-violet rays. Wool is the correct wear for sun bathing. For effective and lasting good, the body must also be warm. 7. Dyestuffs are less liable to fade on wool, and are faster on wool than any other fabric. 8. Wool is the natural body covering. Developed by man from the inner coat of the sheep, designed by Nature as the bodily protection for an animal next its skin, it forms the ideal wear for the human body. 9. Wool ,is durable. Exposed to weathering wool is more than three times aa durable as any other fabric. _ 10. Wool is strong. A wool fibre is equal in tensile strength to a filament of wire of equal dimensions made of cast iron or other metals. 11. Wool is almost non-inflammable, and, furthermore, is an effective silencer for noise and vibration. On the principle of “ safety first, ’ therefore, one would say, “ Use wool, and be well.'* i • i Each of the 11 points can be explained and justified scientifically, being thus correctly attributed to th- inherent composition and structure r* the wool fibre.

Average Average Offered Sold price price bales. bales. per bale. per lb. 1930. £ b, d. d Dec. .. 17,150 13,528 7 1 2J 4.851 19’31. Jan.-.. 18,511 17,194 7 4 4J 4.810 Feb. .. 14.865 14,252 7 7 4| 4.970 March 20,395 20,216 10 10 1* 7.149 April : 33,809 28,492 9 8 H 6.385 104,730 93,682 8 11 1 5.895

Bales Per bale. Per lb. sold. £ 6. d. Pence. 1923-24 . . 133,970 22 15 0 14.786 1924-25 . . 96,553 30 3 1 19.644 1925-26 . . 100,704 17 17 14 11.849 1920-27 . . 103,311 18 5 8 12.301 1927-28 . . 108.979 24 10 5 16.511 1928-29 . 113,626 22 4 11 14.958 1929-30 . . 74,093 13 11 4 9.204 1930-31 . . 93,682 S 11 I 5.895