THE RURAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23364, 2 December 1937, Page 3

THE RURAL WORLD.

By RirsTicus.

FARM AND STATION NEWS.

SUMMER SHOW SEASON ■ DATES FOR 1937-38 / Agricultural and pastoral shows for the 1937*38 season have been arranged «|ts follows: — December 4.—Tokomairxro Farmers Club' at Milton. December 7 arid 8.--Gore. December 11.—Wyndham. December 11.—Owaka. December 14 and 15.—Southland a' Invercargill. December 17.—Maniototo.’ at Ran furly. December 18.—Ota,|m Peninsula at Portobello. ■>. . December 27.—Tuapeka. at Lawrence 1938 January B.—Blueskin, at Waitati. January 15.—Waikouaiti. January 21.—Palmerston-Waihemo al Palmerston. March 12.—Mount Benger at Miller’s Flat. March 16. —Lake County at Lake Hayes. March 19.—Upper Clutha, at Pembroke. April 9.—Temuka and Geraldine, at Winchester. April 18.—Mackenzie Highland Show •t Fairlie. ,

NEW ZEALAND WOOL SALES ROSTER FOR 1937-38 SEASON The following roster of New Zealand wool sales for the 1937-38 season is announced. It l;as been arranged by the New Zealand Wool Brokers’ Association and the New Zealand Wool Buyers Association: —— Centre. Opening time. 1937. Napier 9 a.m. December 3 Wellington , 9 a.m. Decembet 8 Christchurch 9 a.m. December 13 Timaru 8 a.m. December 17 Dunedin - 9 a.m. December 21 1938 Wellington 9 a.m. . January 10 Napier 9 a.ra. January 15 Wanganui 9 am. January 20 Auckland 8 am January 24 Christchurch 9 a,m. January 31 Invercargill 9 am. February 4 Dunedin 9am February 9 Wellington 9am February 16 Napier 9 am. February 21 Wanganui 2.30 or 4 pm. February 25 Christchurch 9 am. March 3 Timaru 9am - March 7 Invercargill 2 pm. March 11 Dunedin . - 9 am. March 16 Wellington 1 9 a.m. ' March 22 Auckland 9 am. March 26 Wanganui 9 am. March 30 Napier 9 am. April 4 Christchurch 9 am. April 8 Dunedin 2 pm. April 12 and/or 9 am. April 13 Wellington 9 am. AprU 22 The April dates are tentative only, and are subject to alteration and/or cancellation, according to'the quantity of wool offering.

TOPICS OF INTEREST OFFICIAL NOTES -

Here Is 3 blf.odE ■ good' advice■ we remember sfcejbfman playfufebdltite a gmv-at you. knock hinr'down.' Don’t stop to inquire If it is loaded ijr not. Knock him down. Don’t be particular what you knock him down with,, only see that :hfe .is thoroughly knocked down., If a coroner’s InquCst must be held, let it be on the other fellow—he won’t be missed. ... ■ ; The next meeting of the Dominion Executive of the Farmers’ Union will be held in Wellington in the Dominion Fanners’ Institute at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. December 8, and Thursday, December 9,1937. *.. * * Artificial fevers, created by highfrequency radiation, are now being used to cure dogs of distemper. Every known organism has a temperature beyond which it cannot live. Recently, it has been found that this temperature ig- lower’for the organisms causing distemper in dogs than it is for dogs themsejyest’ f Raising the temperature of the dogs above the lethal temperature for the‘ distemper organisms frees the animal from the disease. v ♦ * * The Department of Agriculture wishes to remind farmers in the provincial districts of Otago and Southland that applications for the certification of wheat, grasses, and clovers must be in the hands of the local instructor in agriculture, and the requisite fees paid, not later than the seventeenth day of this month. , Applications may be lodged at the offices of the Department of Agriculture at Oamaru, Dunedin, Balclutha, Alexandra; Gore, and Invercargill. Application forms and further information may be had from the fields division officers at the places mentioned. * $ ♦ Farmers who have entered potatoes for certification are reminded that the last day for payment of the field crop ' inspection fee is December 20. * ■' # sis Eggs can be made to tell the truth about their age by' exposing them to ultra-violet light, it has been discovered at the University of Utrecht. The trick depends on the phenomenon known ds fluorescence. Ultraviolet radiation is itself invisible to the human eye, but it causes various substances to shine with light of different colours, or to fluoresce, ! To the human eye an egg is just an egg. But under a beam of ultra-violet a really fresh-laid egg glows with a very pronounced red coloration. Less freshly-laid eggs shade into blue, and the. older they are the deeper the blue. ** • * V’-'-The following remit was sent from the October Dominion Executive meeting to the Minister of Transport: - “ That the Dominion Executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union regards the proposed cancellation of all licences of private carriers operating along routes served by railways as an unjustifiable interference with private enterprise, and as tending towards the creation of monopolies that will not give the service previously rendered to the community. Inasmuch as taxpayers we are equally liable for the maintenance and upkeep of the roads and rails, we assert on behalf of the producers the same rights in respect of The Minister of Transport has now “ replied as follows: . I-’desire to say that .so far as the resolution relates to the taking over of long distance freight services, the matter was dealt with fully in Mr H. 1 G. R. Mason’s letter to you dated July :,15 last.

“I. may state that there is no intention of wholesale cancellation of

licensed goods services as appears to 'be anticipated by your executive. .“As regards the standard of service ll 1 which' will be rendered by the Stateowned road services you may rest assured that it will be in no way inferior. to that at present rendered by the private hauler.”

The freezing companies have been cited in connection with the claims of the workers, and a conference has been arranged between the New Zealand and Ancillary Industries Producers’ Council, the New Zealand Farmers’ Union and the workers’ representatives. . In order to give some idea of the difficulty of the situation, the follow-

Items of interest to those engaged In agricultural and pastoral pursuits, with a view to their publication in these columns, will be welcomed. They should be addressed to “Ruaticus,” Otago Daily Times, Dunedin.

ing are some of the demands being made, and it is only right that these should be known.

A 40-hour week of five days is asked for, and all work done in excess of that time to be paid for at overtime rates. Overtime to be at the rate of time and a-half or rate and a-half for the first two hours and thereafter at the rate of double time. Saturday pay is claimed at double rates. At the present time work done after mid-day on Saturday is paid for at only time and a-half. Overtime for slaughtermen is prohibited, so that this means no Saturday killing. Shepherds and stockmen employed at the works are to be paid overtime after 40 hours a week. The demands ask for the extension of the smoke-oh time from 10 and 15 minutes for all hands.

Claims for waiting time for piece workers are approximately 14 per cent, above last year, i.e., from 2s 6d to 2s 10id. In the slaughtermen’s waiting time, the demand is increased from 2s 6d to 3s 6d per hour.

Where a worker has been notified on the previous day of the intention to work overtime and overtime is not worked, the demand is for two hours’ pay at overtime rates. At present the pay is at the rate of one hour overtime rates.

Hourly rates of pay for chain slaughtering at present are 2s 4Jd for sheep and lambs. The demand is for 4s per hour, and this must be carried on until the gang is able to earn this rate on piece work. Piece work rates: The demand is increased from £2 to £2 7s 6d per 100. For lambs, from £1 17s 6d to £2 3s 3d per 100; show sheep and lambs, from £2 6s to £2 13s per 100; bulls and stags, from 3s to 3s 7d; calves, up to 601 b, increased from 4d to 8d; 611 b to 801 b, increased from 6d to 10|d; 811 b to 1301 b, increased from le 2d to Is 6id; 1311 b to 2001 b, increased from Is 9d to 2s 2Jd; pigs up to 1201 b, increased from 9d to Is 6Jd; 1211 b to 2001 b, increased from Is lid to 2s 2Jd; over 2001 b, increased from 2s 9d to 4s 6d; boners, from 2s 4Jd to 3s 9d per hour; freezing chamber hands, the demand is 3s 3d per hour or an increase of Is per hour. This is a very brief outline of the increases that are asked for, and it will be seen that they are very stiff demands. The matter of holidays is of considerable importance. An increase of paid holidays is asked for—-four extra days in the year. The increase for piece workers and others who are not on an hourly rate in their general employment is approximately 6d per hour. These are, of course, only demands, but it gives some indication of what is being asked, and it is felt that those affected should be kept in touch with these matters.

DISAPPOINTING CONDITIONS WOOL MARKET TENDENCIES ' BACK TO 1935 RATES AUSTRALIAN ESTIMATE OF ■ POSITION '"The official representatives of the, wool industry have failed badly to read the signs of the-wool market this sea-* son]' They failed also to tell us plainly all about',, the , serious fall in.'prices. While we were busy with the shearing we were fed with reports full of cheer and hope. Now we find that wool is worth about,, only 70 per cent, of its value two or three months ago. Is it any wonder then that there is a tendency among growers to sell privately when they can satisfactorily rather than. take their turn and risk at the regular ■ auctions? ” These were the words of a woolgrower who, when he came to offer his wool at auction last week, was annoyed and dismayed at the extent of the decline in-prices He will allow, I am sure, upon reflection, that his attitude towards the official representatives of the wool industry is untenable. How were they to find, much less read, signs that did not exist? If there were any signs they were of the kind to inspire confidence, Anyway, the shrewdest and most careful of men in every circle of trade have been at their wit’s end to explain the present slump. Wool is but one of the commodities that is'suffering unexpectedly. In all directions well placed, experienced, clever people have been “ caught.” I have just received a letter from Senator Guthrie. He says the slump in wool prices was mbst unexpected. Recognised spokesmen for every other interest are saying that the general swing back to the depression complex is unexplainable. Most of these spokesmen refuse to countenance the advent of a slump, or, by all the rules of the economists, its right to live—if it does exist.

FORWARD SELLING It is said that the buyers “saw it coming.” Did they, though? There is a lot of wool now very dear, bought earlier in the season, in the hands of some of the buyers. The notion that buyers “saw it coming” has arisen perhaps because there may have been a good deal of forward selling, but to effect forward selling there must be forward buying. The fact that some buyers have the courage to gamble on a fall in prices should not be used to support the stand that the growers’ representatives should have been just as alert to “see the signs.” The luck of the game has been with the forward sellers, but that is all. They have guessed correctly, and are reaping the reward of their hazard. It may be true that in the brokers’ reports the fall in prices from day to day was not always given in percentages, for the simple reason that the reductions sometimes were so slight as to be unquotable in percentages. “ The market was easier,” “ in buyers’ favour,” “ very irregular,” “ many withdrawals,” and suchlike terms have been used repeatedly, however. Yet there was always the thought behind the hope that the undertone was sound, and it was but natural that the daily reports should reflect the less dismal features of the market. Nevertheless, the market was declining all the time, and the downward movement was referred to regularly by the brokers. It is wrong to say, as has been suggested, that official announcements about the seriousness of the fall in prices were withheld or delayed unduly.

. SELL AND REPENT No one pretends to deny that at times it is most difficult to justify the contention that all woolgrowers should, in loyalty to their industry, sell in their turn through the regular selling channels. On the other hand, no grower should forget that anything that may weaken the Australian wool-sell-ing system should be frowned upon by all who would preserve the stability of the wool industry as a whole. Where would the grower be without the facilities that this system affords, or how would he fare if instead of a powerful organisation working always in the best interests of the growers it became a mere agency for selling wool, unable to render assistance by way of finance? Growers are not advised to refuse satisfactory private offers for wool. They are told that should selling on the ground become widespread it will weaken the auction system. They are asked to contemplate the effects. - That is all. But to maintain the efficiency ol the auction system growers must be prepared to offer their wool in its turn, and either accept the prices offered in open competition—which are the true market prices on the day—or gamble on the future market fluctuations. The growers with the longest experience usually meet the market. They know that by withholding wool they would help to bank up supplies and play into

the hands of the “bears.” They have proved that the best policy is to sell if possible about the same time each year. Sometimes they “ sell and repent sometimes they “ sell and rejoice”; but always they sell; and in the long run they score. There is, however, something to be said for a curtailment of offerings of temporarily unwanted wools during a time of slump, and we may be sure that the wool trade authorities will curtail offerings if they think that drastic action of this kind will be helpful to the trade in general. ESSENTIAL RESEARCH The report of the Australian W9OI Board embodying the result of an investigation of the International Wool Secretariat into the textile industry of Germany, is at once a valuable and an arresting statement. The Secretariat reported to the Wool Board that remarkable advances in the production and use of artificial fibres to replace wool in Germany had been made, and stated that scientific research is essential to do for wool, at all stages of production, from sheepbreeding to manufacture, what it has done for substitutes. The Secretariat says also, as has frequently been advocated in the Australasian, that the problem of making available more supplies of Australian wool to Germany should be tackl§d urgently. It appears probable, says the report, that a reduction in the German wool consumption of 70,000,0001 bto 80,000,0001 b, has occurred over the last three years, whereas the production of artificial fibres has increased from 16,000 tons in 1935 to 90,000 tons in 1937, and it is estimated that the production of 1938 wil be 145,000 tons. The German wool textile industry Is no longer an industry using natural wool, but is employing varying quantities of natural and artificial fibres. The Secretariat states that several factors are responsible for the degree of change in the industry. These are political reasons, improvement in the quality of raw materials, price and scientific research. While import control of wool is still enforced, unless covered by foreign exchange, opposition to the use of artificial fibres has now ceased, almost entirely, because of experience gained of methods of handling and treatment, reduction in price, and improvement in quality of the raw material. Widespread propaganda has been effective in eliminating prejudice against synthetic wool. “There appeared to us to be no evidence of the shabbiness of clothes of which we had heard, and uniformed officials appeared to be much more smartly and Better ' clothed than corresponding classes in Great Britain.” said the Secretariat. STAPLE FIBRE IMPROVEMENT The report explains that during the last four years there has been a steady improvement in the quality of the staple fibre available to the wool textile industry. It is now claimed that one by one the defects from which the artificial fibre suffered in comparison with wool, such as poor tensile strength and lack of elasticity, have been overcome. Artificial fibre has a greater tensile strength when dry than wool, and equal strength when wet; it has an elasticity approximately equal to that of wool, and greater uniformity of fibre diameter. Up to 50 per cent, of artificial fibres are used in heavy fabrics, such as uniforms, and heavy overcoats without lessening the wearing qualities or aesthetic properties of the material. The manufacturer in Germany now regards staple fibre rather as a desirable acquisition to be exploited further, while the consumer in many instances is unable to differentiate between pure wool, mixed and artificial fabrics This change of attitude, which has made artificial wool no longer used only because of Government pressure, but something desired from within, is of the greatest possible significance to the consuming countries. Changes of price of staple fibre during the last two years have given it an increasing competitive power, as the price not only remains stable for considerable periods, but each revision makes it progressively cheaper. It is obvious that development of the whole industry has depended on scientific research, and there is nothing more striking to a visitor than to see how intensively this is employed at every stsge in nroduc-,, rlidn, both of wool f drtd : ‘artificial fibred activities of what were purely wool research laboratories have nbw tfeen largely concentrated on problems of the substitution ' by, or combination with, artificial wool. Scientific effort is devoted increasingly to further improvement in quality of existing fibres and the development of additional types. It is inevitable that there will be further advances, and that competition at anything like existing price levels will become more, not less, severe.