IMPERIAL WAR SUPPLIES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14191, 8 January 1917, Page 4

IMPERIAL WAR SUPPLIES.

/■' ■ SOME BIG FIGURES, , I f : • : ■=' ' I c : The Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald (Minister for -Agriculture, Industries and ' : Commerce) stated in Wellington that ! •under the Imperial supply scheme some-;' i thing like a 1 million sterling had already * I been paid for New Zealand wool, and jit was anticipated that by the end of jthe year the. amount would -reach between £13,000,000 t6 £14,000,000. The .wool requisitioning scheme was well in } hand so' far 'as- the main dip aiid valuar tions were concerned, and the depart- \ ment was now dealing with details in s. regard to the scouring of slipe wool. i The ' Government woiild be scouring a > certain percentage of locks and dirty * pieces, 1 and they would run into many ■ thousands of balete in all. Provision had - to be made, to carry that work out,' and > the department was issuing a notice to all wool-scourers • throughout the Doi minion ' intimating that- the owners of * works prepared 1 ' to "undertake scouring on behalf of the Government should > have their works cdeared as sooii as pdss sible so as to be in a position to com---1 mence " operations next Aveek. * A coh- >• ference of wool^-scourei's wa£' to he held this week to arrahge details. Tlie I Minister added that arrangements were ! also being' 'made for a 'representative'. ! conference to consider the 'question of requisitioning' skins and hides for' Inri- ■ . pcrial purposes. That would probably ; ' involve the 1 - expenditure of a further » £1,000,0000. ■) With regard to cheese, said Mr MacDonald, the Imperial Government had so far only taken it oyer at Home, not -allowing it to go into the hands of consignees. But many New Zealand shippers desired 'that the cheese should be taken over at this end. • The question 'was somewhat involved, owing to the number of sales that # had been made, but the producers desired to get the matter Settled as soon as possible. 'A conference of cheese producer? liad been held that afternoon at the Parliament Buildings, but he could not make any statement in regard to it, as matters ! were* still i. under discussion. Thei Imperial Government was dealing with the question of shipping • space. • ■ i '■ The Board of Trade,, added. Mr MacDonald, had its proposals in regard to Jwhefat well under way, and it was hoped * that they would be submitted to Cabinet in about ton days' time. Tlie proposal of the board Was that the- Government should purchaso the /'hole of the New Zealand wheat crop, -lout the problem to be solved was that. of. tho price to be paid:-;- Wheat-growing,- 1 of; course, was a businciss- proposition, but when the matter .was submitted to the farmers from a. patriotic. point -pf N . view, • he was convinced that they would be prepared to .do the fair thing by the people of N»w Zealand. .The farmers had affiriped tbe principle tlmt they were, prepared to grow. 'wheat! and' 'aell it to- the Government; and there was, nbthing, to be said against that ; but,, if bedrock proposals * were submitted by the' Government aiid the farmers did not rfcfc fairly,, 'that might be the subject of comment. =g ' ■