THE BRITISH CLIP.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 862, 14 November 1916, Page 3

THE BRITISH CLIP.

Mr F. H. Labatt, secretary of the Canterbury Sheepowners' Union, has handed us the following cutting from a recent issue of the "Australasian," dealing with the methods adopted by the Imperial Government in requisitioning the British and Welsh wool clip:—

"Arrangements were completed some weeks ago for giving effect to the decision of the War Office to take over the whole of the English and Welsh wool clip of 1916. England and Wales have been divided into 13 'wool areas,' in each of which a district executive officer, with an expert knowledge of woolbuying, has been appointed to superintend all wool purchases for the Government in his area. Each of these officers has his offices, and a small clerical staff, and each is to have the assistance of a local advisory committee, composed in equal numbers of wool merchants and farmers. Under the supervision of the district officers, the purchases will be made by authorised buyers, selected from the merchants, who usually carry on business in the districts. Census forms and explanatory leaflets have been issued to farmers in most of the areas. The procedure, so far as the farmer is concerned, is certainly simple enough. On the census paper he is required to make a return of his fleeces and the name of the buyer of last year's clip. An authorised buyer, probably last year's buyer, will then inspect, and weigh the wool, and estimate its value in accordance with a scale of prices fixed by the Government. The scales for the different districts vary according to local conditions, but they are all based on a 'central scale' (not yet made public), which is founded on the 1914 prices, plus 35 per cent. If the farmer has less than 50 fleeces for sale, the wool will be purchased outright, and paid for by the authorised buyer. In other cases 75 per cent, will be paid within a week of delivery, and the balance when the fleeces have undergone final inspection hi the merchant's warehouso> and the final valuation has been made."