DOMINION WOOL.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 866, 18 November 1916, Page 14

DOMINION WOOL.

i IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT'S | ACTION. I] HOW THE POSITION STANDS. [Special to The Sun.] WELLINGTON, November 17. The reply of the Imperial Board of Trade to the communications received from New Zealand regarding the wool purchase scheme takes the form of an amended offer. The British authorities have not agreed to pay gs the increased price demanded by the H wool growers and brokers at the m conference. It is understood thai H they have not advanced their offer H| beyond the original proposal of a H 15 per cent, increase on 1913-11 pi prices, but they have amended the »l basis of the proposed payments with «3 the object of removing the inequalifj ties stated to arise under the original P scheme, owing to the fact that cerP tain classes of wool, notably coarse |1 eross'oreds, have shown a bigger adb| vance in price proportionately than 111 the finer qualities during the wai g | period. The amended offer will be H | considered by the conference, aiu! gi though the amount of money proM J posed to be paid for the clip is not ||j as large as it would have been if the H conference's scale had been adopted if there seems to be a likelihood now j| that the offer will be accepted. m The Government has not yet apH plied pressure in connection with M the scheme, but the delegates whe lj have been representing the farmers H in the course of the negotiations are H aware that the Imperial authorities H are in a position to insist upon a j| settlement. Wool can go nowhere i but to the United Kingdom. It can-''j-j not be moved at all unless the LonH don Tonnage Committee assists to |j provide the ships, and every bale H can be commandeered on arrival at g a British port. Wool growers in the 1 United Kingdom, it is pointed out, || were not consulted at all about the H disposal of their wool—the Govern-

inent simply announced that the clip j would be requisitioned under the. i Defence of the Realm Act, and prices' would be according to a fixed scale.; j These prices are not as high as the j prices that have been offered to New | j Zealand growers. The export of wool from New Zea-; j land is not to stop while discussion is! j proceeding. Shipping space is valu- ! able, and the Government has an-i nounced, therefore, that the export j of wool may continue on Ihe under-j standing that all consignments will i be subject to the conditions of whatever agreement is finally made.