§ 75 Mr. Randallasked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent the present shortage of Australian merino wools has been caused by the auction sale in London, held some months ago, whereby the greater portion of the wool was allowed to be purchased by the merchants on the Continent.
§ Mr. BelcherSince the resumption of wool auctions last September as part of the arrangements agreed between the United Kingdom and Dominion Governments, sales have been held regularly in London, Liverpool and Bradford, in addition to the selling centres in the Dominions. Merino wool has been sold at open auction in large quantities and I am not aware of any real shortage of supplies available for consumption. The indications are that at least one half of the total offerings in this country have been retained for the United Kingdom industry.