Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1936. PUBLICITY FOR WOOL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 80, 16 January 1936, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1936. PUBLICITY FOR WOOL.

The opinion expressed in Melbourne by Lord Barnby regarding the wool industry should receive the careful consideration of growers in the Dominion. Lord Barnby urged the institution of an Empire-wide publicity campaign. While growers and others interested may differ as to the means by which the objective may be achieved there are no two opinions as the necessity for stimulating the demand for wool. The improvement in demand for other commodities promoted by advertising offers the best sort of guarantee that a campaign on behalf of wool would be remunerative. The previous move in this direction failed, apparently because it linked research with publicity. Many woolgrowers objected, holding that the improvement of the raw material was the special concern of studmasters. Unfortunately the publicity objective was lost along with research and it must be admitted that it will not be easily gained now. Agreement among the world's principal wool producers is essential, since one or two countries cannot be expected to finance a campaign from which all will benefit. The best hope of such agreement comes from the increasing realisation by growers that, through the displacement of wool by other textiles, they are missing the price benefits of maximum demand for their product. For lack of organisation they have had to watch the rise of well-advertised substitutes, while they have done nothing to assert the superiority of wool. The question of publicity for wool differs from similar action in respect to other commodities. For whereas the pushing of dairy produce, meat and such like, can be directed to any particular article wool in its manufactured state loses national identity, consequently any publicity scheme must be on a generaf basis, benefiting all wool-pro-ducing countries, which should bear their share in the cost. So far as the Dominions are concerned, Lord Barnby suggested that'the imposition of a levy on every bale exported would be the only effective action. A committee should be appointed to control the funds thus created, he said, and it should be independent of government appointment and not subject to political interference. That is a detail, that though important, may be lert until the general principle is adopted. The first requirement is to get all the producing countries into line in active steps to meet the requirement.