WOOLLENS WANTED.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 67, 19 March 1915, Page 3

WOOLLENS WANTED.

.. —> .. ■ ■• .. ORDERS FROM AUSTRALIA. CAPACITY OF LOCAL M-ULS. The arrival of a buyer to operate oa behalf of the Australian Government in placing large orders with New Zealand woollen mills for flannel, shirts, socks, underclothing, etc., hi— aroused interest among those concerned in the industry in Auckland. In certain quarters it is predicted that the Governmeht might find it necessary to take action which will prevent large quantities of such goods going out of New Zealand when the mills, are working at full capacity to meet Dominion requirements. From inquiries made by a reporter tc'day it appears that approximately there are ten woollen mills in New Zealand, , employing about 800 males and 1,000 ] females, the wages approximating about —80,000 per annum. The wool, put chaseg amount to. about £250.000. per annum, and the output of goods to about £400,000. These calculatkm. do not include hosiery, neither do they take any account of the operations of clothing factories —only of purely woollen "goods". Tlie number of looms in, New Zealand "is about 300, and the approximate output is over 1,000,000 yards of cloth. 1,000,000 yards of flannel, 50,000 rugs, 70,000 pairs of blankets. It is estimated that the ralu e of the plant and buildings in .all New ' Zealand woollen mills is about £300,000. Again that does not include clothing manufactures. In proportion to population it is understood" that-there are more woollen milk in "Sew Zealand than there are in Australia. Just how the local, mills are turnip"*' out khaki, and hardly anything. but khaki. This, of course, is due to *tha phenomenal demand for mDitary uniforms. A big difficulty is looming in this,connection just as it .has been doing in England—the scarcity, of„dyes. '• the authorities in Great Britain, set up a commission to inquire info a proposal' to establish a dye-making industry iof. the purpose of filling"* orders; which had previously been carried off "by Germany." The result is that the "Bngjis-. Government has agreed to heavily subsidise the industry. Th fi local manufacturers are. in hopes of obtaining adequate supplies from England.! '.*"' The opinion is expressed that "Sf_6"f coping with the extra demands resulting, from the war the New Zealand mills will not be in a. position to s'uppljr large outside orders. One difficulty, is that specially trained Tahour" (chiefly female' has .to h e employ"ed_in the", .mills" and .the supply, is limitedr .It is. stated that the mills ha*" c not "yet started to work overtime extensively "because inejr. are abl<> to keen up- demands' of the Defence Department- better than, the making-up factories. The One;hun«J." mills are engaged principally, on the manufacture of.. khaki, and it is able that the same applies "'to mills"*—" other parts of the Domini©*. new -KAi__s*B-N__:D^'SUPi^i_rr.--RESTRICTIONS ON EXPORT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLrNGTON, this day. • In reference jto the from Auckland*' that'i 'i"(!ui-(£ujiafcy«; of the Federal Government - ,-rhas - J atrived Ufrere to p"ace clotfa,- it app3aJrs,-"Kj_t''not-only; is, Jthere ii ■repi*is ; Wi»*ir e roewt, but there are'at'Tesßt -two/Tepr^* - aentatiyea ihcre 'of private ■—•mtfact—Ting finnis,"who' are ■ pcgCTn_tbi^ l^yw, n_H*?t-. coritraetoißi -toying, to- pi-oTOre. some-.o* . thj-t'r. SsrteaS.il*jnwa?" t - - *../-," ,j , r **" f .' Tb.-2 Defence '"Mini-stier' 'was »-iked whether tha op=ratibi-»'''Of--'_lS6e"pri"6_te individuiiV were likely'to embarrass the New. Zealand defence " M*r. A'len repli-id that he could not speak, wild any ki=sura""ce until "Be knaw what was g-oing'onj and wtat tbe order? to be fiXed were likely to be." TJp'Sill'"ie pLUKK't the woollen ' 'nulls and' clothiers had supplied' the needs of ■the" I New Zeal-red Government*"very ■ "satisfactorily. The Government -11-a—e ample : powers under the .War Regulations Aet•to prevent any penson - whosoever fromV taking away from 'Sew' Zealand material that may li required for our own forcta."