WOOL TRADE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 12822, 17 August 1939, Page 8

WOOL TRADE

ACTIVITY IN TEXTILES Business at Bradford is at a standstill, owing to the holidays (says a London message). Most top consumers are adequately covered and there is "little chance for any substantial new business until after the opening of the Australian selling season.

Topmakers and spinners have as much work on hand as they can comfortably accommodate at this time of the year, and they are actually, behind with deliveries in connection with Government contracts. The textile trade is enjoying remarkable activity and the percentage of unemployed has dropped to 6 per cent, icompared with 22 'per cent in June of last year.. The estimated consumption of Imported wool in the first half of the year increased 41 per cent compared with 1938.

EMPIRE’S PART The British Empire is the greatest wool-producing and the largest woolconsuming aggregation of people in the world. Apart, from imports of manufactures the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada,' New Zealand and India use the equivalent of nearly 3,000,000 bales annually in their mills, or approximately one-fourth of the world’s supply. The Empire grows over 45 per cent, of the total clip of the world, which includes a proportion of carpet wools. The five chief wool exporting countries are Australia, New Zealand, Union of South Africa, Argentina and Uruguay, their total clips aggregating 6,676,000 bales, of which 75 per cent, is grown in the three British countries; Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Those figures indicate the degree to which good wool prices influence the financial welfare of British Empire people; not only growers but millmen, workers and others engaged in the production of tops, yarns and fabrics.