WOOL RESEARCH IN U.S.A.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14636, 3 April 1948, Page 4

WOOL RESEARCH IN U.S.A.

MAY BENEFIT INDUSTRY IN DOMINION BETTER USE OF LOWER COUNTS ' (Special to The Times) As a cross bred-wool producing country New Zealand has a vital interest in research designed to develop methods of making light and soft apparel fabrics from wool of the lower counts, says a report from the New Zealand Wool Board. The Americans are interested in this too, because their ever-increas-ing demand for fine woollen fabrics is outstripping the supplying ability of the world’s decreasing fine-wool frocks. From this joint interest it is possible that a long-term research programme will soon be started at the Princeton Institute of Textile Research, the object being to produce the fancy apparel fabrics so popular in America from the lower quality wools now so prominent in the world’s clips. Ideas on this subject were exchanged in the United States recently by Mr R. G. Lund, New Zealand representative on the International Wool Secretariat, and Mr F. Eugene Ackerman, executive director of the American Wool Council. Policy of Co-operation As a result of their discussions the New Zealand Wool Board has approved of a policy of co-operation between the 'lnternational Wool Secretariat and the American Wool Council for research at the Princeton 1 Institute. The approval of the two other partners in the I.W.S. Australia and South Africa, is of course required, and the whole plan is subject to the working out of an acceptable research programme by Dr Carter, and an I.W.S. scientific liaison officer. The lines of possible research were indicated by Mr Ackerman in a recent address to the American Wool Council. He said: “We should try to work out a long-range programme in which we would endeavour to develop better and wider uses for the kind of wool that we produce in this country, and that is being produced in greater quantities throughout the world. In other words, _if the weight of wool produced in this country and throughout the world is to average sG’s to 00’s, or CD’s to Go : s, then wo must find a way of making smoother and more graceful and the more required textures out of these wools than are made today.

“No one has gone far in this direction because until now it has not been necessary. But it is doubtful if fine wools will be in full supply again. The food requirements of the world are paramount. The income from meat is more important than the breeding of the smaller sheep for finer wool.” Long-Range Programme Needed

Mr Ackerman continued; “We have anti - shrinking compounds, water-resistant compounds, plastics, everything in the world applied to fibre to change their character and to increase their usefulness. I suggest that if a long-range programme 10 increase the fineness and evenness of yarns made of three-eight and one-auart°r blood wools can be set up we will have achieved a very necessary result. There can be an exchange of our own technicians with those of the International Wool Secretariat. As we arrive at results wo could hold seminars at the Textile Kesearch •Institute to reach the technicians of the different mills how to use these available fibres to greater advantage with respect to meeting preferences and the requirements of our expanding public demand.” ' Jusct how valuable a market America has become for wool is indicated by statistics quoted by Mr Ackerman. He said that since 1940 the wool requirements, of the people of America had increased 70 _ per cent. At the same time the civilian population required the wool of approximately one-half of a sheep each year per person. Today they needed one and a half sheep each. The American Wool textile industry consisted of about 400 apparel manufacturing units, employing 180,000 people and producing annually 500 million yards, worth 1250 million dollars, which went _ into woollen apparel products estimated to be worth close to 7500 million dollars.