SYNTHETIC WOOL

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21179, 1 June 1934, Page 12

SYNTHETIC WOOL

vakvin<; views on its MANUFACTURE <;kk.m\.\v-s i'o-rno;\ ! vivv.> an tin' possibility of' iifrmnny ir.antifHrlurins synthetic > v 0..> l wt-rc c:<prr?.-C'l by those inter-' estcl j«, v.-oularjwin;; in Canterbury! wh':r< opinions were sought la.-| even- I in - .;. iMi" li. D. :\cl;jnd, pre: idrnt. of j ihe Now Zealand Sheep Owner;"' I I-";ti'.M). ;-ud to,-it he was sotiflled that s.vntlv.vi.jc wool could not ] b-.* produced, while I\lr L. R. C. Mac- j i';i rl;i 'ir-. if Cu] verclrn. t-1 in j rpinn of | \Vo< 1 Publicity 0-'<"w Zealand), ex- I pressed tin: opinion Unit Germany | w.mim! be torced to make wool. j They were commenting on a nies- j ; cabled from Fremant Ic yester- | day, in which Mr Frank Waison, Con- j tinental buyer lor .Melbourne textile | merchant;:., expressed alarm at the ! progress lhat had been made in (he pruiucl jon of symbolic wool. lie had 1 been shown a sample of synthetic I wool by a German and described th' appearance and feel a? perfect. II , appeared that the difficulties pre- ; experienced in reproducing i the peculiar qua Li lies of wool had i beet: overcome. ' j "The: reports that Germany has pro- ' cluccd synthetic wool do not, alarm me j in U'ii'' feast," Mr Aeland said. "The . wool growers in New Zealand need not ; worry about it. If people can get ; wool and ue* i( at a reasonable price ! they will buy it." i The precise constitution of wool was not known, Mr Aeland said, .so that would be: a bar to -the production of the .synthetic article. Wool had extraordinary properties, both chemical and physical. If. was made up of liny cells and consequently could not l>e split m> like cotton. It was very elastic and had the properly of retain- i iuj; warmth. I! also had the property ' of ereai in;; heat when welled. Wool j was nature's invention to keep the | sheep warm and man could not imitate j it. | It. might be i'jos: ible to prodiice a 1 substitute tor wool, but it. would not I have the properties of wool, Ml' Aeland said. It miiiht. be possible to produce a synthetic ey.a; bu! n would not hatch out it put under a hen. "That funis up fhe position,'' he declared. ; "Germany wil} certainly wool it she is forced to do so," Mr Macfar* lane said. "If she cannot sell her manufactured goods outside she cannot buy our wool. She will have to make everything that can be made in Germany and keep her foreign trade down to essentials." The restriction on international trade would have a very serious effect on wool growing in New Zealand, he added. Italy was attempting to make her own wool and other countries would do the same. Experiments were being carried out in England and synthetic wool 1 iad been produced there.