Wool Growth Forecast

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30971, 29 January 1966, Page 15

Wool Growth Forecast

(N.Z.P.A. -Reuter —Copyright; BRADFORD, Jan. 28. Wool showed every prospect of being able to command a price enabling growers to expand their production, the managingdirector of the International Wool Secretariat, Mr W. J. Vines, said today.

Mr Vines told the Bradford junior chamber of commerce that until recently the identity of wool in finished textile products had been seriously threatened. The consumer, confused by so many new materials, had become a “fibreagnostic” to whom price, style and colour were far more important than knowing the basic raw material. Woolgrowers were powerless to protect their product’s good name because the word “wool” was not a proprietary brand name owned by them. Mr Vines said the woolmark campaign launched 16 months ago in six countries, including Britain, would late this year have been extended to 22 countries, which consumed

about 85 per cent of all the wool produced. In Britain, about 300 woolmark licences had already been issued, 360 applications were being processed, and 280 clothmaking firms and 42 cloth merchants had been certified as producing fabrics to woolmark’s standards. In addition inquiries were in hand for 1000 export licences. “The world picture is equally encouraging,” Mr Vines said.

“At the end of 1965 more than 3000 national and 1500 export licences for the mark had been issued around the world with a further 3500 or so being processed.” High priority was being given to “marrying the products of research to the natural advantages of wool,” he said.

There were at present 1.W.5.-financed research projects in 12 countries.