Improving Handling Of Wool

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31530, 18 November 1967, Page 9

Improving Handling Of Wool

The wool marketing study group says in \ its report that it has submitted proposals for j improving the handling, classification and marketing of wool to the Wool Board and Wool Commission.

The group says that its investigations into the ways in which present methods of preparation and handling the clip could be improved had indicated that the methods used in the raw wool trade in comparison with the manufacturing section of the industry were becoming outmoded.

It had been concluded that improvements could only be effected through the introduction of an objective system of measurement of wool properties. If this could be achieved the present method of sale and disposal could be streamlined with consequent savings in underlying costs and the establishment of objective specification might in itself become a de-mand-creating factor for New Zealand wool.

The group said that each of the proposals contributed to an improved system of marketing and collectively they could be incorporated into the present or any other marketing scheme. The proposals and their objectives were:— (1) Wool prepared for sale should be pre-classed into a series of established standard types. The objective here was to present to the manufacturing trade types of uniform standard prepared in a manner both acceptable to and required by the trade.

(2) Instead of displaying whole bales for valuation prior to auction, representative samples only would be shown. Full staple samples

would be shown, which would enable buyers to make their assessments of staple length, yield, fibre fineness, style and soundness as they do at present A scoured sample would be displayed to enable scoured colour to be evaluated. The buyers could then compare their subjective appraisal with the precise measurements made, details of which would be contained in the catalogue. The objective of this proposal was to substitute a less costly, more accurate and more convenient system into the present show floor valuation procedure. (3) After being classed into standard types the wool would be pressed directly from brokers’ bins into dense bales of the final form required for shipping. The objective was to reduce the handling costs at present necessary under the system of baling and dumping.

It is proposed that a permanent Wool Marketing Authority should be set up to (a) establish, maintain and review the,series of standard New Zealand types; (b) establish and supervise the system of sale by sample; and (c) organise a service through which information relating to the end users’ requirements may be made known to New Zealand.

The case for objective measurement does not end in the development of a series of standards for wool in the grease, the report continues. Once these standards of fibre

diameter, fibre length and staple length are established, their relationship with factors of manufacturing significance, such as top noil ratios may be able to be determined. Once a system of precise measurement for determining the content of trading types is developed, other improvements within the field of handling and the sale of wool become possible. If a purchaser has trust in the declared contents, sale of wool by documented sample becomes possible. ... Sale by sample has the advantage that it eliminates the need for the present show floor inspection and thereby provides a method of containing costs. As a result of sale by documented sample, wool could be dense baled and ready for shipment immediately it was

prepared. The present system of baling, show stacking, opening for inspection, pushing back, stack breaking and finally dumping would be replaced. Hence further savings in costs would result

The proposals had been accepted by the New Zealand Wool Board and the Wool Commission. As a result a wool measurement and marketing group, which was being jointly financed by the Wool Board, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and Wool Commission had been established within the Wool Research Organisation. The objective of the wool measurement and marketing group was to plan and implement the collection of information leading to the improved handling, classification and marketing of wool