“Hard Selling” Of N.Z. Wool Urged

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31542, 2 December 1967, Page 10

“Hard Selling” Of N.Z. Wool Urged

“There is scope for much increased and improved hard selling of New Zealand raw wools overseas,” Mr W. J. Vines, managing director of the International Wool Secretariat, said in an interview before he left New Zealand last week.

In calling for a joint effort by New Zealand interests and the International Wool Secretariat in this, Mr Vines said: “I do not mean merely a campaign against synthetics but against some other crossbred wool countries too, especially those outside the I.W.S. partnership.’.’

Mr Vines said he was not prepared to stand by while all kinds of currency manipulations and export tax adjustments by other countries left New Zealand wools grossly undersold on world markets. “I will not see that happen without trying to take positive steps in defence.’’ Mr Vines said one new step involved processing machinery which is now in the final stages of development If production trials were successful, the machinery would be launched so that a substantia] royalty margin favoured New Zealand and Australian crossbred wools compared with crossbreds from elsewhere.

As a matter of policy the I.W.S. promoted wool products without attempting to place special emphasis on wools of the three partner na-

tlon< "That policy still stands firm, but all good rules are made to be broken, or varied, if special circumstances occur.”

Some manufacturers round the world were unaware of the real versatility of New Zealand crossbred wool. “Yet this versatility can be demonstrated, and we must get the message across to the manufacturer. Your wool can and should be used in a wide variety of products where little or no demand exists at present."

Hard selling techniques were an essential part of the operation. Opportunities for New Zealand included an improvement in the uniformity and presentation of crossbred wools. The Wool Board and Wool Commission were well equipped for this task. New Zealand could also take steps to provide the world’s manufacturers with a reliable range of samples of her wool types. At present an enormous amount of blending and mixing sometimes diluted or obscured the manufacturer’s picture of the New Zealand product • “There are still some who do not realise what is available hire and you must tell them,” Mr Vines said. “You can rely on. LW.S. help." If New Zealand acted unilaterally, such action should not go beyond the-promotion of raw wool, he said. At the product stage promotion was specifically an LW.S. function. Mr Vines emphasised that the views expressed were his own, and not necessarily those of the secretariat