National Scheme Of Wool Measurement

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31548, 9 December 1967, Page 8

National Scheme Of Wool Measurement

Steps are being taken to implement wool measurement in New Zealand on a national scale. The objective is a better system of wool classification and marketing.

In discussing the introduction of the scheme this week, Dr I. E. B. Fraser, of the Wool Research Organisation at Lincoln, who is author of the scheme, said that experience over the last few years had indicated that methods used during various stages of preparation, handling and marketing of raw wool were becoming outmoded compared with methods used in the manufacturing section of the industry.

When it was realised that many of the competitive and marketing advantages of synthetic fibres lay in the fact that they were available with full and accurate measurements, the wool trade had to attempt to do likewise. Because wool was not produced by adjusting an extruder nozzle as was the case with synthetics, and because considerable variation in measurements such as -fibre diameter and fibre length occurred even in the best of

wools, it was clear that current methods of estimating measurements by eye and touch were frequently incorrect and, most important, very difficult to repeat. However, it was not always an advantage to have evenness in measurements of such characteristics as wool fibre diameter and length. Frequently a degree of unevenness was desirable, but again the degree of unevenness was difficult to assess by eye and touch methods. Hence the need to refer visual appraisal to an actual measurement and even to replace appraisal by measurement. More and more of the world’s wool was destined to be purchased on the basis of a measurement figure, such as the micron which was the measurement of fibre diameter. Though such considerations

When the opinions of technical experts in the wool trade over the last decade were considered, one became quickly aware of the need first for more accurate and reproducible description, classification, quality control and competitive marketing of wool, and second, the means of containing and reducing costs within different sections of the trade. “We should adopt every means possible to describe our wool accurately and consistently and improve the standards of our production for the benefit of the manufacturer. For the manufacturers’ processes and competitive position are to a great degree dependent on an accurate knowledge of those properties of wool that can be accurately measured.” While much measurement had, and was being done as an aid during wool textile processing, next to no measurement was done as an aid to , preparation and marketing and as an aid to the producer. • The grower, and particularly his representative (the broker, etc.), needed to be clearly informed about manufacturing requirements and future levels of demand so as tn influence both production and preparation of wool for sale. When talking of selling it had to be considered in its most active and competitive sense, said Dr Fraser. It was not just a matter of displaying wool for purchase as was largely the case at present. Competitive selling of New Zealand wool based on a sound knowledge of its value as related to processing advantages, .end uses, appeal, performance, etc., in-as much as could be determined by measurement, research and practice, was something that had to be actively pursued.

might be obvious to many, implementing the obvious was not easy. Only too often technical difficulties and the reluctance of many to change the existing order, even if it was known to be behind the times stood in the way of improvements. While both of these difficulties had existed in New Zealand up until recently and still persisted in other woolgrowing countries, steps had now been taken in this country to implement wool measurement on a national scale with a view to the establishment eventually of a better, more informed, co-ordinated system of wool classification and marketing. With financial support from the New Zealand Wool Board, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and the New Zealand Wool Commission, the Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand had undertaken the initial planning, organisation and implementation of national wool measurement. This had been made possible on the scale envisaged by the complete co-operation of New Zealand wool brokers, who had adopted a forward looking attitude and intended to introduce improvements into the present system of wool handling and classification whenever possible. Hitherto technical difficulties involved in national measurement had been such as to exclude it as a possibility, but a concerted effort by the Wool Research Organisation since last March had resulted in the development of electronic instruments capable of measuring the large quantity of wool involved. “Such a development is quite unprecedented in the world today and enables New Zealand to start to undertake what previously would have been an impossible task,” Dr Fraser said. Wool measurements to be undertaken at this stage on different New Zealand wool types included wool fibre diameter and diameter variation, fibre length and fibre length variation, staple length, yield and scourability.

With the collaboration of New Zealand wool brokers, all brokers in Invercargill, Dunedin, Timaru, Christchurch, Napier and Auckland were collecting samples relating to wool types sold at each sale in the respective centres. Other centres were expected to be included at a later date. In time, said Dr Fraser, with a combination of some wool brokers’ classification methods and national measurements, a scheme for the