Interest In Cheap Wools

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31579, 17 January 1968, Page 16

Interest In Cheap Wools

Because of its low price New Zealand wool was attracting much interest in the textile centres of the world, and manufacturers of all types were sampling it, Mr P. Farago, said in Christchurch yesterday. Mr Farago is managing director of a wool company in Australia with a branch in Hong Kong, and is also a director of an English company.

His companies handle wool and wool by-products such as scoured and carbonised wools and wool wastes and noils. He has recently been on a five months trip to textile centres in Europe, America and the Far East.

If the sampling of New Zealand wools was successful, the demand would help the price, he said.

The future for coarse wools was difficult to foresee. The diminished demand for them for carpets had set them back, but in the fashion world trends were always unpredictable, and it could be that]

fashion would demand coarser wools again. It was unfortunate, Mr Farago said, that man-made fibres had better promotion than wool, and women in particular were inclined to buy what was advertised best as a fashion product The manmade fibres, too, undoubtedly had certain qualities that wool did not have. Promotion of blends of wcol and man-made fibres was a good idea. “Man-made fibres are definitely here to stay and wool has to live with them. For wool to try to fight these fibres on the battle ground is not wise,” he said. “May be there is too much wool for it to be used purely as a supreme fibre,” he said when he was questioned about the International Wool Secretariat’s policy of promoting wool as a premium fibre worth a higher price. “I think that wool will have to be used for other purposes than a premium fibre if it is to be absorbed successfully at a good price.”

It would be unwise to hope that wool would return to the position it had once occupied. Adjustments had to be made by all in the industry in recognition of this. The industry must seek to improve its fibre and find new uses for it.

“Altogether I am not pessimistic about the future, as with the tremendous growth

in the world population there should be enough demand for all fibres produced, but this should not be taken for granted,” said Mr Farago.