SHRINK-PROOF WOOL N.Z. Advance Significant

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31657, 18 April 1968, Page 1

SHRINK-PROOF WOOL N.Z. Advance Significant

Commercial development in New Zealand of a process that makes knitting wools shrink-proof even when washed in machines and in water at high temperatures has made wool more acceptable as a garment fibre.

Woollen mills throughout the world have long employed a variety of processes to make wool resistant to shrinkage. The announcement by Mosgiel Woollens, Ltd, Dunedin, that it is now marketing wool treated by a process developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Melbourne represents a major advance in the preparation of wool for the consumer.

it had the advantage of being continuous.

Only limited supplies of hand-knitting yarns had so far been dispatched to shops, said Mr Lane. The top-making plant, working two shifts, could produce one million lb of wool tops a year, said Mr Lane. More machinery would have to be imported before the firm could export treated tops.

Most of the machinery needed to treat the tops was imported from Australia and Germany. The Wool Board is leasing the $60,000 worth of plant to the company for five years. The company will then buy the machinery. “This is not only a shrinkproofing process, but it is a particularly good one,” said the chairman of the board (Mr J. Acland) yesterday. “I think it is going to make wool particularly attractive.” Although the process could be applied to fine wools, the Mosgiel firm had applied it to crossbred fibres, said Mr Acland. “Crossbred wools have suffered for a number of reasons, but this process should improve their acceptability. I am determined that we will make good use of our crossbred wools and that our people should appreciate them,” said Mr Acland. The success of the board’s venture in co-operation with Mosgiel Woollens showed that New Zealand was as far advanced in the handling of wool as any country in the world, he said.

The Wool Board introduced the process to the company two years ago when the firm was preparing to open its new top-making plant at Mosgiel The patent for the process in New Zealand is held by the board and the technical information gleaned by the company during its trials is available to any mill which wishes to adopt the process. An Australian factory has also adopted the process, but the Mosgiel factory appears to be the first to achieve a marketable output of wool that can be washed by machine without fear of shrinkage The standard achieved by this process far exceeds the shrink-resistance specifications set by the International Wool Secretariat for knitting wools carrying its Woolmark. These require that wool shall resist shrinkage when washed by hand in water up to lOOdeg F. The general manager of the Mosgiel mill (Mr W. E. Inglis) said yesterday that the process would not increase the price of hand-knitting wools. “We would expect a slight, but not significant, price rise in machine-knitting yarns," he said.

The wool fibres are impregnated with a resin during the top-making stage. The chemical, discovered in the United States, is added to the wool between the carding of the wool slivers and the combing out of short ends.

the Mosgiel plant is now exporting untreated tops. The managing-director of the firm (Mr G. W. Lane) said that ultimately the factory would produce treated tops for export. In the meantime, production was fully committed to the local demand for wool for hand and machine-knit-ting. Other knitting factories in New Zealand were being supplied with treated yarns, he said. Mr Lane said that other mills had invested in processes to impart shrink-resist-ance to wool: he was satisfied that the C.5.1.R.0. process produced wools that were good to handle and presented no dyeing problems. Further,