Sale of wool by sample a quiet revolution

Press, 1 May 1981, Page 16

Sale of wool by sample a quiet revolution

At last New Zealand is embracing the system of selling greasy wool by sample, accompanied by scientific or objective measurement of some of the characteristics of the wool like clean yield, fibre diameter and vegetable contamination or fault, and it is likely that before not very long colour will be added to the list of characteristics that it is possible to measure. In Christchurch over the last few days there have been some ’ reminders of what is going on. Speaking to a seminar on the measurement and marketing of crossbred wool, which was held as a prelude to this week's conference of the International Wool Textile Organisation, the chairman of the Wool Board, Mr J. D. Mcllraith, recalled that the concept of selling raw wool by means of small samples supported by objective measurements had, in fact, originated in New Zealand in the mid 19605. The first demonstrations of a possible method of achieving this were carried out in a wool broker’s store in Christchurch in 1969. However, the particular form of full-length sampling used in those demonstrations had proved to be impacticable for a fullscale procedure and New Zealand had adopted and adapted the grab sampling system developed in the Australian objective measurement project — this was a programme funded by the Australian Government. In a reference to this Mr Mcllraith said that people in New Zealand had not been as fortunate as their Australian colleagues in having the benefit of such a massive, Government-funded crash programme.

The implementation of sale by sample here not only began later than in Australia but had also grown more slowly. There were a number of reasons for this but the main ones were concerned with the different composition of the New Zealand wool clip and the large proportion — about 50 per cent — of the

clip which was scoured prior to export.

However, after a late and slow start, Mr Mcllraith said that sale by sample was now progressing very rapidly in New Zealand and was now being used in all eight wool selling centres. It had already become an essential element in the marketing of the country’s expanding wool production. By the end of the present season on June 30 an estimated 47 per cent of greasy wool auctioned for the first time would have been sold by this method. Included in this there would have been a significant amount sold by separation, in which the samples and certificates were displayed in a different centre from that in which the bales were stored. It was anticipated that sale by separation would be employed to an increasing extent in the future as it was seen as offering the most practicable and efficient method of disposing of the clip.

A little later on the same day those attending the seminar saw one of the effects of this development in the opening of the New Zealand Wool Testing Authority's new South Island raw wool testing laboratory in St Asaph Street, Christchurch. Because of the greatly increased de-

maud for pre-sale testing of wool associated with sale by sample it has become necessary for the authority to open this new laboratory, and before very long it is going to have to establish a further new laboratory in the North Island too — probably in Wellington.

The chairman of the authority, Mr P. M. McCaw, put the situation very neatly. Up until about 18 months ago he said the authority’s small operation was not fully utilised. Mr McCaw said that the technical problems associated with pre-sale testing had been overcome several years ago and pre-sale testing on a commercial basis had been available for some time, but it had taken a few years to convince the various people concerned that this new method offered practical advantages which were worth pursuing. However, towards the end of 1979 quite suddenly it seemed a consensus had emerged and it had become clear to the authority that if it was to be in a position to meet the demands of the industry in the current, season, starting in about eight months time, it must have a modern laboratory working.

Last season he said that about 27 per cent of wool sold at auction had been presale tested. This season it was expected to be about 45 per cent, next season it was likely to be above 60 per cent and there was general agreement in the industry that within four years this figure would probably rise to about 90 per cent. Talking about the expansion of the authority's operation to cope with this, he said that it was likely within five years they would have expanded sixfold and they were confident that these facilities would be fully utilised. He saw the opening of the Christchurch laboratory as the first tangible sign of a rapidly growing service industry. which was becoming of major importance to the wool industry and therefore to New Zealand as a whole.