‘Big future’ for N;Z. wool

Press, 23 October 1984, Page 16

‘Big future’ for N;Z. wool

From

ROY VAUGHAN

In Kyoto New Zealand wool has a big future in Japan’s clothing industry and one of Japan’s largest wool importers has said New Zealand wool exporters should drop the conception that it is for carpet-making only. Mr Koiahiro Chikamoto, senior management director of Kanomatsu-Gosho, Ltd, said his", company had experienced new demands for New Zealand wool since last year. They had come from Japan’s apparel industry, because of the spread of a coarse wool boom and lower-priced clothing. f “Consumption of New Zealand wool is being sharply increased, especially in the fields of both woollen weaving and hosiery yarns,” he said. Because New Zealand wool was coarser in char-

acter, more spongy, and comparatively cheaper than most, it could meet fashion trends in tweed and handknitting, he believed. Japan’s blanket industry is also seeking New Zealand wool because of. short supplies. -J , ■ . Japan’s wool industry is seeking both new materials and restudying the various origiris of wools. “I believe New Zealand wool has more possibilities and it is our mission to promote something new in character from it,” Mr Chikamoto said. New Zealand must follow Australian wool producers and establish proper qual-ity-control procedures and supply test certificates or it might be regarded as being of inferior quality, he said. New Zealand carpet wool exports to Japan have reached a stage where it is now difficult to expand ex-

ports further, according to the deputy chairman of the New Zealand Wool Board, Mr P. T. Barry. The problem with carpet wools-was that the product attracted a 12 . per cent customs duty then a commodity tax of 10 per cent, and the latter tax had the effect of penalising wool carpets, he said. It artificially made wool carpet more expensive than synthetic carpet. “To a ; New Zealand observer it appears anomalous that there should be barriers to improving the quality of carpets produced and consumed in Japan. It is in direct conflict with our general expectations of Japanese industry and the Japanese consuming public,” he said. New Zealand textile manufacturers have struck another barrier in exports to South-East Asia because

of Japanese regulations. A high proportion of all the new office and business construction in that region is in the bands of Japanese construction companies. The Japanese companies insist on Japanese furnishings and fittings. Last year Japan was New Zealand’s principal wool buyer, buying '34 million kilograms worth. in excess fof $l4l million. ’ Manufactured wool exports were worth $2.3 million and almost half of these commodities consisted of sheepskins. The next most important wool export was in handknitting yarn which doubled in value during the last 12 months and was worth $500,000. Mr Chikamoto and Mr Barry both gave papers on the wool industry at the Japan-New Zealand Business Council conference at Kyoto.