Demand for Angora Wool

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 223, 16 June 1932, Page 9

Demand for Angora Wool

Sir, —With most primary producers in a state of mental and monetary depression it is rather surprising that more people are not producing Angora wool. Ims commodity is not onlv showing its producers a reasonable profit to-day, been doing so, without price fluctuations, for the past two and a half years. Mannfacturers in Britain are advertising for Angora wool in British papers, and m addition importing tons of wool from the Continent. The policy of the Government with regard to the Angora industry has been one of passive and active resistance, and has been responsible for discouraging many potential breeders. The demand tor Au--ora wool is greater to-day that it has ever been, and in spite of the slumps and depressions of other industries, the prices for this wool are still being maintained. Space wiil not permit of full details as to the profits derived from Angora ranbits, but at the most conservative estimate a good rabbit farmer will make ten shillings per annum from each rabbit. The good rabbit farmer is not necessarily one with a life-time’s experience, but one who will attend to details and concentrate on the work. While it is not suggested that every New Zealander should become a large rabbit farmer it is possible for hundreds of small breeders to supplement their incomes from breeding rabbits. In France and Belgium there are thousands of small breeders who earn money from rabbits, many of them with a small colony of fifty, yet able to add mcomi to the family coffers. . In England recently I was privile„ul to see for myself the magnificent strides which are being made in the manufacture of Angora wool, and the many garmen > which are being manufactured. Rabbit farms, too, abound throughout the country, some carrying,as many as two thousand rabbits. In New only too well how well rabbits thrive, and we should surely get bevond our pre udice against the humble rabbit to dcri profit from his am, Havelock North, June 11.