BRADFORD CONFERENCE

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 146, 17 December 1924, Page 6

BRADFORD CONFERENCE

MR. F. A. AYKROYD INTER-

VIEWED

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

LONDON, Ist October.

Mr. F. A. Aykroyd (president of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce), who put the case of the defects of the Romney wool at the Bradford Conference last week, has since been interviewed by a local correspondent. Mr. Aykroyd expressed himself as well satisfied with the conference with Dominion wool growers. The impression given by some of the newspapers that the New Zealand breeders were not fully convinced by his arguments about the defect of fleece arising from the Romney cross was entirely erroneous.

"Immediately after the conference/ said Mr. Aykroyd, "one grower after another came up to me, introduced himself as a breeder of Romneys, and said he was fully convinced that something was wrong and would have to be remedied."

There were other speakers who would have supported him in his contention, Mr. Aykroyd said, had it been necessary, but the programme of subjects to be considered was a very full one, and as soon as he found that his case had been established he purposely left the subject. Moreover, it would hardly have been the right thing for the users of wool to enter into a controversy on sheep-breeding with men who had spent their life in this intricate art.

Asked whether he thought anything would come of the suggestion that the conference should be an annual event, Mr. Aykroyd said he did not think it would be practicable- to hold similar conferences alternatively in Bradford and in Australia. The idea at present was that a few gentlemen living in London, who knew Australia and New Zealand and had the Dominion's interests, should form the nucleus of a committee, enrolling the wool-growers in some sort of association. There would be a complementary organisation in Melbourne or Sydney. Through the central body in London they would be- able to put their views when necessary before the, woolgrowers, and through the same'body would come any representations from the wool-growers to the Bradford Chamberof Commerce. SIR T. MACKENZIE'S OPINIONS. _ This morning I'have had a conversation with Sir Thomas Mackenzie on the subject of the Wool Conference at Bradford last week. Sir Thomas was careful not to enter into public discussions on technical points at the conference, but he was an interested listener to all the proceedings. As he remarked, he could not speak as an expert in wool, but he had three years in London dealing with wool for the Dominion farmers. He used to go carefuly through the bales with the brokers, and he had many opportunities of getting in contact with the wool people, and thus gleaning a good deal of information.

Sir Thomas was rather diffident in speaking on the Romney question. "My feeling about the Romneys/' he said, "is thatthe advantages and disadvantages are about balanced. But the farmers mustkeep an eye on their sheep with a view of securing the best bred strains. The Romney is so suitable for our climate that they could hot do away with it altogether. To make any radical change in the quality of the wool might be possible for the big owners, but it would be a most expensive business for the smaller men.

"What, in my opinion," said Sir Thomas, "was very much more important was the question«of cleaning the fabrics from vegetable fibres. That the bill for cleaning is 51 per cent, of the wages paid to spinners impressed me very much. It seems that the 'bid-a-bids' of New Zealand, although common in the fleeces, are not so serious as the burrs from other countries. The New Zealand plant can be treated with some chemical and it crumbles into dust. As for the jute fibres in the fabrics, I think if the packs made of wool are a success they should certainly be adopted. One type seems to me to be rather too light to stand the handling. The other one, of felt-like material, seemed stronger, but perhaps was lacking in the fibre that is necessary for strength. However, they will have to be tested." While he was at Bradford Sir Thomas Mackenzie asked Sir William Priestley whether they were feeling the' Continental competition. "Yes," Sir William replied, "it is most serious." With wages at B£d an hour on the Continent and Is 8d in England, Sir Thomas considers that it is hardly possible that any class of machinery would make up the difference. Sir Thomas Mackenzie went through Sir William Priestly's mills and was very interested in the excellence of some of the dress goods. He has shown some fabrics manufactured chiefly for America which had 18,200 woollen threads to the square inch. Sir William Priestley explained that the Americans were not so particular about the high prices they paid, owing to their tariff, so long as they got the quality they required. ,

"Although they talk of various comP^itors," said Sir Thomas Mackenzie, "There is no doubt that Britain still has a grip on the manufacturing."