ITALIAN WOOLLENS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 87, 10 October 1933, Page 10

ITALIAN WOOLLENS

GREAT EXPANSION

The Empire Marketing Board's report on the woollen industry specially refers to the expansion of woollen manufactures in Italy. Italy, almost alone among the principal wool-consuming countries of Europe, has been able, during the present economic depression, to consolidate the enormous expansion of its .wool textile industry that occurred in the war and post-war periods. This expansion has been built up with the aid of an effective protective system, which has enabled the industry to capture almost the whole of the domestic market and, at the same time, to penetrate foreign markets. In 1913 the combing machines numbered about 200, as against, 800 in 1933; worsted spindles have increased from 260,000 in 1907 to 630,000; woollen spindles increased from 230,000 in 1907 to 570,000 in 1933; and power looms from 17,000 in 1913 to 21,000 in 1933. In addition, there are about 2000 hand looms principally in the home industries of Central and Southern Italy. There has also been an appreciable increase in the knitting frames. Over 90 per cent, of the combs are generally in use. About two-thirds of Italy's imported wool supplies in recent years were derived from British Empire countries. In 1913 only about one-quarter of Italy's imports of raw wool were from Empire sources. This change in the sources of supply denotes a change-over to merino wools as the predominant type imported. The bulk of the yarn exported from Italy goes to Argentina, Turkey, the Balkan countries, and Austria, and probably represents lowgrade yarn. The Italian wool-weaving industry produces about 80,000,000 to 100,000,000 metres of all-wool and mixed fabrics, or' about 85,000,0001b. About one-quarter of the output is stated to be exported.