CONFERENCE ON WOOL

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 18, 20 July 1935, Page 6

CONFERENCE ON WOOL

DOMINION'S CARRY-OVER

MR, FORBES AT BRADFORD

(From "Tho Post's" Representative.) LONDON, June 2D.. Oh his visit to Bradford, Mr. Forbes conferred with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and of the British Wool Federation.

Mr. W. Hunter spoke of the importance, of ■ absorbing, the carry-over, of 150,000 bales of New Zealand wool.

Some important making-up firms, he said, were using large, quantities of artificial silk linings instead of worsted linings at present,,but he believed that, if improvements in certain directions were carried out by the'wool textile industry—particularly in the direction of, securing a better wool pack —many, of the drawbacks of worsted linings wouid disappear and the trade might once,, again secure the linings market. Many defects in wool textile materials could, be traced to unsatisfactory wool packs. It was, therefore,in the interests of New Zealand, Australia, and other Dominions—besides Great Britain herself—that a more perfect pack should be evolved.

Mr. Forbes said that New Zealand wool growers fully recognised that it was no use-producing wool which was not of the very best quality, but the farmers had their' difficulties—particularly in the North Island—and had to have regard to the problem of raising trie best fat lambs. They wished to be able to produce wool which would command better prices, and in the North Island crossing experiments were being tried with a view of obtaining an improved quality of wool. This would never take the place of the Romney sheep in the districts where there was a heavy rainfall, however, but there would be a larger quantity of finer quality wool available in the future than in the past.

New Zealand had her own flax, and experiments had been ;made to see whether it could be used to. provide a more satisfactory wool pack and, incidentally, furnish more employment. A pack had been evolved, but the company responsible for its production wished for Bradford's assistance in order to eliminate any faults which might still exist. He urged the desirableness of introducing some form of propaganda for keeping constantly Before the public the attributes of wool as compared with other textiles.