WOOL SUBSTITUTES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 50, 27 August 1938, Page 10

WOOL SUBSTITUTES

MARKED INCREASE

FOREIGN MANUFACTURE

IMPRESSIVE FIGURES

The way in which artificial fibres are supplanting wool in the world's markets was commented upon by Mr. H. M. Christie, M.P., chairman of the New Zealand Wool Publicity Committee, when addressing the electoral committee of the New Zealand Meat Producers Board yesterday afternoon. Mr. Christie has just returned from England, where he represented New Zealand as a member of the International Executive Committee at a number of meetings in London. Economic conditions, he said, were largely the cause of the urge to manufacture substitute fibres, which were manufactured on-a large scale by Germany, Italy, and Japan. "I feel sure that any wool producer who has investigated the manufacture of staple fibre and 'zellwoole' must be perturbed by its rapid expansion, and the improvement in the quality of the fibre," he said. "It seems clear, however, that the people manufacturing it are doing so because of difficulty in obtaining supplies of raw material, and in some cases owing to the violent price fluctuation. The artificial fibre can be worked on . ordinary wool manufacturing machinery. It must be remembered that these substitutes are comparable to clean scoured wool. They are 100 per cent, even in count, and staple, and contain no foreign matter, such as jute, flax fibre, or other detrimental matter not uncommonly found in natural wool. "Artificial fibres are now manufactured on a large scale by Germany, Italy, and Japan. In Great Britain, the development of the staple fibre industry has been more gradual, but in these and many other countries such as Belgium, France, Holland, Poland, Yugoslavia, Rumania, and Russia, factories have been or are being established for staple fibre production, from such diverse sources as beechwood, meat meal, and casein derived both from milk and soya bean. A Continental factory is established in Bradford for the spinning of staple fibre with wool. PERMANENT DISPLACEMENT. "In most? of the above countries, every official and private stimulus has been applied to the development of artificial wool, or staple fibre industry, in order to effect the permanent displacement of natural wool. Staple fibre production in the three main producing countries has risen from anegligible figure in 1933 to 112,000,0001b in 1935, to 230,000,0001b in 1936, and to approximately 600,000,0001b in 1937, or more than the entire Australian clip on a clean scoured basis. Germany alone is now manufacturing staple fibre from beechwood at the rate of over 175,000 tons per year, an amount equal to 1,110,000 bales of fine clean scoured wool. "Japan had a staple fibre production at the beginning of 1937 equal to 50,000,0001b per annum, and has sanctioned for the present year wood imports for a staple fibre production of 400,000,0001b. Today Germany clothes her army in uniforms containing not less than 30 per cent, staple fibre, while it is reported from Japan that in future the huge production of textiles for school and university uniforms will be made wholly of staple fibre. "The following changes detrimental to the natural wool industry are noticeable: — "Wool consumption has decreased in Germany by over 100,000,0001b per annum, while a proportionate reduction has occurred in Italy. Japanese wool production for 1938 appears likely to be curtailed by at least 50 per cent, or 120,000,0001b. The effect of lessened demand in the three totalitarian countries has been accentuated by the almost total cessation of wool imports into the United States of America lowing to the present trade recession. The consumption of staple fibre and other substitute fibres in the Russian wool industry today far exceeds that of wool itself. In consequence wool prices have declined markedly in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand to a degree which has lowered the Australian income from wool by over £15,00P,000, and that of South Africa and New Zealand by approximately £5,000,000 each. "The U.S.A. maintains a very high tariff against wool imports which appears to be largely responsible for the very low quantity of wool and the very large amount of cotton and staple fibre used per head of her population despite the fact that her people have a generally high standard of living. New Zealand benefited immediately by a greater demand and increased price when the U.S.A. tariff on coarse wool for rug-making was reduced in 1935----3£" TRADE DISORGANISED. ' Mr. Christie said that the most serious and immediate danger to the wool industry had arisen owing to the disorganisation of international trade and particularly to the policies of the autarchy countries. "This is very marked in the case of Germany, Italy, and Japan," he said. "Their difficulty in,obtaining supplies of raw material has resulted in the urge for replacement by artificial substitutes, and intensive scientific research is undertaken for their improvement. Following the building up of these industries, there is a tendency to impose restrictions on natural fibres for the protection of the artificial fibres.

"The urge for the replacement of wool in Germany seems to have been somewhat lessened by the German South African trade agreement, under which Germany has undertaken to purchase £3,500,000 of wool during 1937-3.8, and I was informed by the South African representatives that the agreement is to be widened. The New Zealand-German Agreement may act in the same way, and prominent Australian wool producers are strongly in favour of an Australian-German agreement, being arranged.

"If Germany does not re-export wool in any form, except in place of her present export of artificial fibre, such trade would not seriously affect the British woollen manufacturers, but a careful study of its results on the business of other British manufacturers is essential, as such trade agreements must increase imports to the wool-producing Dominions, from the country with whom such an agreement is made. Economic conditions are largely the cause of the urge to manufacture substitute fibres for wool."

Mr. Christie praised the excellent work being done by the International Wool Secretariat, which, he said, was now accepted as the official representative of Empire wool growers.