WOOL FOR GERMANY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 150, 22 December 1938, Page 12

WOOL FOR GERMANY

PURCHASES IN SOUTH AFRICA

Mr. Hans Fischer, the managing director of a large wool manufacturing business in Saxony, is visiting Australia for the first time. Interviewed by the "Sydney Morning Herald" Mr. Fischer said that his products had been sold for years to almost every part of the world. As long as Germany had had free exchange most of the wool his firm used came from Australia, but now it was practically impossible to use any but South. African wool because of the barter agreement between Germany and the Union of South Africa. He and other German manufacturers, he said, would be only too glad to resume the purchase of Australian wool, and for this reason they were all noping that a trade agreement would be made by Australia on lines somewhat similar to that made by South Africa. Referring to the* use of wool substitutes in Germany, he said that artificial wool of all types was now known as Zellwolle, and the use of a percentage of it along with real wool was compulsory in all fabrics for local consumption, but wool only was used in high-class woollen and worsted cloths for export. It had been found that quality and durability of materials declined too much for most fabrics to be serviceable if more than 25 or 30 per cent, of Zellwolle were mixed with pure wool. "I am a business man, and not a politician," said Mr. Fischer, "but, as one who formerly used hundreds of bales a year of Australian wool, I cannot understand why you have allowed South Africa to capture such a large proportion of Germany's wool import trade."