WOOL RESEARCH

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21756, 4 July 1945, Page 5

WOOL RESEARCH

TRADE LEVY URGED

BRITISH INDUSTRIES PROMOTION OF EXPORTS (Special Correspondent.) (10 a.m.) LONDON. July 3. Britain’s wool ancl wool textile mdustries have collectively declared in favour of a statutory levy on the wool used in Britain to cover scientific and industrial research connected with the commodity, as well as schemes lor the promotion of export trade in wool goods. The present levy of one-tenth of 1 per cent on the value of wool is for export promotion only, • and suen present arrangements will cease, when the wool control ends, ,

The export group for the industry now recommends to the Wool Industry Reconstruction Committee that the statutory levy, should >be continued under such arrangements as will permit an extension of its scope to wool research. There is reason to believe that this view is widely shared in other sections of the wool and allied trades, and that eventually the industry will seek statutory powers to raise funds by levy for application to research. In the last few years wool research at Bradford, although active and progressive, has been largely supported on a voluntary basis, Further Developments Desired But the Government encouragement for research in industry generally is causing the wool trade to think in terms of statutory measures for the furtherance of this work; The industry, too, knows something of what has been achieved by wool research under the stimulus of wartime needs, and. desires xo see the good work continued in the interests of peace-time prosperity of wool and allied trades. Even yet the facts cannot be made known of some of the most important research advances made in wool throughout the war, but it catx be said that same of them will greatly stimulate the use oi' wool for civilian purposes when they can.be used for the oenefit of civilian trade.

Minor controversies of detail arcnow being waged around the scheme for the reinstatement of wool merchants and top-makers to commercial activity in England, but they concern only me basis of rationing and do not affect the main principles. Although tiie scheme is nominally operative m tne Juiy-October period, it is not yet actually operative as the firms have not yet been able to acquire their stocks. Moves to this end are now in progress, and the indications are mat trade supplies will be changing hands in the latter part of this fourmonthly period. Traders eagerly await further news on the possibility of direct importation from the Dominions, for it is believed that if it is to be allowed in the four months oeginning November next, preliminary arrangements will have to be put in hand some time before then.