MORE PUBLICITY.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12703, 7 November 1935, Page 2

MORE PUBLICITY.

NEEDED FOR. NEW ZEALAND WOOL TRADE. SYNTHETIC FIBRE PRODUCTION VIEWS OF LORD BAPNBY. The need for New Zealand to give more publicity to the marketing of wool products was emphasised by Lord Barnby, a distinguished figure in British commerce and particularly in the wool trade, in the course of an interview in Wellington. Lord Barnby, who arrived in Wellington on Saturday, spent tliei week-end at Government House as the guest of the Governor-General, Lord Galway, and Lady Galway. He is visiting the Dominion to renew acquaintances lie made when here about five years ago. and on business connected with the •Nfow Zealand branch of Francis Wiley and Company, the headquarters of which are at Christchurch. Between Lord Barnhy and ’Lord Galway there exists a life-long friendship. They are both Nottinghamshire men, and own adjoining properties in that county. Lord Barnhy, who will he in the Dominion .about a month will leave in the course of a day or so for the Hawke’s Bay district. Later hoi will visit the South Island.

BACKWARD IN PUBLICITY. Lord Barnhy regrets that the woolgrowing interests of the Dominions have not yet made a move to keep step with r.H. the other leading industries which are arranging for publicity campaigns on a collective cost basis to increase the consumption of their commodity. Wool, he explained, had been much more backward than almost any other leading commodity. Rayon, while it might only be indirectly a competitor, was spending annually an enormous amount of money on publicity. The need for publicity for wool products was now being recognised in the United States of America, and a very big publicity campaign involving cooperation from the wools rower to the retail distributor was* under way. This campaign had already shown marked results and wool expansion in America was Very rapid. Anyone who took note of the increaised world rayon production in the last ten years would realise what an immense displacement there had been in potential wool consumption, though admittedly the majority of the rayon competition would he with cotton. More and more staple fibre production was being manipulated on worsted much inerv.

POTENTIAL CONSUMPTION LOST <5.

As a striking example of how potential wool consumption was being lost, Lord Barnhy referred to the position in Germany and Russia, particularly the latter country, which, in the absence of credits, was being compelled to expand immensely synthetic fibre consumption when it ought to be using New Zealand wool. Synthetic fibre production, he said, was increasing very rapidly. At the invitation of the Soviet Government, Lord Barnhy recently visited Russia, where the had the opportunity of making a first-hand investigation bf the textile industry, and Was able to. inform himself thoroughly o' the position and its possibilities. He pointed out that since the collectivisation. of farms policy was put. into' effect, the Soviet’s own published figures showed reduction of 50,000,6(X> in the sheep population of that country.

Questioned regarding cojidititons m America, Lord Barnhy said the general feeling was that the tide of business improvement was definitely flowing:, and that it would gather momentum, regardless of the handicap of various Government experiments. Already the heavy trades were showing improvement, and once expansion began in capital enterprises' then unemployment would fall, and. in turn there would he a 'bigger demand for “consumer’’ goods.