THE SURPLUS WOOL

Grey River Argus, 16 May 1945, Page 2

THE SURPLUS WOOL

LIBERATED COUNTRIES MAY BE ABLE TO BUY. LONDON, May 12. To the wool trade the significance of the German surrender in Holland and Italy, in particular, lies in a probability that wool processing machinery in these countries may, m the circumstances, have escaped reasonably; intact. Should that prove the case, when details are finally available, the wool textile industry of the world will be able to congratulate itself that Continental Europe’s wool machinery has survived the war m substantially better case than at one time seemed possible, and this will prove a factor of immense importance in facilitating the consumption of the world’s wool. French and Belgian machinery, as previously reported, has escaped with comparatively light damage. The Allies are already shipping wool to those countries.. If Germany be excluded from consideration, then Holland and Italy are among the largest wool consumers of continental Europe. Norway and Denare no inconsiderable consumers of wool goods, though their machinery installations are ■ not so large. So far as can be gathered here at this stage, Germany has been making use of the wool textile machinery of the occupied countries and commandeering most of the output, leaving a small proportion —in some cases —for local domestic use. For the most part, the raw material supplied has been synthetic fibre, in one or other form, suitable for processing on wool machinery This has, at any rate, had the effect of maintaing the machinery in running condition, and the circumstances in which Germany has now withdrawn from those countries encourages the hope that the machinery may remain in a condition fit for early use on wool and raw material. Dominion growers will appreciate that, for a considerable time to come, wool machinery, and labour to use it, are two dominant factors in satisfying the world wool needs. Wool exists in ample volume. A demand for wool products exists on a scale possibly never before exceeded. Cardinal iinuortance attaches to world capacity to manufacture wool into finished goods. The greater the proportion of European wool machinery which survives in a workable state, the brighter the outlook for an accelerated rate of world wool consumption. Meanwhile, Dominion wool producers should know that the Rayon Producers Committee in Britain has reduced the price of all forms of continuous filament rayon as from May 1, by twopence halfpenny per lb. _ This is an indication of 'the increasingly severe competition which wool is likely, to face from the synthetic fibre.