DOMINION FARMERS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 14 August 1928, Page 9

DOMINION FARMERS

CONFERENCE IN LONDON. WOOLLEN INDUSTRY. PROBLEMS DISCUSSED. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph Copyright.) (Australian Press Association.) Received 12.30 pan. to-day. LONDON, Aug. 13. The Dominion farmers completed a three months tour with a conference in London under the British National Union, Air. William Hunter, president of the British Wool Federation, presiding. He alleged that the Australian wool 1 growers’, organisations were responsiole for seriously misleading estimates Off last season’s clip, arising probably through an exaggeraibion oi losses during the Queensland drought. The estimated deficit on April 2 was one hundred thousand bales as compared with the previous season, whereas the actual shipments surplus was fiftyeight thousand bales. Undoubtedly this was issued in good faiirfih, but when the inaccuracy was discovered the growers’ and brokers’ councils failed to issue a revision. Such extraordinary discrepancies reacted injuriously on traders. Another source of annoyance in 1928 .was the presence of skin pieces in greasy lambs’ wool, chiefly from Queensland, also from Victoria and New Zealand, probably due to careless shearing. The cost of sorting and removing skin> bits was two-thirds of a penny per pound. - Doctor Barker, director of the British Research Association for the woollen and' worsted industries, said that small skin pieces caused heavy losses to manufacturers and it was often impossible to detect them until the dyeii ng stage. Then it was too late to eliminate them, the doth thus becoming second grade. Air H. J. Vernon, of Australia, said that many shearers were employed in the sheds and it was impossible entirely to eliminate careless shearing. The Shearers’ Union was a powerful organisation and there was a continual danger of strikes. Air A. E. Drummond (New Zealand) said the trouble was caused by shed champions attempting record tallies. The remedy lay in watchfulness by the man on the sorting board. The conference decided to ask the British Wool Federation to issue a circular calling attention to Mr Hunter’s remarks. It also approved of the Weeds Research Association’s formula for islbeepmarkiing, a substitution for tar. It also recommended legislation prohibiting the use of tar should the formula be" satisfactory. It arranged H> dispatch triad shipments through, the High C'omimssionerijj and Aigjeirbs General. D.r. Hunter and Mr Harry D'awson claimed that the most important and immediate need of the industry was a wodll .pack devoid of vegetable, fibre, which cost Bradford half a million anmiially and wliicili ivas liliAlinately debited to the producers. Air Philip Finlay son (New Zealand) submitted specimens «C rubberised jute which Mr Dawson admitted was new to him, although he has been a member for twenty years on the Bradford wool pack committee. .He promised consideration of All* Finilayson s proposition- „ , .. A discussion in reference to artificial silk revealed uneasiness regarding the future of wood. Air Dawson, while advising an immediate menace, said that there was no apprehension for the future. As a matter of fact, there was insufficient wool in tire world to feed' seventy-five peT cent of the machines', therefore, artificial silk has been a temporary godsend. He prog'nosticated that the demand! for wool would not abate, because a combination of wool and artificial silk was inevitable.