WORLD THE FIELD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 291, 6 November 1934, Page 2

WORLD THE FIELD

PRODUCTION OF WOOL. RUSSIA’S FUTURE COMPETITION. Wool does not .always come from the sheep fleece, Russia will probably enter the industrial picture as a woolraiser, and South Africa is becoming a strong competitor with Australia in the production of fine wools, lliese points, among many others ol an equally' interesting nature, were made known by Dr T. Oliver, D.Sc. (Edin.L principal emeritus ot the. Scottish Woollen Technical College), Galashiels, in an outstanding address which he delivered to the Palmerston North Citizens’ Lunch Club to-day'. Production of raw materials for the textile industry, said Dr Oliver, was mainly governed by geographical lactors. They came irom a distinct territorial belt round the world. Leaving out New Zealand, flax came mainly from Ireland and similar areas, jute practically exclusively from lower Bengal, and silk from France, Italy, India and China. Wool, however, came from Iceland in the north, Cape Horn in the south, China in the east and Peru in the west, not forgetting the south-eastern island projections known as New Zealand. It was no wonder then that wool could differ in its properties to an extent which the man m the street could appreciate, whether it came from Andean heights or Eastern plains. Scotland had the black-faced sheep, a very ornamental feature of the landscape. It produced half the wool from that country. One-third of the sheep there were crosses, with the improvement of the carcase as the main object. England had two types of wool, the long staple of the Border Leicesters and Lincolns, and the short staple of the Southdown. Ireland, without indigenous sheep of its own, had crosses between those already mentioned and the Cheviot sheep. Scotland had 7,500,000 sheep in the same area as Ireland kept 1,000,000, but the pig m the latter country was “the gentleman who paid the rent.” DECLINE OF SPAIN.

Spain, from which all Merino fleece wools originated, was an ideal woolgrowing country, said Dr Oliver, but from tiie time of the development of mining in Peru the people had grown indolent. Nowadays -they might be described as riotous. Lack of attention had sent flocks on the downgrade, until to-day Spain could not obtain 6d per lb for her wool. Before the FrancoPrussian War there were 30,000,000 sheep in the "area of the belligerents; now there were only 6,000,000, but the area produced the finest wool in the world, that from Silesia being notable. The opinion was expressed by Dr Oliver that though the time was at present inopportune, Russia would yet enter the picture as a wool-raiser. Wool, although described as the fleece of the sheep, he said, came from the lower, hair of certain other animals. Asia produced three flue types of fibre. Mohair, strong and lustrous, came from the Angora goat, and was also now being produced in South Africa, Queensland and California. Kashmir was a misnomer, as this fibre did not come from India, but all over Central Asia. It was expensive. Camel hair was the third fibre mentioned, all the roughness being combed out. The remainder of the wools in Asia were largely of the carpet variety. “South Africa is going to be a great competitor with Australia,” declared Dr Oliver. Since the Boer War, he added, stud rams had been shipped from Australia to South Africa. The door was being locked after the horse, or sheep, had bolted. Sheep lecturers had never been favourably received by the Boers, but, nevertheless, their' samples had always disappeared, the speaker lumorously added.

THE PATAGONIAN • PLAINS. There was fine sheep land which would make great progress in Alberta. A coarse wool was found in Ontario and the maritime provinces. Saskatchewan and Manitoba were almost consecrated to wheat. From lower Brazil to the toe of South America there was splendid slieep country. The great sningfe bed, Patagonia,.was very favourable for wool production, but owing to the bleak conditions, hardy Hebridean shepherds were required for the flocks. New Zealand wool differed greatly from Australian, and comparisons were inapt, added Dr Oliver. New Zealand wool was like that of South America, but had some obvious distinctions. No New Zealand wood could be found similar to that of Shetland. There was fifty times a much Shetland cloth sold in the world as could be produced, so consequently a very fine substitute for Shetland was found in wool from Puntas Arenas, mixed with a dash of Welsh wool. Wood was a carding process, and worsteds were a combing process.

“I think that land in New Zealand is altogether too dear for the pastorulist to make any progress,” commented the speaker. "Land in the Lowlands round Edinburgh, and similar to that here, is leased at £5 an acre. It is within easy access of city markets. Your land purchased at £IOO per acre and 12,000 miles from the market cannot possibly produce good results. The Loudon market, lam informed demands first-grade lambs at 361bs, That is absurd because the lamb is killed just at the time when it is making the most growth. It has been estimated at i to I lb a day, We sell lambs up to 501bs quite readily in Scotland.” Mr' J. A, McLeavey presided over a good attendance. Visitors welcomed were Professor G. S. Peren, Dr Yeates, Messrs 11. Waters. P. G. Mildon, O. Monrad (Palmerston North), G. Booth (Dover, England), A. Morrison and Thompson (Wellington).