IMITATION WOOL

Northern Advocate, 17 February 1926, Page 5

IMITATION WOOL

| A NEW DEVELOPMENT I | BIG-SCALE PRODUCTION. ■ ADVANTAGES CLAIMED. (Received 11.37 a.m.) I . LONDON, February 16. Tlic Nu Era Art Silk Company is erecting a factory.'at St. Helen’s, Lancashire, producing one ton of staple fibre artificial wool daily, increasing the production in accordance with the demand. The' makers assert that their product is incomparably finer than “ Sr.iafil” and will be much used by woollen and cotton manufacturers. !

“Bradford reports state that the new artificial wool may be of great service in the blanket and flannel industries, which have been depressed. The new development may bring prosperity, cheapening the costs.

Yorkshire wool-combers are particularly interested, because at present there, is insufficient work to go round, and they are anxious to keep machinery going.—Reuter.

‘ ‘ SNIAFIL ’ ’ EXAMINED,

PALPABLE DIFFERENCES.

SYDNEY, This Day

Notwithstanding the. fact that small samples of the new artificial wool, “Sniafil,” have been in Sydney for several days, representative wool growers and brokers are reluctant to give a considered opinion as to the effect of its introduction upon the pastoral industry of Australia. A specimen, which barely half-filled a small commercial envelope, was submitted for -the inspection of members for the executive council of the Graziers’ Association a't their last meeting, and excited considerable interest. But when asked for an expression of opinion upon its prospective importance as a competitor with or substitute for wool, some of them pointed out that the position was too obscure for comment of any value to be made. . It was mentioned that the specimens of “Sniafil” so far available were very small, that the actual cost had not been disclosed, and that its behaviour under the diversified manufacturing processes, when used alone in conjunction with wool, was quite unknown to them. The fact that it was likely to react to the various dyes in quite s a different way to natural wool -would, t was believed, be very detrimental to its use in many fabrics. As a consequence, the risk of the accidental mixing of the artificial product with wool, and thus endangering the uniformity of colour with the resultant cloth, might, easily lead to its absolute exclusion from many factories.

The two main differences between the real wool and its substitute were considered ito bo the essential warmthgiving properties of the animal cover-' ing and its natural elasticity. On these grounds alone there were strong objections to the use lot the’ term “synthetic” wool, as in no circumstances could the artificial product be considered a wool at all. An even stronger objection could be raised to the use of such -a term as “wooltex, ” which might easily lead ill-informed people into believing that it was a kind of natural wool. The Rowena local committee of the Graziers’ Association has submitted for discussion at the annual conference, early in March, the- following resolution:—“That while this association does not at present see cause for alarm on the part of woolgrowers at the reported improvements in the manufacture of substitutes for natural wool, it nevertheless deems it advisable that no effort should be spared to foster and encourage an even more universal use of the natural product throughout the world than is the ease at present, so as to keep its position unassailable, and, incidentally, the Woolgrowing industry on a paying footing.”