ARTIFICIAL TEXTILES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19418, 28 August 1926, Page 9

ARTIFICIAL TEXTILES.

COMPETITION WITH WOOL. NO APPRECIABLE EFFECT. Reference was made by Mr. W. H. 1 Barber, chairman of the Wellington Woollen Company, in his address at the .annual meeting, to the effect upon the demand . for wool of the artificial textiles. Referring to the so-called synthetic wool, sniafil, Mr. Barber said the company ob- | tained samples, and it was at once apparent that it had no claims to be a rival of wool. It is really a by-product in the manufacture of artificial silk, the final process of lustring the wood pulp being omitted, so that the product looks dull and somewhat like scoured wool. At its present cost of production it could not be profitably used, even as an adulterant. "This 'discovery* of artificial wool, being announced just after the successful advent o 1 artificial silk, was perhaps taken more seriously than it should have been, and even now much concern is felt as to displacement of wool, by what is accepted as evidence of the universal wear of artificial silk, or ravon," Mr. Barber added. 1 expressed the opinion to shareholders a year ago that the" displacement of wool would not bo serious, and since then the maximum demand has been gauged As a matter of fact, it is actually reached, for already producers of it are faced with problems of over-production No doubt much exaggeration as to wool displacement has been given currency. The Bradford Textile Society has gone carefully into the matter, and gives it as its considered opinion that to take 30 per cent, of the world's production of artificial silk as competing directly or indirectly with wool or wool products is a generous estimate, and this would bo equivalent to about 240,000 bales. Tho world's production of wool ranges around 7.500.000 bales. I ain still of the opinion that the introduction of artificial silk will not. have any appreciable effect on the prices of pure wool, although it may help to stabilise them—a not undesirable result," . FROZEN MEAT PRICES. LONDON MARKET VALUES. Dalgety and Company, Limited, report having received the following cablegram from their London house dated August 26:—Frozen meat: .New Zealand primo crossbred lamb—Canterbury, heavy light 9]d; North Island, heavy 7Ad, light &Jd. The . market for New Zealand lamb is steady and the demand fair. Now Zealand prime crossbred mutton—Canterbury, heavy light 6gd; North Island, heavy s£d, light 6|d. The market for New Zealand mutton is firm and the demand runs principally on heavy weights. Quotations: j New Zealand prime ox beef, hinds sJ>d, fores 3|d. The market for New Zealand beef is firm" and the demand active. Australian: Good average quality crossbred mutton, light 3|d. The market for Australian mutton is, weaker and the demand poor, . ■ '

KEMPTHORNE, PROSSER AND CO. DIVIDEND FOR HALF-YEAR. [BY telegraph.—press association.] . 'V DUNEDIN, Friday. At a meeting of the board of directors of Messrs. Kempthorne, Prosser and Co.'s New Zealand Drug Company. Ltd., held this afternoon an interim dividend of 4£ per cent, for the half-year ended July 31 was declared. CANTERBURY MARKETS. THE POTATO POSITION. [by telegraph.— press 'association. 3 CHRISTCHURCH, Friday. The potato market touched zero on Tuesday, business being done at as low as £4 5s f.0.b., s.i., for coastal. To-day thq figure is £4 10s, so there hae been a slight improvement. The decline of Auckland stocks has been the main cause of the slight recovery, there being some purchasers for the Kurow at the improved. figure. This vessel took up to 9000 sacks from Timaru and Lyttelton. The-Waipori will sail for the North tomorrow night with further supplies. One result of these shipments is a reduction of the potatoes in store at • Southern ports, the glut of which has been the bugbear of the trade for several months. Lyttelton stocks to-day were down to about 6000 sacks, compared with 21,000 a fortnight ago, and the Timaru reduction has been on a similar ratio. The Kawatiri sailed on Wednesday for .Sydney with approximately 16,000 Backs from all ports. The Sydney quotation to-day was £ll, but consigned potatoes are not making this figure. A few farmers are coming forward and one or two are accepting £4 on trucks for Sydney packing. Tor coastal quotations have been as low as £3 5s on trucks, but there is no record of any business at less than £3 10s. ' There is ai fair disposal of seeds to farmers. For good quality white clover lOd to I2d a lb. on trucks is available, and for some export inquiry, but not a great deal of seed is up t-o the export standard. Ryegrass is quoted on trucks at 2s 6d to 2s 9d for Italian, and 3s to '3s 6d for perennial. Good heavy cocksfoot is worth 7d to 7jd.. and ordinary 6d a lb. Oats are Arm at recent quotations, 4s and 45 3d respectively at Bluff for Banda Gartens. Local A's are worth mors. FEILDING STOCK SALE. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] FEILDING, Friday. There was an improved • tone at • tfao Feilding stock sale to-day. when a larfre attendance of buyers operated freely. There was a fair yarding of sheep. Fair quality prime beavy-woight wethers brought £2 10s 6d to £2 11b; ordinary fat wethers, 25s to 87a 9d; fat ewes, 21a od, 28s, to 3P,s; fat hoggets, 21s 6d t-o 30s. The cattle pan* were well filled. Heifers of pood quality made £l3; others, from £i to £lO. Guaranteed dairy cowa realised from £S to £l3 10a. PRICES AT KAMO. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WHANGAREI, Friday. There was a yarding of 250 head of cattle and 168 wethers at the sale held at the Kairio yards yesterday by, the North Auckland Farmers' Co-operative, Limited, included was a large number of dry cattle, nearly all of which changed hands at satisfactory prices. A lino of ten Jersey heifers sold on behalf of Mr. H. Mclnnes, of Marua, averaged £lO Bs. the top price being £ll 2s 6d, at which figure four animals were quitted. Prime heavy bullocks made £l4 13s; medium-weight cows, from £5 10s to £0 Is; grown bullocks, up to £7 2s; three-year-old steers, £4 13s to ,£5 16s; fresh conditioned cows. £3 to £3 15s; fat wethers realiaed 29s 6<l.