WOOL SUBSTITUTE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22099, 3 May 1935, Page 11

WOOL SUBSTITUTE

FABRICS EXAMINED OPINIONS AS TO VALUE LONDON, May 1 The director of the Wool Industries Research Association, Leeds, Mr. D. H. Wilson, stated to-day that although he had not made a detailed investigation of the German substitute for wool known as wollstra, a limited range of fabrics had been examined. He had come to the following conclusions: — The ratio of wool to fibre varied from one in one to one in two. The cloths spun as worsted have a "good handle" and are attractive, but dull in appearance. The only inherent advantage is their silky handle for fancy effects, but their wearing properties are definitely inferior to wool owing to the tendency to rub out, stretch, become baggy and easily crease. .Bradford manufacturers are of the opinion that wollstra may find a definite place in the industry, but that, mainly on account of the price of wool relative to the more stable price of the artificial product at the moment, it cannot compete with wool fabrics owing to the low price of botany yarns, if the latter rise 25 per cent, mixed fabrics then will be in a position to compete successfully.

On the return to Loudon from the Leipzig Fair on March 12 of Mr. A. IS. Heath, official representative in London of the New youth Wales Government, he issued a grave warning concerning the extent of Germany's development of the substitute for wool—wollstra —which is a mixture of wool and wood pulp, containing variously from 30 to 50 per cent of wool according to the cloth required. In an interview, Mr. Heatli said: " Germany frankly wants our wool, which she admits is the best in the world, but she is not able to arrange credits to buy it on the former scale. There is no antagonism toward Australia, but merchants point out that Germany sent us only £z,000,000 worth of exports for the year ended June 30, 1934, whereas she took goods worth £7,250,000 from Australia. " Nobody pretends that wollstra is as good as wool, but I was strongly impressed by the extent to which a nation under stress will use it willingly. It is already used for men's suits, women's dresses and swimming costumes, and is sold at a price midway between cotton and wool, while the production costs are likely to decrease. The demand is so heavy that merchants say that if supplies were available, they could be sold six months ahead.

" The German process," Mr. Heath continued, "is attracting interest in France and Italy, and, unless Australia provides means for Germany to buy wool, the increasing adoption of wool substitutes may gravely affect wool sales in the next five or 10 years. I do not want to create alarm. There is no great immediate menace, but the seeds of a real menace to the Australian wool trade are there. Those who may he inclined to disparage wollstra ought to remember the quality of the early rayons and artificial silks.

" German woollen merchants hope that a member of the Commonwealth delegation to London will go to Berlin to hear their case," added Mr. Heath. "I met Herr Hermann Ruach, who recently flew to South Africa, and negotiated the exchange of 3,000,000 marks' worth of German goods for the equivalent value of South African wool.