FARM AND STATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2558, 25 March 1903, Page 6

FARM AND STATION.

WOOLLEN v. SHODDY GOODS. @S It has been truthfully said that the most popular article of faith ill the farmer's creed is that "ever\'thing produced and marketed ought to have its own proper name, instead of being invested with ficj titious claims and pretensions, which, it not entirely foreign to their nature, they have only slight affinity to." From time to time farmers in tho older countries have had occasion to roise their voices against the numerous couterfeits, shams, and adulterations -which, by reason cf falsification, have had an injurious effect on the profitable inari keting of their wares. In the United Kingj dom and in the United States their most j successful crnsade "vras against the sham butters, for which the manufacturers wer.e compelled to take the name of margarine. About two years ago a fresli agricultural crusade was undertaken on behalf of woolgrowers, those especially in British dominions and the United States, the object being to force on public attention that cloth, was nowad.Tys so skilfully adulterated with cotton, worsted^ mungo shoddy, wastes, and other dishonest substances that the consnmer was being deceived, as much of such cloth was adulterated to the extent oi from 50 to 90 per cent. The arguments to be used in favour of the # movement are the 1 wrongs done to the public seeking warmth ' and health, to the bona fide trader Avho de- | feires to conform to the laws of morality, | to the woolgrowers who are entitled to be protected from unfair, because dishonest, competition, and finally to ths general public who, although they may be getting value for their money, are being nvUled as to the character of what they are buying. Mr Mansell, at a me sting of the Central Chamber of Agriculture, England, submitted the following resolution for consideration : — , " The deleterious effect produced by the use of substitutes for wool in the manufacture . of so-called woollen articles in England, , America, and the Continent, the consequent injurious effect on the price of wool, and the desirability of legislation to prevent the sale of such goods as> 'woollen goods.'" Resolutions on th? subject, he stated, had been adopted by many of the Associated Chambers of Agriculture. In support of the resolution, Mr Mansell said : — In a drive of 30 miles round Bradford iiot one, but scores, of nulls could b& pointed out where for e\ory bale of wool 10 baler, and ofte-n more, arc used of ehoelelv I | mungo 6tooking<3 and cotton, and m what | is known as the- Heavy Woollen District of Yorkshire there are dozens of manufacturers who nevrr buy a Single bale of raw wool, and yet are known and acknowledged as influential manufacturers of woollen goods. The appearance of the district around Dewstury tirnd Batley would lead one to funk that it was the depository of the "scum of rage" of the whole kingdom. The auctions of rags were of far greater importance to their so-called "woollen" manufactureis than . all the gre?t wool sa!e= in London aticl I e-IsewJiere. Shoddy was diiplncm^ wool to the extent of 660,000,0001b a "year- in America and England. In America the annual consumption of fhoddy was 40,000.0C0!b. d:fip'aemg 120,000,0001b of wool, and he quoted , figures to show that the amount of wcol di~- ' placed in 1900 was equal to 72 ier cent. ' of the wool in the United State-b in that year An analysis of the quantitiea of wool, ' cotton, and tiax consumed in thi= country m ' 1900 as compared with 1800 showed that [ (1) flax, which had it* largest consumption ! in 1800, now tabes the third position, and that the quantity mod i<- not double what it was in 1800: (2) that the pon--umption of wool ha» only mcreasel five tim-s, and tl aI, whereas in 1800 therr> wo.-c only two and a-hnl' times as much v. col used as cotton, there is to-day nearly three times as muoh cotto.i u=ed as wool ; (3) that, whvi-p-as the consumption of wool and -flax has only increased on a very moderate Ecale, there is nearly 30 times a jnuch cotton used a« in ISOO. All this clearly proved, he contended, that cotton hael been very largely introdi'co-d into the manufacture of cloth siuce Jiat date, showing that there wa= ocn•fiiderable adulteration, and it was yearh increasing. He exhibited two piccv of oloih, ono> a black vicuna -all-wool, rjricd at 4s 9d a yard, and the other a s-hoddj-mnde wool, priced at I.= lOd a yard. Tlip two p;eces were identical Jn patten, and finish, ami to the ii.c.vperjerced eye ami touch the shoelciy wa- the more attiaciive and moie likflv to obff.in a purcliasci if the two pkee= had borne the same- puce. Tho shoddy had

not, he 6aid, one-third of the wearing qualities of the wool." In regard to the British imports ol woollen rags, Mr M.nseil showed that The quatitities imported during the ]a=t three years had increased largely, although a comparison of prices showed a decrease as compared with the figures of 1899, but this was explaineel by the fact that in the ! latter year rags we>nt up in value owing to i the great advance in merino wool. A woolj len manufacturer hael tolel him that if shoddy ' goods -were- stamped or labelled a? was proposed it would rr&tect tho woiking classes , from having shoddy goods foisted upon the-m. Ju-t in proportion to the amount of shoddy ' used did the cloth lose its strength anel -value for all purposes where strength and -wear ! were required. One objection rai-e+d against , the proposed legislation was that it was impossible to find o,ut where there was adulteration, but he liad it on high authority that it was possible to :find out exactly of what the cloth consisted. He formally moved — "That this council is of opinion that the increasing adulteration of woollen goods, and the unscrupulous substitution of inferior 1 materials in the manufacture of so-called I woollen goods, demand, in the interests of both the consumer and the producer, immediate legislative attention.' ) Professor Lloyd, in seconding, said legislation was necessary for the protection oi j the retailers, the buyers, nnd the mamij facturers of genuine material", and the ques- ! tion not only affected agriculture, but the whole community. He 'mentioned an easy j method of detecting wool fiom shoddy. The cotton fibre is flat like a ribbon, while ,' the wool fibre is perfectly round, and the ! elifference can be easily sesn with the aid ot Ift microscope. Mr Mansell further stated : — j A Yorkshire trade review in December, 1901. referred to an alleged woollen cloth 51in in width, solel for Is lei per yard, which , c7id not contain a particle of wool. No eloubt this cloth would be fair value, but | the buyer was being misled. Believing he was buying wool, he was left with jotton. I A woollen clofch for best black or dress i-lothes, if of wool, feolls at 4, 9d per yard wholesale, if of f-liof'dy at Is lOd. The question emerges, ii 1 view of the difference m price, who is wronged? Mr Tebbutt put this question at the meeting. The answer to it is that everybody i~ wronged who wants woollen goods. The position? of wool nnd cotton have uncierone radical change during the past 4C years. In 1800 there wa--nearly twe and "a-half times as much wool used a? cotton ; now theie is nearly three times as much cotton ueed as wool. It is obvious that this substitution of cotton stuffs, like shoddy, which i* old rags grounel up, operates agaiust the agricultural interest. The question it, What possible remedy can I there be for tins, anel can any help be obtained from the laws against adulterat.on"-" The Council of ~lhe Central Cumber unanimously agreed to memor.Uise the Sec- ' retary for Agriculture and the colonial Premiers '' that it wa<- the opinion of the Council that the increasing aduUer.niorv of woollen goods, and the unscrupulous substitution of inferior mate-ialb ;r tlie manufacture of so-called woollen goods demanded, in the interests of the producer and the consumer, immediate legislative rttention."