The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING “LUCEO NON URO” THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1938. The Challenge From Wool Substitutes

Southland Times, Issue 23436, 17 February 1938, Page 4

The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING “LUCEO NON URO” THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1938. The Challenge From Wool Substitutes

A special message printed this morning provides further evidence of the steady increase in the production of wool, substitutes. It suggests also that intensive research and experiment in the last few years have removed the weaknesses in quality which wool experts were inclined to believe would ultimately keep the synthetic materials from making any serious challenge to the natural products. Samples of the new materials examined by the International Wool Secretariat appear to have been surprisingly good. “The designs are most attractive and the general handle and softness would deceive even the most experienced merchant into believing that he was dealing with an all-wool product.” Hitherto Italy and Germany have had the field almost to themselves; but the latest figures show that Japan is now producing staple fibre from wood pulp on a large scale, and it is safe to assume that her output will steadily increase in the near future. In all three countries the experiments were undertaken at a time when wool prices were high enough to encourage the use of substitutes. And it was inevitable that measures which brought good results in a period of economic stringency should be accepted as permanent features of a national economy. New industries which provide a substitute for raw materials that are bringing high prices in the world s markets are welcome in countries that are short of foreign exchange. In addition to providing fabrics for the textile industry they are new sources of employment. Furthermore they introduce a price stability which is specially welcome to manufacturer and distributor. An export trade is almost certain to develop.

It would be unwise to assume, however, that these facts indicate a future of .unrelieved gloom for the wool growers. According to a cable message printed early this month The Financial Times traced a connection between the lower prices of the current season and the development of wool substitutes, and went on to say that “wool is no longer in an unassailable position as regards its use in cheaper fabrics, for which it is definitely challenged, though it retains its supremacy in the higher class of goods.” The final clause is important. There are special classes of manufactured goods which will always depend on wool; and it is not improbable that the range of these goods could be widened. Close attention to flocks can bring about an improvement in quality, and if this is achieved the synthetic materials must always remain second-best. It must be remembered, too, that wool remains the basis of substitute materials. The samples examined by the International Wool Secretariat were mixed with about 50 per cent, of the natural product, and this might suggest that countries which formerly bought sparingly for their textile factories will soon be buying heavily for their new and thriving industries. Unfortunately the new industries are not likely to remain satisfied with meeting a national demand. Expansion will be followed by an export trade which must threaten the world markets for raw wool. The obvious remedies have already been suggested by the New Zealand Wool Committee, and by the larger Empire movement of which it is a part. Research and publicity are the two instruments that must be used wisely and liberally in the future. We have managed with haphazard methods hitherto; but in an age of organized industry and uncertain markets there is need to adopt scientific and strictly economic methods of production. And although it is certain that wool must remain a source of wealth for those who give attention to the changing needs of the times, there is no harm in pointing out that New Zealand will have better claims to security when a smaller proportion of the national income is drawn from the marketing of a single product.