THREAT TO WOOL TRADE

Southland Times, Issue 23693, 16 December 1938, Page 6

THREAT TO WOOL TRADE

Use Of Artificial Fibres “GOVERNMENT CAN SQUASH DANGER” ACTION SUGGESTED BY MR MACKENZIE (Special to The Times) DUNEDIN, December 15. Grave concern at the prospect of New Zealand becoming the dumping ground for cheap substitutes for wool was expressed by Mr P. Mackenzie, of Walter Peak Station, Queenstown, in an interview tonight. The view that the wool trade was threatened with extinction unless the Government and people in general, particularly wool growers, took practical steps to “nip this menace in the bud” was the opinion of Mr Mackenzie. “The Government needs to tackle this problem,” he continued. “It has made mistakes in the past, but they have been honest ones. The Government can squash the danger before it gets a grip on the country. To a certain extent, the matter could be accomplished by the Government refusing to grant a licence for the importation of woollen fabrics containing anything but pure wool, with the exception, perhaps, of a small percentage of artificial fabric. Australia and South Africa, which also depend on their wool exports for prosperity, should be asked to take similar action.

“As Great Britain is so largely interested in wool manufacturing,” he added, “she stands to be severely affected by the use of artificial wool, which is being manufactured in ever-increasing quantities by cheap foreign labour. “Our New Zealand importers,” he continued, “are greatly to blame for using our London funds, which the wool growers have largely helped to create, by bringing in wool substitutes to destroy the very trade by which these reserves have been created. Eventually, the wool cheque of the Dominion will be down by millions of pounds, because of the use of wool substitutes, and this will affect, in some way or other, although perhaps indirectly, every inhabitant of New Zealand.”