FUTURE OF WOOL INDUSTRY

Southland Times, Issue 25513, 6 November 1944, Page 4

FUTURE OF WOOL INDUSTRY

Progressive Ideas

Necessary REDUCTION OF COSTS In response to an invitation from The Southland Times, Dr P. R. McMahon, Wool Metrologist of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, has prepared the following survey of the wool industry. Few subjects are of wider interest to the New Zealander than the future of the wool producing industry, which contributes about 20 per cent, of our national income. Indirectly, too, wool makes an efficient fat lamb industry possible by providing cheap ewes, while the fat lamb itself grows from three to five shillings’ worth of wool, for which the farmer receives payment in the form of higher meat prices. Finally, the economics of mutton production in New Zealand depend in large measure on the absence of competition from countries whose pastoral industries have been built around fine wool, rather than around dual purpose sheep. A permanent break in wool prices would clearly have repercussions right throughout the community. Even without the complication of substitutes the future of wool does not appear bright at the present time, with a surplus in stores throughout the world of more than a full season’s clip. The fact of surplus, however, is not the whole story. New Zealand grows mainly crossbred wool and 70 per cent, of this is medium to strong in quality. Such wool is much in demand for service cloths, but not well suited for standard types of civilian clothing- Fabrics made from crossbred wool have great durability, but are not pleasant to wear next the skin, while if made into worsted suiting material they quickly become shiny. ARTIFICIAL FIBRES Against this background, a twentyfive fold increase in staple fibre production over the period 1934-40 cannot be viewed by sheep men without some misgiving. Taking only the “staple” group of artificial fibres, world production is probably now nearly as great as the world production of clean, scoured wool.

While synthetc wool-like fibres certainly do not have all the desirable features of the product they imitate, they have certain distinct advantages. They can be produced very cheaply to any required specification; they require no sorting, blending or mixing; while last, but not least, the price does not fluctuate violently as with wool. This means that a textile firm using substitute raw material requires less capital and can safely quote prices to finer limits. Artificial fibres can already displace from 35 to 50 per cent, of the wool from a fabric or yarn without affecting its valuable properties and .they are continually being improved as ’scientists discover more about the “how” and “why” of fibres. It is symbolic of the modern trend that the first synthetic fibre to duplicate the moisture holding capacity of wool comes from the laboratory of a world famous wool chemist working in the heart of a district famous for wool and wool manufacture. Only a portion of the wool manufacturing industry is directly interested in wool in itself. If machinery and workers can be kept more profitably occupied with cheaper raw material, sentiment will not prevent a changeover. Fortunately for the wool grower the manufacturer is conservative, but war has forced the use of substitutes upon English and- Am-' erican firms to a degree beyond the highest hopes of any advertising campaign, as a visit to most drapers’ shops in New Zealand will show. FALL IN PRICES Broadly, this is a dismal picture, although New Zealand is likely to be somewhat less directly affected than Australia and South Africa. New Zealand wool is used for fabrics in which durability is a prime requisite and in this feature substitutes tend to be lacking. Our industry is based on*both wool and meat and we are already accustomed to produce wool at lower prices than those paid for fine fleece. It is claimed, too, that admixture of staple fibre with our low grade wools will enhance their usefulness. Forecasts of wool market conditions are notoriously unreliable, however, and at the present time we know little about future demands due to rising standards of living in backward countries. Nevertheless, it does appear reasonably certain that wool prices will fall from their present remunerative level. For some time it has been clear that the situation which has been developing must be met with an active policy designed to take immediate effect, and that our planning must ensure both a continued market for wool and the ability on the part of the wool grower to remain in business when offered lower prices for his product. Only the first, requirement has been met and even here a great deal remains to be done. Through the wool councils in wool producing countries, and the International Wool Secretariat, a well planned publicity campaign was inaugurated and research to remove drawbacks to the use of wool' and to develop new uses and cheaper methods of manufacture was begun. The secretariat, too, was beginning a systematic search for new markets when war curtailed its activities, first in Europe and later in the United States. Work of this type must be continued and expanded many times over, but it can clearly play only a relatively small role in maintaining prices at a level which will make sheep farming profitable, for in the long run wool values must be fixed by the selling price of substitutes. If the sheep farmer is to continue in business and standards of living are to be maintained, means must be found of decreasing his cost charges through increases in efficiency of working. This result can be achieved through three main means: Research, education and the provision of capital facilities where necessary. In a scientific age no industry can hope to survive without calling to its aid every assistance which scientific research can give. If the possibilities of research, education and capital are not adequately exploited we must expect to see a fall in the scale of wages which wool producers can afford to pay and the devaluation of sheep farming lands. With adequate developmental work on all aspects of sheep raising, with an efficient instructional service to spread progressive ideas, and cheap capital to enable improvements to be carried out, costs of wool production could be substantially reduced. Only a progressive sheep industry, however, can look to the future with confidence.