WOOL “WASHING”

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLI, Issue 20312, 10 January 1936, Page 4

WOOL “WASHING”

PATENT TO DO AWAY WITH SCOURING

WANGANUI MAN’S CLAIMS

“America, Great Britain, Japan, Australia and firms all over New Zealand want to buy the world rights, but I’m giving the New Zealand Government the first opportunity to buy my formula and world rights for £20,000. It’s cheap at that, but I don’t want anything to do with the business side of it,” declared Mr H. Savage, sen., of Wanganui, who has invented a soap for washing wool, which he claims will do away entirely with the present scouring process, is 25 per cent cheaper to use, and leaves the wool, after washing, at least 25 per cent superior to that scoured in the ordinary way.

Reports from Great Britain, America and Japan, from prominent heads of the industry, indicated that the washing process would tend to revplutionise the wool Industry the world over. A estimonial was sent Mr Savage by the New Zealand Government wool expert who said he was more than satisfied with tests, Mr Savage ventured to forecast that very shortly the Government would take control of the scouring of all wool in New Zealand. His process would boost the industry tremendously, and be of great benefit to the country, for outside reports stated that after the wool had been treated it was worth 3d a pound more than the ordinary wool on the markets, wool then being lOd per pound. Wash, then Shear. A white substance, smelling slightly of ammonia, the soap, said the inventor, could be manufactured decidedly more cheaply than the ingredients used in the scouring process. Wool could be perfectly washed by putting sheep through a prepared dip before shearing, as the actual “washing” process took only three to five minutes.

“It leaves the staple perfect,” Mr Savage declared, and he produced samples of wool to support his statement. The process also facilitated dyeing, and the advantages claimed for it over the scouring method were, mainly, that it was cheaper, quicker, cleaner and more profitable. “No expensive machinery is required,” said Mr Savage. “The soap quickly dissolves in boiling water, and then either warm or cold water may be added without fear of retarding the cleaning operation in the least. Compared with the quantity of material used in the present scouring process, eight-ninths of my preparation will do the same work with better results.” Scientific researchers in Germany, Great Britain, and America had been trying for years, he continued, to perfect a better process for cleaning wool other than by scouring, but he was confident he had at last found the formula which would be of world-wide Interest.

Not interested in wool only. Mr Savage said he had invented a flax-clean-ing process. His process was on much the same principle as that involved in the wool-washing method. Mr Sav-

age said that the adoption of his method of flax preparation would result in the price of the fibre increasing from £l6 per ton to at least £26. The Wanganui inventor has, in a practical manner, dealt with many

problems confronting the land-holder. He has prepared a spray which has been used in Wanganui with far-reach-ing results, w’hicb killed the blackberry weed. He has also prepared a spray which had been used with success in Australia in eradicating prickly pear. At present Mr Savage is engaged upon finding more uses for silica, working on a deposit about four miles from Wanganui.