ARTIFICIAL WOOL.

Waikato Times, Volume 112, Issue 18796, 18 November 1932, Page 3

ARTIFICIAL WOOL.

BRITISH CELANESE CLAIM. EFFECT ON SHEEP’S FIBRE. The healthiness of the demand for wool latterly experienced has been forcibly Illustrated by the particularly general competition experienced, reports Wlnchcombe, Carson Ltd. All sections of the Continental trade. Yorkshire and Japan, have purchased extensively. The United States has not bought to any appreciable degree, but even a moderate inquiry from that quarter is probable for super, free wools, deep in staple, which wall be available as the season progresses, Production Perfected. The ohairman of British Celanese, Ltd., recently announced that his company had perfected the production of "a fibre described as artificial wool. He claims temperature resisting qualities for it which would make "it a competitor with natural wool owing to its lower cost. While the statement should not be viewed with undue alarm by growers, it certainly should not he taken as an irresponsible utterance to he lightly regarded. British Celanese is an important concern, and the chairman of such a company would not be likely to make an announcement without some reason supporting it. It, however, remains to be seen how the fibre will be received when it enters the realms of practical trade. Samples should be obtained in order to form an idea of its competitive ability with natural wool.

In the course of time the sheep’s staple has had many alarms regarding possible competing fibres. From time immemorial cotton has been a ’competitor. When flannelette wa9 first introduced its apt name and cheapness brought it into extensive use. Eventually the risky inflammable nature of the early types of it checked its consumption, but th© improved forms of it have retained a large army of users. Artificial silk has without doubt affected the use of wool particularly in regard to hosiery goods and fabrics for feminine wear. Despite the remarkably extended production and use of that fibre', however, the world’s increased clip has sheen readily consumed even during ■the unprecedented general depression of the past few years. Probably had artificial fibres not been In existence wool would not 1 have become so cheap; but the fact must be kept in mind that scope for a wider use of wool still exists in thickly populated areas, such as China, where climate offers every ©noouragement to the wearing of the most effective, warmth producing materials. The Chinese trade at present looks a distant possibility but actually it is not any more remote than Japanese development appeared 30 years ago. We hold robust enough opinions to say that wool will always be readily used as a ■textile fibre. Italian Competition. Italy has been a notably strong buyer this season. She is an extensive producer of the oheaper classes of fabrics which are finding eager buyers in the world’s present eoononrio conditions. Though England has put a tariff on foreign textiles, Italian millmen have been able to sell their products in the British Isles. During the first eight months of this year, they shipped 2,379,700 square yards of woollens to Great Britain. They are selling a light mUslln-like type of cloth at a landed cost of Is lOd per yard London warehouses. That is an instanoe of how low production costs are enabling the mills In Italy to retain a bulky turnover. We cannot with any sound reason anticipate any decided advance in wool prices, but we see no cause to expect any falling off in demand. No excessive stocks of raw material are reported in consuming centres, and existing prices should continue to encourage millmen to purchase supplies just as freely as they did when values were on the down grade from 192930 onwards. The trade is unquestionably more hopeful of the future ■than during the past three years.