BRIGHTER PROSPECTS

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19909, 11 June 1936, Page 12

BRIGHTER PROSPECTS

WOOL CONSUMPTION. l l REGENT TREND REVIEWID. ‘ t In September, 1935, the Imperial Economic Committee published a review entitled "\\’ool Production and Trade, 1928—311,“ as a supplement to the monthly "\Vool Intelligence ,Nolce." That volume dealt exclusively with the production and export trade in wool. The committee has now ‘issued a volume surveying in more detail wool consumption, and the trade in wool products, in 46a} differient countries during the period 1928l .13. This survey constitutes an attempt imade for the tlrst time to estimate the actual trend of wool consumption in large manufacturing countries, and brings together in a compact anal concise form statistics of available wool supplies, consumption and trade. Certain salient facts emerge train a study of these tlgures. National wool textile industries in countries previously importing hall-llnlshed and ilnished goods have been rapidly de—veloped, with the result that there has been a material contraction in foreign trade in wool manufactures and wool yarn. The demand for raw wool and wool tops, on the other hand, has been maintained, and the increasing world production of wool has been absorbed. Trade larrlors. The larger manufacturing coun—itries, equipped for an extensive ex—iport trade as well as for their domestic trade, have been severely, ‘handicapped by this contraction of their export markets, which has been‘ accentuated by currency fluctuations, foreign exchange complications, and a general raising of tariff barriers. Liertain countries, however, have sul‘< t'ered less than others. Although exports of wool tops, yarn and tissues from the United Kingdom have been very much reduced as compared with immediate post—war figures, over onethird of the exports of wool tops and yarn from the chief manufacturing countries, and nearly _6O per cent. of the total exports of wool clothing tissues, were provided by this country in 1935. Other factors contributing to the present healthy statistical position of] wool have been the fashion trend in the East. particularly Japan and China, where wool tissues enjoy a growing popularity, and the consequent industrial development in those countries (more particularly in Japan}. In 1928—34 four countries—the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Germany—held on an average 59 per cent. of the actual weight of estimated available world wool supplies, the United Kingdom heading the list with 19 per cent. in 1935 Germany and Italy, particularly the latter, considerably reduced their purchases of raw wool, though in Germany this fall was partly neutrab iscd by increased import-s of semi—manut‘aetures. The United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and the Soviet Union, however, all showed material increases in that year. Increase In Yarn Exports. Aggregate exports of tops from the chiet’ exporting countries increased In 1935 to 130,000,0001 b, as compared with 113,000,0001 b in 1934 and 1'27: 000,0001 bin 1928. France and the United Kingdom contributed the bulk of these exports. The chief importing countries were Germany (where re—tained imports rose from 200,000111 in 1928 to 30,000,0001 bin 1935). Czechoslo\‘akia and Canada. Aggregate exports of wool yarn fell from about 200,000,0001 b in 1928 to 120,000,0001 bin 1934, there being little change in 1935. Exports from the L‘nited Kingdom have been fairl." well maintained during the perio-l under review, but exports from France fell from 62,000,0001 b in 1928 to 23,000,0001 b in 1935, and exports from Czechoslovakia and Germany have also fallen heavily. in general. the policy of expanding and modern—ising the spinning cquipment' oi national industries tending towardsl self-sumriency 'in yarn production! wherever possible, and imports are becoming more and more limited to specialised types. Imports into Germany. the United Kingdom, Japan, Poland and Czechoslovakia have shown particularly large declines. Export of Wool 'rluuu. In 1928 exports of wool tissues for clothing purposes from the 10 chief exporting countries (exclusive ‘of Japan, whose exports are given in square yards only) aggregate 237, 300.0001 b, whereas by 1935 they had fallen to about 103,000,00011). Exports from the United Kingdom fell by about 37 per cent. between 1928 and 1935. reaching their lowest point in 1931, since when there has been a steady increase. rl‘he decrease in exports from Germany during 1928-35 was about 75 per cent, and from France and Czechoslovakia over 30 per cent. Italy's exports were fairly well maintained until 1925:). Un the other hand. Japanese exports or wool tissues in 193,3 (21,000,000 square yards) were about right times as large as in 1928, though as yet the \olumc entering world trade is comparatively small in relation to domestic production. Imports of wool tissues are very widely distributed, as practically all countries participate in this trade. .\lmost everywhere there have been heavy declines since 1925. This trend is particularly noticeablo in the imports into such countries as Japan, Canada, Ai‘gt‘ntine, Australia, man, and China. where local industries are now providing for an increasing proportion of the home demand.