Production Costs Of Wool Must Come Down, Say Scientists

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 9, 18 October 1948, Page 5

Production Costs Of Wool Must Come Down, Say Scientists

“It is well to remember that the manufacturer of man-made fibres can, through research, alter the properties of his products at will, just as he can reduce the production costs. The day may come when v/00l will no longer compete on a quality basis but on a price basis. It- is therefore imperative that the production costs of wool goods, from the raw fiiaterial to the finished article, must be reduced.” This warning (says the N.Z. Wool Board news service) is given in a memorandum drawn up for the South African Wool Board by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the head of which, Dr. B. Schonland, is scientific adviser to the Board. The memorandum, which deals with the project agreed to by the Board and the Council for the setting up of a Wool Research Council and a research institute, states that although wool is still the world’s premier fibre, it is facing a tremendous challenge from artificial fibres, which are also being freely used in mixtures with wool. Because huge sums are being spent on research on artificial fibres, manufacturers are able to vary their properties over a wide field.