Britain's Clothes Production Triumph

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 62, 9 March 1949, Page 3

Britain's Clothes Production Triumph

A production recovery triumph by the British wool textile industry dies behind the recent British Government decision to de-ration most forms of wool clothing in the home market, states the New Zealand Wool Board news service. Since was finished in 1945 Britain’s woven wool cloth output has increased by not less than 50 per cent from approximately 24 to 36 million square yards per month and, with diminished requirements for Government purposes, this has increased by more than half the amount of wool cloth available for civilian trade. Much of this increase has gone to develop Britain’s export trade, for most nations are buyers of British wool goods, but the stage is now reached where the authorities feel justified in saying that rationing in the domestic market may end. It is emphasised from Yorkshire, however, that the end of wool cloth rationing does not yet mean that there will be much larger supplies of worsteds in the shops. The output of woollens is believed equal to all demands of home and export

buyers, but worsteds are in a somewhat different category. Worsted yarn production remains one of the few bottlenecks in Britain’s wool textile output and, with world buyers still eager for large supplies of British fancy worsteds, it is doubtful if—with wool clothes rationing removed—the home market can yet look forward to unlimit l dd supplies of worsteds. The Board of Trade has made it «lear that' wool goods export must be not only maintained but increased and. until worsted output can be further expanded, this must be to some extent a limiting factor on worsted supplies for the home market. ' The decision to keep knitted goods and hand knitting yarn on the ration is an indication of the limitations of the worsted yarn position.