“More Wool For London”

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30955, 11 January 1966, Page 3

“More Wool For London”

(N.Z. Press Association) TIMARU, Jan. 10.

One of Britain’s most prominent woolbrokers, Mr R. Garnham, who visited South Canterbury last week-end, has appealed to Australian and New Zealand growers to send more of their wool to the London spot market.

Mr Garnham, who is chairman of London Wool Brokers, which is run in conjunction with the Port of London Authority, said in the “Melbourne Weekly Times” last month that 200,000 bales of Australian wool could be handled each year. At the moment only about 20,000 bales out of the 300,000 which passed through the market were sent by Australian growers. “I would like to get station owners to understand that London is a good spot market for their wool and they are neglecting it because of their enthusiasm to support Japan.” he said. Most of the big European buyers, as well as Russia and America, operated on the London market where all the specialised mills could draw their supplies for women’s fashions, Mr Garnham said.

He added that as women’s fashions changed so rapidly manufacturers required wool on call.

“Quick fashion changes play an important part in the world wool market and London is only a short distance from the centre of the fashion business—Paris.” he said. Wool could also be sent to Russia and America within two weeks from London, said Mr Garnham. He also said that he could see no great danger to the wool industry from synthetics.

“In fact synthetic advertising can help wool,” he said. “They have got to have wool

mixed with them before any sort of article can be produced.”

On a short visit to New Zealand Mr Garnham called on the South Island manager of the London Wool Brokers of New Zealand, Ltd., Mr R. G. Simpson, of Timaru, and spent last week-end with the chairman of the New Zealand Wool Board, Mr J. Acland, at Mount Peel.