SCOPE FOR MOKE USE OF WOOL

Press, 12 April 1979, Page 12

SCOPE FOR MOKE USE OF WOOL

In what area could wool use be most increased, the director of research and development for the International Wool Secretariat. Dr Kenneth Baird, was asked when he was in New Zealand recently. He replied that there were several areas where he believed that there was considerable room for additional wool usage. Tufted carpets was one area where in the last few years they had seen a very significant and steady growth in the use of wool world wide. Prior to that use of wool in carpets had been largely restricted to woven carpets. The upsurge in use of wool in tufted carpets, he believes, has only been the result of research and development work of the Wool Research Organisation in New Zealand and the International Wool Secretariat, backed by the secretariat's promotion. And in that area he

thought that there was potential for continued growth. Still another promising area for more use of wool was in protective clothing. In this area Dr Baird said that they were continually revealing ways in which wool was superior to every other fibre in giving protection in hazardous situations. Examples of these situations were protecting car racing drivers in fires, foundery workers against metal spills and firemen in their job. Individually these areas did not involve a huge use of wool, he said, but there certainly was potential for a very significant increase in the use of wool and there was no question that the use of wool in hazardous situations tended to result in its use spreading into other related industries, such as for uniforms for air crew. Still another area with

potential for more use of wool was in the secretariat's super wash knitwear programme, where the consumer was becoming used to the notion that a wool pullover, for instance, could be machine washed. There were other areas in less commonly recognised fields of special and unconventional products like wool filled quilts or weatherproof garments, where wool replaced very expensive down or less satisfactory synthetic fibres. Did he think that the secretariat’s efforts on behalf of crossbred wools following the catastrophic downturn in wool prices in the late 1960 s and early 1970 s had had anything to do with the relatively high price levels that had been ruling for crossbred wools in the market place recently? Dr Baird replied that all this had been before his time in the seere-

tariat, but he would like to say that he hoped they had. There was also hopeful news for fine wool producers from Dr John McPhee, the deputy managing director of the secretariat, who expressed optimism about the future for fine wool prices. - In the long term he said he believed that there would be a very big demand for these wools. Referring to recent rises in the fine wool market in Australia he said that a factor in the market was tile shortage of cashmere.