BRIGHTER WOOL PROSPECTS

Chronicle (Levin), 27 June 1946, Page 5

BRIGHTER WOOL PROSPECTS

(Speeial Correspondent).

W SURPLUS MAY GO QUICKLY

Received Wednesday, 7 p.m. LONDON, June 26. 0 "Theve is^every prospect that tlie accumulated wool sui'Xilus in New Zealand will be absorbed by Britisli woollen mills in less tlian the ten to twelve years originally estimated when the situation was last-surveyed," said Mr. Jameson, one of the 'two New Zealand representatives 011 the International Wool Secretariat wlio has just returned to London from Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield. "I would say prospect's for the British wool industry -can be viowed with sober optimism." Mr. Jameson said the eliief problems of the British manufacturing industry vvere laliour and fuel. The reabsorbtion of labour was proeeeding satisfactorily and the labour force would probablv reach prewar strength in about a year's tiine but tlie fuel situation, he understood, was giving c-ause for anxicty. It Avas unlikely tliat tliere' would be any revolutionary changes in British weaving plant for it was eonsidered the methods and maehinery which had givcn Britain her pre-eminpnt position among avooI manul'acturijig countries would still continue to produce the best 'aiticle. Woollen manufaetnring Avas not a process whieh could be too mueh speeded up otherwise.the quality of the product Avould sufter. All firms making replacoment plant vvere fully booked up for two or three years alie'ad but the problem of changing peaeetime production Avas not so ccmplex in ihe Avoollen industry as in many others. ITe thought it would take about two years to overtako the jjresent cloth shortage in Britain but improve mcnt would be progressive. On the research side good progress was also being made despite the faet tliat tlie Avar delaved proposed extensions to the wool industries' research laboratories at Torridon. Tliese extensions Avere commencing almost immediately. There was* und'oulitedly a tremendous pcnt up demand for woollen goods, said Mr. Jameson, and the prospects of the industry appeared assured for some time to -001110. The sliipping situation was improving and it was now estimated -tliat the Continental demand would increase more quickly than had been antic.ipated, at loast so far as.Bel-j gium and Erance.wefe _'bqn.ccihed. An-' other eneoiiragiiig ' 'factbr -AVas the steady demand from the United States which Avas continuing to°pui'chase -wool fully up to pre-war consumption. It had been expeeted that Ameriean wool purchases would deerease after the Avar but there was no indieation of this at the moment. Mr. Jameson, with Mr. II. J. Wardell, arrived in London early in May to attond the conference of the International Wool Secretariat. Later the two New Zealand dolegates conferred with the neAvly established United Ivingdom and Dominions Wool Disposals Organisation, before visiting the manufacturing research -eentres in the nortli. They lcave by Sunderland flying boat for Sydney on Julv 4 and expect to arrive iu the Dominion on July 13 after conferring en route with meiubers of the Australian Wool Board.