WOOL SCOURING IN THE DOMINION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 185, 1 May 1919, Page 8

WOOL SCOURING IN THE DOMINION

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR INDUSTRY i ■■•:■.■-.- DESIRED. J (By Telegraph—Special Correspondent.) Palmerston North, April 30. ■ Interesting evidence was given by Mr. jjl. A. Ellott, before the Parliamentary {Industries Committee relative to wool , iecouring and felUuongering. Hβ pointed lout that this industry already provided (employment for a la-rgo number of men, [and ,was capable of extension ifencourlagement were afforded by the Govern- i jmont, particularly in the direction of jcheajjer railage. Every facility should lie given 'to ecour all suitable. wool in i New Zealand and to work all sheep'ekins in preference to exporting them I'ttnirorked. Prior to tho war the aver- j [age qnantity of wool scoured,.in New ] Zealand'was i>0.750 hales per annum,- ami | ;about 3,000,000 sheepskins, were—fell;inoDgered. • For the season 1917 T 18, binder i-tne commandeer, 107,708 Hwlea-of wodl, and 1,931,116 sheepskins iwere worked,: and in addition about 4000 jbales of scouring wool were shipped to ICanada and France. Tho treatment of ■this additional 57,000 bales in New Zealand had provided employment for a ;large' amount of additional labour. If ithe pre-war conditions were reverted to '.this' labour would not be required. IPrior" to the war large quantities of greasy wool, fellies, pieces, locks, crutch'iiigs, ;etc, were bought by speculators or 'on direct orders and eliipped out .of New ■Zealand to Great Britain, thq Continent 'of Europe, and Japan, and then scoured !in those countries. This ivbpl should :all 'be treated in New Zealand, as it [Had-been proved that it conld,be.dqne, jand well. uone,\ here. The Government.. ■might prohibit the export • if• scouring JWOOI9 in the but' this' /coiifse iwould. probably give rise to' considerable jopposition from the farmers. A better fxueans of encouraging the industry would |beby nieaus of 50 per cent, rebates on the., irailage of wool purchased for scouring ■in New Zealand. . ■

i Questioned by various members of the icommittee, Mr. Eliott said that there I was,' he believed, a market in New Zealand for all grease (lanoline) that could lie extracted from the liquids in which [wool was washed. There was no secret in the process, which was in successful operation in England and on the Continent. . •