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Dunstan Times, Issue 545, 27 September 1872, Page 2

Woollen Manufactories l>id fair to establish themselves in New Zealand —in Otago especially. The success which has attended the manufacture of woollen fabrics in Australia, in Nelson, and in our own factory at Mosgeil, has been unprecedented. The cloth produced, in the shape of tweeds, has not with a most ready 'sale, and is so highly appreciated, even in England, that orders at present in hand tire far beyond the capabilities of the Colonial manufactuiers to execute In countries which pn ducesuch enormous quantities of the raw material, it is only a matter for wonder that its manufacture into textile fabrics was 1 not attempted on a larger scale years ago; but we suppose the Gold-iields must have interfer'd with the prosecution of this industry. Before the “ Golden Era” tweeds and blankets were successfully manufactured on a small scale in Sydney and South Australia, while the articles produced, although, perhaps a little thiuer jthan imported ones, were of such durable quality that they were far cheaper in the long run. There was no end to their wear. Blankets, carried all over the country, remained good for years while, as to a pair of tweed trousers or a coat, it was almost an impossibility to wear them out, and it i< a positive fact that tweed coats were actually given away by their owners for no other reason than that they weie tired ot tie pattern, the article itself being almost indestructablo Our neghbors at the AVakalip have made a move in this direction, and, (rom wh it, we can learn, the required capital has been ail promised, the squatters cum ing forward most liberally with very large sums. In no country in the ■southern Hemisphere does such facilities for woollen manufacture exist as in Otago. There is motive power witlout limit in our mountain streamwhile the raw material is produced 11, 011 the spot. The consumption of woollen fabrics (from climatic causes) is immensely large ; and, could a good servicable article be introduced, we should soon find cloth t iking the place of the inevitable moleskin. The absurdity of sending our wool to England and bringing it back again, manufactured into clothes, is almost beyond contemplatisn, espec aliy when we are compelled to pay a heavy duty on the mported article. Even this of itself, should be sufficient to stir the people ti action. The employment afforded t > our population by the manufacture of woo leu articles would be something considerable and most opportune, so few occupations being open to the rising generation. Fanning and goldmining may be all very well in their way ; but something else is wanted. The former is considerably over.done, while, with respect to the latter, it must become more and more developed o increase the number of those employed in it. In fact, improvements in gold-mining tend in the opposite

direction, water and machinery being made to supply the place of manual labor. \Ve should imagine that a flour mill and woollen manufactory comb ned would p ove a profitab'c speculation on the Uunstan. Both are very badly wanted, and would tend visibly to improve the prosperity of the district. A few enterprising individuals m ght soon set a movement for the establishment of both in motion, conferring a benefit upon themselves and alsQ upon others.