THE WOOLLEN INDUSTRY

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2172, 30 August 1907, Page 1

THE WOOLLEN INDUSTRY

COTTON ADULTERATION QUESTION. A DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER FOR CUSTOMS. (Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, August 28.: Tho Hon. Mr. Millar this evening received a deputation from a numbfcr of gentlemen representing six out of ten New Zealand woollen mills. Mr. Hercus, of the-Kaiapoi Co., said the mills represented produced 80 per cent, of the woollens manufactured in the colony, and they were particularly anxious that the duty should not he removed from raw cotton as was proposed. New Zealand had a reputation for its woollens, but the importation of raw cotton free would spell shoddy. Last year 87,0001bs of raw cotton had been imported and nearly nil of it used in the manufacture of woollen goods. He shewed samples of New Zealand blankets containing 37 and 35 per cent, of cotton, and colonial flannel containing 25 per cent. 'ln rAustralia the industry had been killed by tho use of cotton. 1 Mr. Millar said he was sorry the matter had not been brought under his notice at an earlier stage, -as the • Government could 'not keep on bringing down fresh resolutions. He had been assured by experts that some cotton was necessary ' in the manufacture of tweeds. He also had found that somo of our woollens contained much cotton. As the millowners were not unanimous in the matter he did not care to take the responsibility of throwing people out of employment simply" to. put money in the pockets of importers. Some of the companies,, -he -added, 1 made as much from importing as from manufacturing, ajicl there were at .least two mills that would' have -to” shut down if the importation- of Taw cotton was made prohibitive. He thought- the way out of the difficulty

was to make a law similar to the Australian law compelling niamiracv t.urers to stttjtjnp their goods with the pnrt u cotton used, Iho pco*'; pie weTe as Jsu,uch entitled»pore' Clothing ‘fis pure I'Ood. 1 further than that ho could not go. unless some reasonable scheme were formulated to prohibit the importation of cotton adulterated goods. He hoped to bring in a Bill to provide lor the stamping of goods as lie had suggested . Mr. Horens again urged tho importance of the matter stating that Now Zealand could never hope to compete with tho imported shoddy, though it could compete in pure woollens. Air. Millar replied that if people were going to use cotton adulterated goods, such goods might as well be manufactured in the colony with the stipulation that the people should know what they were buying .