NEW ZEALAND-MADE WOOL GOODS.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 47, 1 May 1930, Page 12

NEW ZEALAND-MADE WOOL GOODS.

It lias now been announced by v the General Motors Co. (9 .Z.) Ltd., that in future all,tile upholstery work in their closed-car bodies built at Petone ■will be trimmed with. New Zealandmade- fabrics. In a circular to the rpress the company states that it approached the proposal to use New Zea-land-made moquette with "distrust," ;but as a result of exhaustive trials and tests of the local mills product in the company's research department, and on tSie. open road with cars in hard use for fourteen months, all suspicion and prejudice against the. local-made material has vanished.

It can now be claimed that this costly and high-grade fabric can be made better here in our bwn woollen mills by New Zealand workers, from pure New Zealand wool, than anywhere else in the world. ■ ;. /

The cost is slightly higher, but the New Zealand-made fabric is so demonstrably superior, that the user is guaranteed 50 per cent, greater service and satisfaction with t&e car upholsteijed in this fabric, and it will be used, exclusively- on. all bodies built here in futuxe, several thousands of yards >of imported material having been scrapped to make way for the new standardising <m the New Zealand-made fabrics.

The samples of .moquette made by our iniiia' are, indeed, a-'triumph for a local industry, and a product whieth. every local New Zealander can be proud

of. The material is a'master work in. tihe craft of spinning and weaving, vand is a splendid reply to those who seek to belittle our local enterprise, in praise of outside goods. Our local mills have shown for many years past that they can produce tih.e finest rugs in the world, yet our' spinning and weaving industry has never' developed on the scale it should have, owing to the importing craze and the lack of safeguarding by qu.r myopic- politicians! The . dress fabrics and suitings made in our local mills are superior i;o 90 per cent of the imported goods. Lady Fergusson was proud to be weaxing a frock made from New Zealand "clothw&en she waved adieu to the Dominion recently,, yet how many of out loyal New Zealand women ever bother to demand New Zealand made goddsf ■"'/' •<"-■;.■■; '■' :.■

Since the wa,r our New Zealand mills output, has been practically stationary, and they have found it hard to show H small proftt pr keep their workers employed full time*. The present output is valued at about £1,250,000 per annum, while our imports of woollen goods and made-up clothing is over £4,000,00 a year! A scientific tariff would speedily reverse "those figures, and the people would get better quality at cheaper cost. The result to out sheep farmers would be to lessen their dependency on foreign markets and greatly improve their position.

There is no logical reason why the New Zealand industry should not have a monopoly of the New Zealand market, instead of exporting t>he bulk of our woollen goods—after'tire wool has been adulterated with undesirable mixtures. Once our mills were expanded to provide fully for our local needs, there is no reason why they should not begin to export their fabrics, as there is always a big demand fbT t>he, best stuff in many parts of the world, and no country can turn otj.l; a better pure wool rug. .

The latest production of upholstery material should prove a boon, not only to the coach-bulding industry, but to our furniture makers, who": have used mostly imported materials in the past. If we must. spend money on imported motqx_ cars, a wise"government would place^ a prohibitive duty on motor bodies so that only chassis would be imported and the body work done here, as it is in the^ big majority of cars in Australia. ■■ iS:■ - ' '*