WOOL CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 14 August 1928, Page 3

WOOL CONFERENCE

VARIOUS TRADE ASPECTS. Australian Press Assn.—United Service (Received this day at 11.0 a m.! LONDON, Aug. 14. Dominion farmers finalised a throe months’ tour with a conference in London under the auspices of the British National Union. William Hunter (President of tho British AYool Federation) presiding alleged that Australian wool growers’ organisations were responsible for seriously misleading the estimates of last season’s clip, arising probably through nil exaggeration of losses during the Queensland drought. The estimated deficit on 2nd. April was one hundred thousand bales compared with the previous season, whereas the actual shipments was a surplus of fifty-eight thousand hales. Undoubtedly this was issued in good faith, hut when the inaccuracy was discovered, growers and brokers’ councils failed to issue a revision of such extraordinary discrepancies which reacted injuriously on the trade. Another source of annoyance in 1928 was tlie pesen.ee of skin pieces in greasy la into’ wool, chiefly from Queensland, also Victoria and New Zealand, probably due to careless shearing. The cost of sorting and removing skin bits was jjd per pound. Doctor Barker (Director of British Research Assn, for woollen and worsted industries) said small skin pieces caused heavy losses to manufacturers, and it was often impossible to detect them until the dyeing stage. Then it was overlatc to eliminate, tho elotli thus becoming second grade. H. J. Venon (Australia) said many shearers wore employed in a. shed, and it was impossible entirely to eliminate careless shearing. The Shearers’ Union was powerful and there was a continual danger of strikes. A. E. Drummond (New Zealand) said the trouble was caused by shed champions attempting record tallies. Tho remedy lay in watchfulness by the man on the sorting board. Tho Conference decided to ask the British AYool Federation to issue a circular oalling attention to Mr Hunter’s points and also approved of the "Weeds Rict-iearch Association's formula for slioep marking, in substitution for tar. It also recommended legislation prohibiting tnr, should the formula, be satisfactory. It agreed to the dispatch of trial shipments through tho High Commissioner and Agent General. Hunter and Harry Dawson claimed the most important immediate need of the industry was a wool pack devoid of vegetable fibre, which cost Bradford half a million annually, and which ultimately was debited to producers.

Phillip Finlayson (New Zealand) submitted specimens of rubberised jute, which Dawson admitted was new to him although lie was a member for twenty years on Bradford A\ 00l Pack Committee. Tie promised consideration of Fiulayson’s proposition.

A discussion ill reference to artificial silk revealed uneasiness for the future of wool. Dawson, while admitting tlite immediate menace, said there was no apprehension for the future. As a matter of fact there was insufficient wool i,n the world to feed 75 per cent; of the machines. Therefore artificial silk had been a temporary godsend. He prognosticated the demands for wool would not abate because a combination of wool and artificial silk was inevitable.