ARTIFICIAL FIBRES

Hokitika Guardian, 3 September 1929, Page 5

ARTIFICIAL FIBRES

COMPETITION,, WITH WOOL.

Speaking ’.on “ The,.Australian .Sheep) an‘d Wool’ Industry ” at the Geelong ./Australia) Chamber of Commerce and , Manufactures irieetlng early this month, Senator,.!,. F. Guthrie said that 1 1 so far as artificial fibres Were concern- » ed there were soni'e who argued that ' such ; fibres as so-called artificial silk, ! 80 per ceu,t; of which was made from conifer trees , plus tin, would not compete against wpol, but Would tin. • “ I would direct their attention,” be' i added, “ to the',fact that until, the advent of this; artificial vegqjpljle over an average pf fifty years, the value ofia pound of, was nearly double tile vaiuA of a pound of middling American cotton, whereas at the ' ; present time Australian wool, is only averaging 25 to 30'per cent more than cotton,’and the ihebeiise in the production 6f cotton has been fully equal to the increase in the. production of wool. Another contributing, .factor has been the rapid expansion and improvement in t)ie, production of; merino wool, in South- Africa, owing to the *' encouragement ,of the industry, in that country ■ and tfie unrestricted export of, highclass stud merino sheep from Australia.

“ ITiat the ■'merino' wool industry of Australia-has befen' heavily ■hit*” concluded Senator Guthrie,/“ is evident by the very serious 'decline in yalfies,-and the decline, in, valued,.has been very much 1 more seriouf-ih merino wool than in crossbred wool. This is because the competition of South Africa is in merino wool, and so far the'artificial fibres have competed more with fine wool than with the broader fibred grades.” f • ,