Empire Wool Conference

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 19, 23 January 1937, Page 12 (Supplement)

Empire Wool Conference

POSSIBLE LEGISLATION. The Melbourne conference of wool growers made an appeal at its opening session last week for the freedom of international trade from restrictions which were jeopardising the future of the industry. The conference also decided to ask that the three Dominions (Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand) should pass uniform legislation governing the sale of woollen goods and to request that the legislation should be enacted in Great Britain. The Australian Prime Minister (Mr Lyons), who opened the conference, said that it was not too much to hope that the conference would ultimately lead to a world conference of every country interested in the wool industry. Mr Lyons said it seemed to him amazing that a country with such a small population as Australia should have 112,000,000 sheep, or one-fifth of the sheep in the world. It was estimated that wool would contribute £60,000,000 to the national income this season. Such a large sum showed the importance to the national economy of the wool industry. A great deal could be expected from Empire collaboration in production, manufacturing, and marketing, but all. countries interested in the industry needed to work together, and it was not too much to hope that the conference would lead ultimately to a world conference. Problem of Substitutes. The Government appreciated deeply what representatives of the graziers had been able to achieve in Australia, i Mr Lyons added. Substitutes for wool had caused great concern, but until recently no reasonably practical plau had been made to tackle the problem. The Government, at the request of the graziers, had passed legislation to establish the Australian Wool Board. “If you evolve some proposal that calls for the co-operation of the Commonwealth and State Governments and their expert officers, you will not call in vain,” Mr Lyons said. “We shall watch closely the results of the conference, which, we hope, will be satisfactory to the Empire as a whole and to each of the Dominions.” The chairman of the South African Wool Board (Mr W. J. Joubert) said that wool growers had realised that measures to protect the interests of the staple were necessary. “Wo in South Africa do feel that we have been playing with the problem too long, andthat we must now settle down to a systematic campaign,” he said. Replying on behalf of New Zealand, the chairman of the New Zealand Wool Board (Mr Christie, M.P.) said

that the New Zealand Government would give all the assistance it could. Wool had maintained in a remarkable manner its place among the greatest industries iu the world, but competition could not be taken cheaply. Science as a Menace. Mr van de Heever (South Africa), who moved the resolution for an international fund, said that science had considerably reduced the consumption of wool. There was no fear that wool would be eliminated, but year after year the percentages of wool used in manufactured articleJs were steadily being reduced. “Science does not stand still,” he said, “and it may be so efficient iu the near future that it will become a very serious problem to sell our wool in the way we have done in the past.” Mr D. T. Boyd (Australia) said that the ultimate object of the fund was to smooth our rises and falls in the market, as far as possible by a general sustained demand for wool. On the technical side they had everything to gain if the public could be induced to use more wool. Wool products could be made more attractive and process costs could be reduced. Trade Restrictions. Mr H. T. {Savage ({South Africa) moved the resolution regarding restrictions upon international trade, which stated that “. . . . science has devised raw materials which are being utilised increasingly to supplant wool by such countries as find it difficult or impossible to obtain all or part af their raw wool requirements, on account of trade restrictions. Vested interests are established in this way, which will eventually call for and receive protection from the Governments of countries in whjch they have developed, and for these reasons the ultimate prosperity and even the entire livelihood of wool- | producing countries are dependent upon effort being made to enable all wool- [ consuming countries to buy as much wool as they require.” Proposals for reforms in the sale and advertisement of manufactured woollen goods met with wholehearted sup- 1 port from the conference. Senator Guthrie moved, and Mr Christie seconded, the following resolution: “That this conference considers it is imperative that their respective Governments should be asked to enact uniform legislation dealing with the advertising, description, marking, and sale or disposal of manufactured goods made of wool or containing wool.”