THE MANUFACTURE OF WOOL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 188, 1 August 1876, Page 4

THE MANUFACTURE OF WOOL.

A contributor forwards to the Auckland Herald the following which" at the present time ia not without interest to the public of Nelson: — I believe it i 9 generally admitted that thereis.no country better adapted to sheep-farming than New Zealand; and, I believe, no country has made greater progress in regard to the number of sheep— {he increase in a comparatively short time — than has this country. Twenty years ago the sheep might be reckoned by thousands, now tbey number many millions, showing how the olimate and the feed are suited to these valuable animals. As showing the progress, that has been made in the in- 1 crease of sheep, I quote the following figures: — In 1851 the number of sheep was 23^,013 :?"?? » » 1>533,524 la, 1861 „ „ 2,761,388 1n' 1867 „ „ 8,418,572 In 1374 „ fl 11,674,863 There ifi no doubt that for the last few years wool-growing has been a paying affair. What it will be, with the price of wool so much lower it is difficult to say. The great declension that has taken place will affect the colony throughout, and perhaps seriously. When it is considered how great the quantity of wool that must be obtained from such a vast number of sheep, and that a market must be obtained for it somewhere, the question naturally arises why not establish woollen manufactories throughout the country? Such an industry ha 3 not received the attention it deserves; and yet it is a subject worthy of the notice of capitalists, worthy of the notice of farmer's clubs, and one, too, that has to do with the employment of labor, and that would produoe traffic for our railways. If we could have our blankets and woollen clothes manufactured in the colony, we might expacfc to obtain genuine articles, whereas now, we are little aware how much shoddy we pay for when making a purobase of woollen goods. It is quite certain that if woollen mills pay elsewhere, they would not prove unremunerative here; and it is equally certain that the thing only wants agood and fair start to be a success.