SOUTH AFRICAN WOOL

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 520, 24 November 1928, Page 27

SOUTH AFRICAN WOOL

GOVERNMENT’S PLANS ORGANISATION AND CLASSING | In South Africa, the Government is strongly behind the woolgrowers in developing their industry. Remarkable results have been achieved in the last twenty years, and evidently the Government is prepared to endeavour to do still better. Colonel G. N. Williams, Secretary of Agriculture in South Africa, addressing the Nafional Woolgrowers’ Association, said the main aim was to constitute a national woolgrowers’ association to gain the confidence of the wool markets throughout the world by encouraging the production of the right type of wool. He noticed that another movement in connection with the sheep industry was the formation of the Association of Merino Breeders, and he hoped it would be found possible for these, two bodies to come together. They could not divorce sheep and wool, and while they might have to sectionalise, one organisation was the only sound procedure. Propaganda would have to be carried out until every woolgrower was in the ranks, and the promised that if they succeeded in establishing their association the efforts of the department would be thrown into the balance to enable them to maintain a vigorous growth. A great deal had been said about irregular and even false packing, but in that respect reports were exaggerated and steps had been taken to reassure people in England as to the position. A deputation had waited upon the Minister and asked for legislation to deal with false paeSrng. The Minister’s reply was that he relied more upon the efforts of a well-con-stituted organisation, such as they hoped the National Woolgrowers* Association would be. Educational Work Regarding the work and intentions of the sheep and wool officers of the department, Colonel Williams said there had been a great deal of misunderstanding. The department had been analysing the position with regard to classing of sheep. Roughly, half the Merinos in the country were not classed, and they felt that a change should be brought about. The intention was to educate the farmers to do their own classing or employ trained classers. The sheep industry was on the up-grade, and a considerable factor in that improvement had been the eradication of scab. In 1923 there were 14,135 flocks infected with scab, a percentage of 5.41. In 1927 the number of infected flocks had been reduced to 6,667, a percentage of 1.17. The taxpayer was being saved £40,000 a year in scab eradication. They had the ball at their feet, but they could not reach the goal unless they put their organisation on the right lines. They would have to improve native-grown wool as well as the wool of the European grower, for anything that was not up to standard would only drag down the whole. z Touching on price differentiation in regard to improperly packed clips, Colonel Williams said that Dr. Duerden had recently devised a system of standardisation whereby the measurement of wools could be accurately carried out, and the department proposed to place these facilities at the service of brokers and woolgrowers at a very low fee.