“USE MORE WOOL”

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 857, 28 December 1929, Page 25

“USE MORE WOOL”

AUSTRALIAN CAMPAIGN “SOMETHING WRONG” The president of the New South Wales Graziers’ Association (Mr. F. H. Tout), commenting on the discussion at the International Wool Conference in England, as reported in a recent cable, said that it was encouraging to note that international delegates expressed approval of a “use more wool” campaign, and that the conference decided to do its utmost tc further it. "There seems to be an idea abroad,” Mr. Tout said, "that the proposed campaign, as far as Australian woolgrowers are concerned, has been turned down. This is quite incorrect, Further inquiries are being made in England, with a view to bringing about increased and co-ordinated effort in scientific research, and if this can be done publicity will naturally follow. As a result of the International Wool Conference we may find It possible to make an earlier start than was recently thought possible in getting on with publicity. "From the growers’ viewpoint, the Present position of wool is exceedingly disquieting. Numbers of growers have had their wool cheque this season cut down by 50 per cent., although they have shorn the same number of sheep as last year, and it seems as if most of the remaining graziers will find that their cheque is 33 per cent, mss. It is a fact that wool is being sold throughout Australia today below the cost of production. Surely, then, tee should all be agreed to make the utmost possible use of scientific research and publicity to overcome our t>ig trouble.

“I was interested to note,” Mr. Tout added, “that at the conference mentioned Mr. William Hunter, one of the representatives of Great Britain, said that ‘if the public could buy woollen goods at a price having some relation to production costs, the consumption of such goods would be doubled or trebled. The cost of distribution was out of all proportion to the cost of making.* We as growers, who are also consumers, know that there is an amazing disparity between the price paid for the raw article and the amount charged retail for the goods. It has been remarked that if we as growers gave for nothing the wool that goes into the making of a twelveguinea suit, the suit would still cost £l2 under present conditions. This disparity is all the more serious now that substitutes are being pushed so strenuously, and I am afraid successfully. Obviously there is something radically wrong, and the wool-grower is the main victim.” SEVEN LAMBS IN 12 MONTHS A report from Barrallier (Australia), states that a crossbred ewe, the property of Mr. T. Nunan, of Duckmalio, has given birth to seven ewe lambs in 13 months, all of which are alive and healthy. The agricultural returns for England and Wales for 1929 show that wheat occupied 1,330,000 acres, barley 1,122,000 acres and oats 1,852,000 acres, potatoes 518,000 acres, turnips and swedes 699,100 acres, mangels 289,100 acres, sugar beet 229,000 acres and beans .143,900 acres. The total acreage under crops and grass was 25,437,000 acres, of which 9,948,000 acres was arable land, and 15,459,000 acres grass land.