WOOLLEN GOODS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 June 1939, Page 9

WOOLLEN GOODS

PUBLICITY IN UNITED STATES INTERCHANGE OF GIFTS BETWEEN QUEEN & MRS ROOSEVELT. WORK OF INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT. In view of the stimulus which has been given to the export of British textiles to the U.S.A, through the AngloAmerican Trade Agreement, it is interesting- to learn that the International Wool Secretariat has co-operated with the Fine Woollen Export Trade Committee in an exhibit of British fine woollens for the New York Fair. The Secretariat is confident that this exhibit will be the means of creating a great deal of interest in these cloths which are typical of the materials required by a very important section of the American public, that still looks to Great Britain as the leader of style and design in men’s and women’s fashionable woollens. ■ In addition to this exhibit at the Fair, the Secretariat is conducting publicity work in the United States for wool in general. There is a tremendous field for an increase in the consumption of wool in the United States, where the per capita annual consumption is only 4.libs, of greasy wool —only half the , amount consumed per head of the population in Great Britain—or for that matter, also in Australia. With a population of 130,000,000, obviously an increase per capita of one pound of wool would have. a tremendously important influence on the United States derhand in the primary markets. The Secretariat feels that by judicious publicity, such results can eventually be achieved. Through the Press, by radio, by fashion releases, to all the leading fashion designers and departmental stores throughout the United States, the Secretariat is sparing no effort to. stimulate interest, and increase the consumption of wool. The Secretariat is justifiably proud of its achievement in arranging for the acceptance of wool dresses by the Queen and by Mrs Roosevelt. The Queen, on the occasion of her visit to the United States, is to accept from the wool growers of United States, a dress woven in America from the finest American wool/ and Mrs Roosevelt, for her part, is to accept a dress as a gift of the wool growers of'Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Canada. The Secretariat, through its representative in New York, secured the acceptance of these proposals, by the National Association of Wool Growers and Mrs Roosevelt, and it remained for the Secretariat, to secure the acceptance of the. Queen.

The matter was taken up by the Secretariat with the Dominions Office, a strong case being made of the importance of the proposals to Dominions and British wool interests. Thanks to the warm support of the Dominions Office and the personal intervention of the Secretary of State for the Dominions, her Majesty after discussing the matter with the King, decided to accept the gift from the American growers, it being stated that this departure from precedent was due to the recognition of the importance of the wool industry and the serious position confronting it at the present time. Mrs Roosevelt made her approval conditional on that of the Queen, and in due course- signified her acceptance of the Dominions’ gift. In view of the fact that the visit of their Majesties was to take plate in mid-summer, it .was felt that advantage should be taken of this to give publicity to the coolness and lightness of the new wool dress fabrics and it was possible to arrange that both the Queen and Mrs Roosevelt selected light weight materials for formal afternoon dresses. Prior to the despatch of the Queen’s material, Mrs Roosevelt attended a press conference arranged by the Secretariat, at which senators representing the wool growing states were present and the material was formally handed to Commodore Irving of the Queen Mary for transport to England. The Queen Mary was met at Southampton by a member of the Secretariat, who accepted the material for transfer to her Majesty. One of the results of this project has been to promote most friendly relations with the United States wool growers, and to focus their attention on the Secretariat, which, otherwise, would have taken months of preparatory work. It will be noticed that Canada is associated in the gift to Mrs Roosevelt from the dominion wool growers. Although at the present time, Canadian wool growers are not contributors to the Secretariat’s funds, on receipt of r request from them to be thus associated, it was decided, after due consideration, to agree. It is hoped that .this association may lead to an active participation by this Dominion in the Secretariat’s work.