WOOL PROSPECTS IN CHINA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2343, 10 July 1886, Page 2

WOOL PROSPECTS IN CHINA.

_ The New Zealand Woolgrowers' Asweiation has received.from the Woolgrowers' Association of Australia some interesting details of correspondence on the subject of starting a woollen maw factory in China, and the following his been placed at our (Chnstchurch Press) disposal by the Secretary (Mr L.' C. Williams :-

| Writing from Hong Kong their corres- | pondent Bays-" The demand tor'gkx- ' j pensive blankets is very large; ntyPfor blankets weighing 61b, 2idol. (say 10s) per pair; blankets weighm? 121bs, Idol 20 cents (say £1 Is) per pair. We have had undor our consideration for tomdkf time past the establishment of a: mill for the manufacture of cheap blankets, ■ and, possibly, the coarser description 6f woollen goods.. With regard to labour, the working of a rope factory lately • established here ha* proved that the Chinese are skilful and intelligent work' men. The scale of wages run trom 16s 8d to 25s per month. The estimates of the cost of the mill and machinery as proposed would be £.hoo. With the mem-' bers at the Australian Woolgrowors' ■ Association prepared to Bupply a portion of the capital there would be no difficulty upon the scoro of floating ■ a Company. There is one consideration, however, can a sufficiently cheap wool be supplied from Australia to allow of .sue-' cessful competition between the local and home-made (English) articles? It.oecurs to us that you exporters might send-* lower kind of wool than would paygfc ship to England,, which, with a low freight and iusuranoe, being a shorter ' voyago, would pay in China. If roally • cheap yet good blankets of two or throe qualities and prices were manufactured, and became known, the local manufactured article would beat the imported but of the field." ...

Another correspondent also writinj from Hong Kong says—"There «• obstacles, no doubt, in the dearnew of labor in the woollon industry in Australia that would not exist hero. ... The fltablishment of woollon factories here rould be a severe blow to the YorkshireDen, ._. , We imagine there would

be difficulty, in raising capital for you purpose in England, and it is loss lik'el; tu be obtained here. The advantage' there are of cheap labor here, and onlj ono freight causes ui to think well of th« idea of establishing woollen factories here. You would, however, have to form an Australia Company with an adequate oiipifal of £1,000,000, which would not be too much for your purpose." Referring to the Australian wools being $ too expensivo for blanket manufacture, . an opening suggested itself for Zealand coarse wools. Cape wools m largely used for the manufacture of blankets, and could probably be laid down at a lower figure than Australasian in China, a possibility which should not escape notice. A dyoing establishment is referred to at bomg essential, as the Chinese .neither buy nor consume (?) woollen goods in the ■ grey.