Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 29, No. 6. 1966.
Britain
Britain
The International Wool Secretariat (IWS) whose governing board consists of he chairmen of the Producer Boards of the three contributing countries. Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, has its headquarters located in Wool House, Carlton Gardens, London. SW1. From this Headquarters the whole of the northern hemisphere activities connected with wool science, promotion and publicity, funded by southern hemisphere woolgrowers' levies is directed and co-ordinated. This coverage ranges through 19 European. American and Asiatic countries in each of which an IWS office under a director has been established. Close liaison is also maintained with the wool producing countries, Australia. South Africa and New Zealand.
In the sphere of science the IWS headquarters has a Director of Research. Dr. E. G. Carter; a Director of Product Development. Dr. G. Laxer—who deal with what may, in general, be termed the pure and applied forms of wool science. In 1964 the woolgrowers of Australia, South Africa and New Zealand agreed to increase their levies considerably so that the IWS now has available larger funds some £13.000.000 portion of which is available for pure research, grants for which are made to universities and other institutions in the United Kingdom. USA and Europe for various projects connected with wool.
The increased funds have also proved most valuable in connection with product development and technical services, which form an essential stage in translating research findings into industrial use in mills and elsewhere. This work will soon be centied in Ilkley. near Leeds in Yorkshire, where new laboratories are now in course of erection. Meantime staff working on product development and technical service matters are functioning in temporary laboratory accommodation in Bradford. In a number of the European and American branches of IWS smaller laboratories engaged on servicing and demonstration problems are functioning.
Summarising, the northern hemisphere position, the IWS headquarters in London deals with administration, scientific, promotion and publicity probems affecting Great Britain and Europe, and acts as a coordinating body in these matters throughout the world.
The scientific work, both pure and applied, is for the most part all done in universities and institutions located in Yorkshire. These comprise Leeds University, the Wool Industries Research Association at Torridon. Bradford University and, later. the new Product Development Technical Services laboratories at Ilkley. Funds received from producer countries and from manufacturers are pooled to attain maximum advantage from joint action on the part of scientific staff and facilities.