Wool Forms part of a very old Industry rich in tradition and which, in its thousands of years of history, has slowly evolved arts and techniques which have resulted in products which command the admiration and respect of all nations. This holds good for both sheep farm and woollen mill.

It was wool that established the power and prosperity of Britain in Plantagenet and Tudor times and filled the Woolsack on which the Lord Chancellor sat. In the Industrial Revolution which started in the 1700's the inventive mechanical genius of such men as Kay. Arkwrlght. Hargreaves and Crompton set afoot a new wave of development in wool manufacture, which has enabled England to retain a pre-eminent leadership in wool. Contemporaneously the work of such men as Coke gave English sheep-breeding a new impetus and leadership in the field of wool production.

The pioneers who came to New Zealand in the decades following 1850 included those who knew something of the latest British developments in sheep breeding and wool manufacture. They looked eagerly back over their shoulders for any signs of new innovations which they could use in the land of their adoption, where the handicap of distance from world markets was felt continuously.

By 1900 the wool industry stood pre-eminent among British industries as having attained a remarkable peak of achievement solely due to technical efficiency, to the art and experience of the sheep breeder, to the enterprise and skill of the designers of mill machinery, and to the operators of this mill equipment, whose development continued to show rapid progress.

Britain

In such an old industry, with this high standard of technical achievement the place of science was not at all bvious nor was it felt necessary. Wool had been studied in various university laboratories, but such science had little or no influence on the industry itself. Indeed it may well be regarded that England again took the lead when in 1915 the Woollen Industries Research Association (WIRA) was established and in 1920 opened its laboratories at Torridon near Leeds. This date might well be taken as the date when science first took part in wool matters, the action being stimulated by the stresses of World War 1 which indicated that science must enter more and more into industry in the interests of national survival.

This entry was achieved by the English establishment of research associations in which industry and state combined to fund scientific laboratories to deal with the problems of the times. Prom this it would seem that science has played some part in the affairs of this centuries-old" wool textile industry for the short period of about 50 years. Recently the assistance given by Wira scientists to Britain's wool textile industry was valued at £2.000,000 annually.

In due course England's lead was followed by the three principal wool producing countries of the Commonwealth — Australia. South Africa and New Zealand; all southern hemisphere countries, all large producers and small manufacturers of wool. Over 90 per cent of the wool clip of all three countries is exported overseas for processing in the northern hemisphere.

Australia

With the establishment of CSIRO, in Australia and DSIR in New Zealand in the late 1920's. wool research was taken up by various branches of these organisations.

However real growth only came when in 1949. Dr. F. w. G. White (now Sir Frederick White. FRS) a graduate of Victoria University and a former Professor of Physics at the University of Canterbury, after careful examination of wool research programmes in northern hemisphere countries, and having realised how inadequate this was to cope with the immense problems affecting Australia's main farm export, decided that much more had to be done by Australia, and in Australia, on textile and other scientific aspects of wool. His recommendations resulted in the establishment by CSIRO of three wool research laboratories, known today as the Division of Protein Chemistry, located in Melbourne, the Division of Textile Physics, in Sydney, and the Division of Textile Industry, in Geelong.

On sheep and wool production problems CSIRO's Clunies-Ross Memorial Laboratory at Prospect. Sydney, is the principal research centre, but much scientific work in these fields is also proceeding at McMaster Laboratory. Svdney, the Division of Plant Industry. Canberra. and Division of Biochemistry and Animal Nutrition in Adelaide, all of which have outstations engaged in localised problems. Many of the universities, in particular, the University of New South Wales. Sydney, also undertake scientific studies into a variety of sheep, and wool problems.

When both production and textile research are considered together Australia is at present making the greatest contribution of any one country through scientific research into problems affecting the sheep and wool industries, this being done in its three textile research and in its five sheep and wool research laboratories and their outstations.

New Zealand

In New Zealand. 1937 saw the establishment at Dunedin of the Wool Research Institute, a joint effort on the part of the New Zealand woollen mills and DSIR. the first director being Professor F. G. Soper, who then occupied the Chair of Chemistry at Otago University. In the course of time, the Institute became a research association and today is known as the Wool Industries Research Institute (WIRI) funded by the woollen mills, the Wool Board, the woolscourers and DSIR. The Institute is under the direction of Dr. L. F. Story, who has a staff of three scientific officers.

World Co-ordination of Wool establishment of the Wool Research Institute in Dunedin and under the stimulus of world events, the New Zealand Wool Board and DSIR formed a second research association, the Wool Research Organisation (WRO) whose laboratories near Lincoln College are now nearing completion and whose staff is meantime located in many institutions both locally and abroad, engaged in specific problems or securing advanced training for use as soon as the new laboratories are available.

International

In the 1930's woolgrowers in Australia. South Africa and New Zealand were realising the need for producer interest in the orderly marketing and promotion of wool. In all three countries they had established organisations; South Africa a Wool Council, Australia a Wool Board. New Zealand a Wool Publicity Committee. Representatives of these met in Melbourne in 1937, concerned themselves with wool promotion, publicity and research, and established the International Wool Secretariat' (IWS) in London, providing it with funds raised from levies on wool grown in the three countries. It was plain that all realised the necessity for wool to be dealt with by a central organisation on an International basis and recognised the threat to wool arising from competition from manmade fibres, the principal of whch at that time was rayon.

During World War II when all wool was commandeered; little progress occurred, but in post war years, marketing problems revealed more plainly the need for undertaking research more actively, but it was not until 1935 when W. H. Carolhers in his studies on the molecular structure of fibres discovered nylon, and others followed with terylene, orlon and acrilan in the course of years, that the real challenge from synthetics became evident and made the need for greater scientific effort on the part of wool urgent and essential. First listed commercially in 1947. today. 20 years later, the production of true synthetics or non cellulosic fibres has shown such a phenomenal increase that they equal in amount the total world production of wool.

It is now appropriate to; examine briefly the position of wool science on a world scale as it exists today.

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.

United States

In the United States the Wool Bureau Incorporated, New York, functions as a headquarters for all North and South American wool activities. Research work on wool, funded by IWS moneys, lis proceeding at the Fabric Research Institute, Boston and at the Harris Research Laboratories, Washington, while the United States Department of Agriculture has at Albany. California, its Western Regional Laboratory at which wool research, both (pure and applied, is a major interest. At Lowell. Massachusetts, a Product Development and Technical Services Laboratory has recently been established.

The nature and scope of the Australian sheep and wool research has already been described.

South Africa

In South Africa, the Wool Board funds research on various wool problems conducted at universities and research stations such as the Grahamstown and is in process of erecting at Port Elizabeth lame laboratories for a new Wool Textile Research Institute where its recently increased scientific staff will be engaged in both pure and applied scientific problems.

New Zealand

In New Zealand the wool science organisation may be described as follows—sheep and wool production problems arc dealt with in the laboratories and field stations of the Departments of Agriculture and Scientific and Industrial 'Research, e.g. Ruakura. Wallaceville. Grasslands and Crop Research. Soil Bureau. Plant Chemistry Division, etc. and at Massey University and Lincoln College.

The Wool Research Organisatlon Laboratory at Lincoln of which Mr. N. F. Roberts is director will deal with physical, chemical and biological research associated with wool, land with various engineering land technical problems allied to the industry. It is anticipated also that a working, liaison with science departments of New Zealand universities will be formed with WRO.

The Wool Industries Research Institute is concerned with wool from the time it enters the scouring bowl, through all its processing stages into yarn or frabic. Its chief interests will be in the textile field.

The New Zealand Wool Board's Technical Services Laboratory in Wellington, under the direction of Mr. M. A. Higgins. has for its main purpose the introduction of new processes arising from research, into use by the textile industry and in the operation of the testing services necessary in connection with "Woolmark."

The Wool Testing Authority, a joint Wool Board Department of Agriculture institute. Is responsible for various tests required for standardisation, certification and marketing purposes, such as the moisture content of scoured wool shipped oyerseas. and the grease, suint and dirt content of greasy wool offered for sale in New Zealand.

World co-ordination

A very general description has now been given ol the wool science establishment in the three wool producing countries and of that in the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe, the northern hemisphere where the bulk of the wool is processed and where the emphasis is in textile problems. The IWS has been instrumental in bringing about a great measure of coordination of effort on a world scale through various means, a few of which will be briefly referred to.

Board meetings, held twice yearly, comprised of the chairmen and some members of the Australian. South African and New Zealand Wool Boards make joint effort in policy and top administration possible. At each of these meetings reports on research and technical development arc presented by Drs. Carter and Laxer and are considered in connection with the other reports on promotion. publicity and education.

Twice yearly meetings are held in Australia of the Research and Product Development Directors of IWS. Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, to discuss various scientific problems and to promote joint effort in different fields. For example, yellow colour occurring in wool from the fleece to the fabric is regarded as a drawback and scientists in Australia. New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom are jointly investigating it.

Through its "Wool Science Review" and a series of other publications the IWS endeavours to keen wool scientists in all countries up-todate in matters which concern the advance of the industry.

The IWS and the wool boards have facilitated visits of research staff to conferences and for special studies to other countries, in order that the spread of new knowledge and its rapid application may be ensured.

These examples will suffice to indicate that wool interests, through IWS. are very concerned with the need for joint and co-ordinated scientific effort to assist their very diverse and very scattered industry and are prepared to take appropriate practical steps to implement this policy. Especially since 1964. when the IWS was provided by the joint effort of Australian, South African and New Zealand woolgrowers with considerably increased funds, it has become the local point for co-ordinated action in the interests of wool, in the fields of research, development, promotion and marketing, and thus helps some 500.000 woolgrowers in these three countries to meet the very formidable challenge of the ten or twelve major manufacturers of man-made fibres.