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THE WOOLLEN INDUSTRY.
THE MILLS FULLY EMPLOYE!
VICTORIAN" VERSUS YORKSHIRE'
HANDS. j
GEELONO t
The woollen industries of this' torn, h J
benefited considerably since federation Si
reason of the fact that a larger home
bet has been provided for them, hut th,A
could do a more flourishing business ii .i
tariff were more protective. This I. /
view of Mr. G. Hirst, the manager of it!
Excelsior Woollen Mills. The present d!it»
of lj per cent., he says, is not sufficient ft
keep out the oivcr class of ivoollcns man
factured in the old world centres whai
the wages arc low and the working h0u3
long. 4
Low class woollens imported to this cou£
try are, he says, finished so well that ths
people are diipcd into buying them jr.
thinks that 20 per cent, duty it leai
should be imposed upon all imported
woollens.- However, with the duty at 15 p£
cent, the local manufacturers are well ablt
to hold their own in supplying the bctta
class of goods for. the Australian market:
Mr. Hirst, who gained his experience as i
manufacturer in Yorkshire, where he wi
born, and has just returned from a visit 8
htu native county, says that the wares X
Yorkshire are 70 per cent, lower than what
they ,nro in Geclong. and the hands at
home work an hour and a half longer thai
the colonials. He does not think that tft
hours they work give much advantage to
the home manufacturers. Their machine,
are, of course, running for a longer tim?
but the Australian mill hands arc men
vigorous, attentive and intelligent, and ttiS
out better work. When Federation wa
brought about there was only one Excelsior
Mill, but since then the property ot the!
defunct Victorian Woollen Mill Company!
has been acquired and converted into tb.1
Excelsior Woollen Mill No. 2. The two mflhl
now employ 200 hands and as much of their!
fabrics are sold in Sydney as in Mclhourm l
They also supply woollens such as twecdlil
flannels nnd blankets to Adelaide, Bri,!
bane and Perth, and in a short period thefl
Excelsior Company will be placing worsteds!
upon the Australian market. A new plagtl
costing between £5000 and £0000, for thai
manufacture of worsteds has just bedifl
placed in the mills. It is not yet in fill
operation, but it has onenod un employ!
ment for twenty-six hands extra, "and wheal
it is in full swing another twenty-five I
hands will be required. The Albion IVootl
len Mills, where a large proportion of the!
"Scotch" tweeds sold in this country aftl
manufactured, are also being extended., nidi
business is also very brisk at the TJniohl
Woollen Mills, which recently secured thel
contract for the manufacture "of the khaieel
required for the Australian soldiers. ?
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