OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 626, 1 October 1909, Page 5

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

AMERICAN DUTIES ;ON WOOL. - (From Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, August 20, 1909. • Various opinions will be - held by - individualsrespecting the duties placed on English, colonial; and other foreign wool that is imported into the United States, but all the sameT think there can he . only one view ■ takeu by growers-namely,: that the duty imposed of 5Jd. per lb. on. merinos and crossbreds is, to'say the least, ex* travagant. I am as positive that the intelligence of the average citizen of the United States will ultimately pee'the' farce of such an imposition, and that the uuty- will be lowered, as t&at the sun will rieo to-morrow-morning.• Foe. one. little section of tiio trade - to fatten and abound in wealth'at the expense of at least 70 millions of. people is an ?insult to their intelli« gence, and tbo evidence brought before the com* inittce at . the recent tariff revision—which leavesthe wool schedule untouched—has opened the eyes of tho entire world to the iniquities arid absurdities of taxing a necessity to the extent' of 11 cents per lb. on greasy wool. It may. not. be commonly... known, but '.wools going into the United States are scheduled under three heads—namely, Class 1, Glass 2, and Glass 3. and I have often wondered if the. aver*' age reader has a clear knowledge of what is meant by these. Quoting' from the' official tariff schedule of the American Government, the fol* lowing is a brief description of tho classes:— Olass.l,-that is to say, merino,'mestiza, metz, or metis wools, or other wools of merino blood,, immediate or remote, Down clothing wools, and wools ,of like character with any of the preceding, including Bagdad' wool, Ohina lamb's wool, Castel Branco; Adrianople skin , wool 'or butcher's wool, and such as have been heretofore usually : imported into the United States from Buenos Ayres, New Zealand, Australia, Gape of Good Hope, Russia, Great . Britain, ' Canada, Egypt, Morocco,. and elsewhere, and. all .wools not hereinafter, included in Glasses 2 and. 3. Glass 2, that is to pay; Leicester, Gotswold, Lincolnshire, Down combing wool, Canada long wools, or other like combing wools of English blood, and usually known by the terms herein used, and also hair of the camel, Angora goat, alpaca, and other like animals. . Class' 3, that is to say, Donskoi, native South I American, Cordova, Valparaiso, "native Smyrna, Kussian camel's hair, and all such wools of like I character as.have been heretofore usually imported - into ithe: United- States from : : Turkey, i Greece, Syria, and elsewhere, excepting improved wools hereinafter provided for. ! It will bo seen from the above that, generally speaking, Glass i comprises morinos;. Class 2, crossbreds; and Class 3, low carpet wools which' aro mostly a mixture of wool and kemps, or dead 'Very large quantities of. the two latter< descriptions are grown in the United Kingdom ana shipped across the Atlantic, all our different breeds of crossbreds being, more or less, sent, while Scotch blackfaced,-which goes under , the head of carpet wools, is also ex* ported in large weights. Just at present there is a great .struggle, going on between., Bradford, Glasgow, and' American houses to 'buy blackfaced descriptions at under. 6d. per lb., in order to get .the wool In at! what is known as low' duty rates.' That means to. Bay v that. if. a .de.. cent quality of blackfaced wool can be bought at;_ say, 5Jd. per lb., then it goes into the' United States ,at - 4 cents oriZd. per lb. duty, whereas if it costs in the first instance, 61d. per lb., then the duty ; charged is ? cents or 3Jd. per lb., while if it contains not over 8 per cent, of dirt .the. duty is. 6d. per ib. •

- WlLfc AMERICA WANT MOBE WOOL? America's competition in both English, Australian,' and -Buenos Ayrea wool markets during the past nine months nas been, a .very valuable factor, so much so. that it'has made a;pretty hot pace for' all other competitors.. When the statistical year terminates in the United States, its imports of wool will-bo the largest in. its history, thus proving the .fallacy of the-conten-tions of the National Association of Wooigrowerß that, given ,an adequate tax on imported wool, and tho'United States' could: grow all the .woolits. manufacturers require. America can no more 'grow what its own users require than can the merino be farmed in Iceland, and tariff,or-no tariff,' United States manufacturers ,will buy larger' quantities' of - foreign-grown wool- in the .future than they have done in the past, of course; ,not reckoning national.crises..'The fact of the matter is America cannot do without Australian merinos, New' Zealand and South American cross* bred?, for. United States woolb are not generally equal, in style- or condition to thoso grown to the countries darned. -American' manufacturers, have long ago got beyond the experimental stage in using Australasian, merinos and (.'cross*, breda.'and they know full-Veil that if they want real tip-top fabrics thoymust resort to colonial •fleeces. . As. time. goea..on--.American. operations in-the principal, producing .countries of the world will even assuino larger proportions;, and' In my,-opinion 'the day isnearerta lowering'-, of the tariff'barrier than' the' majority v scem tothink. • . . . ' We rather incline to think that., this country's tradei with the United States has to a largoexlent undergone .for good, a' radical change,, at least so long as.the present, high duties prevail, and 80 millions of people across the Atlantic are. 'having •to pay dearly-for . tho production of those engaged in ' manufaptiiring ,wool)en and ■ worsted ' fabrics: • Foi*-• instant, Bradford a 'Araerica. tlie larpcet and' roost-vjiniwftant- . trade of any ccntrc 111. the West Riding, and the.naturo of ..-its' -export's has • completely changed during the last.ten years. Seldom does a month pass but what wool heads tho Jist* of shipments, and "during "Only out of an pate total, bf £463,419, wool valued at .£248,205 - wris; shipped." ; That iir the largest monthly export of'wool\9inco-.Ju1y;.1897, but that really,-is nothing to'go by, simply "becausc Thipmerits Of; raw material. were rushed across, the Atlantic .in- anticipation;.of ,_the. Dingley.. tariff,., whioh .came into, operation on the. 24th of that month. Thei 1 * has been a big expansion .in the trade of the West Biding with America in raw materials, and- this is bound to 'continue.' In tho British Board of Trade returns. published last week there.is wonderful evidence of this, as will bo seen from the following ■ tablo, which shows onr export of Home and colonial wool to tho United States-during tho first 6cven'months' of 'the test three years:— 'A ' . • '•' • ''• •• lb.: • • - 1907 : -8,852,300 ! • 1908 '• „ ;... -7.9i6.100 ' • 1909 .20,367,400 . , The above is'very, satisfactory evidence of business prosperity, across the Atlantic in' manufacturing circles, and there is proof : that American manufacturers cannot yot beat Brad; ford producers of stuff goods and cotton linings, for the shipments from Bradford last month of wool dress goods and linings are up by £41,478, and cotton' dressigoods ana cotton linings' also -show, an increase.of £30,063. It has always been a mystery why America—the home'of cotton production—could.-not better manipulate the raw material, for during the past ten years cotton linings have been purchagcd from Bradford in increasing quantities. due:to better dyeing and finishing of the goods. f . ' PBICES WELL MAINTAINED. All the Sound'factors noted'last week are still in'ovidenco, and if anything tliere is a further upward tendency; Considerably business has again "been,done'in all descriptions of tops, and the market generally presents a most hcaltny appearance. The inquiry for v raw material continues to bo most marked for fine crossbretis and merinos, aud without doubt there is going to bo the'usual pinch for the latter beforo tho next Australian clip is available in any quantity. ; It is''surprising how keen is the inquiry for combing wool, and anything with any preteuce to possessing sufiicient length for . producing tops can be readily gold. .This , week 'several of our largest commission • woolcombers and • spinners arc standing, and they will not resume work'till next: Monday; morning. 'These air state' that they, have no-accumulations of fine tops. ■ Holders of tho raw material aTe pressing , for more money,; and 1 super 60's haVe again,'got. back to 27d„ and 64's" to 27Jd." to lU.d., sqveral topmakers now bcing.firm at the latter figure. There is in the market a vohy confident: feeling, there being sufficient trade passing to warrant every man • maintaining ; a very firm attitudo, for" until fresh supplies are available, there are going K to bo no more top 3 in hand than will meet the requirements of Bpinners "and .manufacturers. Thereis also more doing .in coarse and. medium crossbreds,, some spinners having received somo nice weifehts durthe:past ten,days.- It is very inspiring to think'that eveu '40's, which for bo long have bnen depressed, present to-day a much more encouraging outlook. . Stocks hero are moderately heavy, but all the .samo there is a distinctly bettor feeling, and moro sales of wool have been made: during tho ;jiast fortnight.' More topmakers are quoting ,12} d. for'4o's, but it is hardly fair to say that this prico haß been freely made. Wool bought at tho recent series of Ldn* don-sales-can now be ..disposed of. at a small profit, • and the outlook for even coarso qualities is better. - Medium and- fine' descriptions are very well held, there being no excessivo stocks here. There is being donea lot of-casing in the hope of attracting later on> America, and on export account there is a'trifle more doing. Mohair is simply marking time; though a shade more inquiry for Cape firsts is'jßoted,. The host feature of the entire market is a maintenance of consumption, all spindles and frames being run at their utmost, capacity. -.