OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 692, 17 December 1909, Page 11

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

PACTOiis-. yr man ■ aue ■.■d'etebmininq teices. ■'- .'■.'., i(i'rom Our. Special Correspondent,) ;;Vi^' ; v<"bratlfof(i l November,-5. , s'The wool' trade to-day;: i 3 conduoted under vory "diffordat./conditions., to what : obtained, ■twenty .years ago,-everything vmoving decidedly faster; : Not ' only does wool como ,to:. hand, e'arllor.'■'. o.hd more : quickly, : but by the aid of electricity tho uttermost ends of the earth havo .been• practically linked up with the mill doors; oi the world, and what is done to-day- in London pr:Braafonl- is known a lew hours later in Adelaide,' Sydney, ■ l'art . Elizabotb, Buenos Ayrds,;6r'Boston.- .It inusl-havo boon, a long, tedious process when -all .the: wool news had to; como. by mail, ■ but in those days business was conducted -and dono upon .somewhat "different ; lines,'. Micro being a birecr.'' margin for every raaiii tho.risk also being considerably 'minimised..:,! ani certain that wool-buying i 3 being done to-day moro finely than over it wae, and ..the man who. cannot valuo to-a-nicety is no dood.'as. a'buyer.. Tho fact is mcro guesswork cannot bo adopted-in the wool trado, and tho all-important. question of being ablo to cstimato. a clean'- yield: of. any samplo of wool •is of paramount .importance. ,1 should say that moro attention-is.being given to the question of what w'oieht wool is gclng.to givo when clean,scoured-than-even beforo, simply because mon arc. having to buy to At a pried. In some special. casc3 mcn ; purchase wool, regardless of cost;becaUeo they- cannpt do without, a special-, ity, but that -is :vcry'hinch tho exception and not the. rulo. ' ,-.'-,.■

■ASf-ABSBNOE OF; NEWS'-FROM/AUSTRALIA, ..-.Tliero islono nsiioct:of the trado which is giving riso .to considerable commont, and which la a phaso of the market that can : bo a means of.,disturbing'the-poaco of. mind of, many men. A year.ago .at.'this time"bur daily papers contained .almost .'overy.-morning ; somo cablegram from cither Sydney; . Melbourne, or Adelaide, particularly, the. Sydney and Melbourne centres;■ but this season thdro is a'complete dearth of all ouch intelligence,- What is the reason of .it. That question is on the lips of many, and there is a Eood deal of surmisiiiß. I say candidly that it, "does ,more-harm than .good to 'koep'.-o; whole: . maritot -in .suspense; .no matter .■ whethor' prices:' .bo soing up or down. Many people are asking, ;Aro values lower in. Australia than, what' importers .are making out, and is, there- a'com' pact: on ' tho. othor'. side' to -■ keep' users ■ hero .as ■; ignorant' as' possible? ...After the Engineered .''futures'.' ''movement on -.the Continent, one is prepared l for anything,': but" I do'; emphatically say that, when ■ large - and ■.Important sales aro boing.'held three and four .days, every week:.in .Melbourne-'..and Sydney, ..some; kind .vol, ~news should'bo'forthcoming from responsible parties at those : eollint,' ; centres. : All' tho -gossip in Bradfori is to the olfeot that merino wool ia fractionally-dearer In Australia, but we have only importers' words ; for it.-; My own view, is that if wool '.was selling at" higher prices. inter-., cstcd parties in Australia" would soon coo; the wisdom of : cabling that good news to our daily issues,;.but;'! alas i-not,-a .single : . word lias'.been printed with the ioxcepiion of the splendid cable sent by-Elder, Smith and Company, Limited; 1 of Adelaide,, and a.short note .by Sanderson, Murray and Company, Limited; intimating that fine crossbreds '■■ wcro 5 per. cent, dearer on; American account.- .Thcro; is. consequently' anything but;, a'conndont; feeling, and one wonders if -wool .is being-picked up cheaper,in Melbourne and Sydney :than what is commonly believed. /If .it was generally .hold ;that wool, was hardening, then siiinners would bo,free buyers,; but, that,i3 not the ..case,;, and -things: are 1 still, very, quiet; •: ■'■'•' /'/':"/ /There continues to. bo ah absence of any leadins/factor, dotting disturbing the peaceful face of tbomnritot. Tliero-is an absence of.activity, although'below the surface-' there', is a ".fairly steady, business' doing*' Under ■ a 'belief, that : values: aro/tho tur.a dearer ,in r Australia, top--,makers',aro -iiot."seiling. forward, anything like as' freely:' as .-.they wcro,' and, GCVeral importers aro. naming'--Jd.""higher prices. • All the. cheap, offers are' a thing ,'of-'the past, and I can find .no topmaker prepared Ho'accept. 24id. for super' 60'B.;as was:thocaso a . fortnight ago; The lowest ;prico that inch' will take -to-day: is 25d. and M, for .GO'S and, 64's ' tops- respectively. ,'Others .wro-were sellers/of/that figure will not now accept: same,, theso wanting 2s; Ud. aiid 2s. 2id. for the two qualitieainatncd;.: The only reation given for ..these 'increased! quotations ,is dearer wool in the c6lony,.;and- yet they can' offer, no.'. evidence' to.conflrm,their statement. Spinners are not; .following - els'one / would'expect; -There • continues .to be- the:;saiho' manifestation :6f indif--foronce to i'highcr.prices -as. Wo have eeon allalone:, and thero is accumulating evidence' of 'a' •big; bnsinoss -to follow if ■: prices 'would: drop to the cherished 2s.'basis.- /But; thero thoy BticK about-.a-ponnyi-abdvo expectations. l . In- face of an,expected'general election, dear money, and a littlo-SjdisWrbed ■ political.'sarfaco,- it seems '.to" i.m&ny that a:2s.'basis:-is well within being - ah accomplished-;fact; dnd there-: being some hig, .weights of ..wool, t6. lift between'- now. and Christmas, is considored-d safllcient reason 'for citpWtmg a -still lower range' of/ prices. "I'think- Inever..moved.vamong,,users;in all my life" when' thero;. Svasi less •; expression'.', of -.opinion about a material • ffill.'-no:- party -loflkitig. for' that.. On ,the ! . other' hand; 'all : "s'deirf*a'Breed that :we .'aro 'Eoine"to see .maintained a good-range of values at'.'allr.about "to-day's: level.-ionly."a drop.■ to'2s.' : fpr. : "super: 60's'stopa; would be- an' exceedingly welcome, foaturej';.:,-,'!,'.','':: -'■■;•■■?/: ~;„;; :"..."': - PAsSbSABLENESSJ OP. 'ifEEIKOS.;'' ■'' .-: It is -'always; an"..'interesting 1 experience ■ to - look through'a-Bet''-of 'pattbrns l which are beiiig' made 'by an /up-to-dato -manufacturer,: for then :'wo seo whht is; being I, dortc, and what qualities aro : -being ;hiado.;.'/I'lio . writer, stands;in. vory closo : touch: with' several West Biding manufacturers, and -has . the'.-'riui , of -one ' of-the - best woollen and worsted .factories in 'Yorkshire, That gives me ;a..chance--:of: knowing (exactly what aro'.■ tho most fashionable : fabrics, ' and'.: without' doubt mcririoa still ■ occupy, ; the *-forefront; position. Thcro;is'being mado ah ehdlej3 variety of fabrics both for.men and v/omen's wear, and meri-'" ■1193, are.uppermost.''. After..all,' cloth/made from fine'.'-wool-presents "a '.smarter: appeardnce -than.whenJmada from ;cro39brcds,'although tho-lat-' 'tor.'for. hard wear are somewhat•!■■ better' than .'the;; former. ;< Tino merinos .ore: very'good -and woar admirably,.and will always'be.to:the front mord ! :or.lpss... Thoro'seems to bo a.tendency" for.' tho.eentier .sex- to-, take -up flno: Venetians for .cp»tume:,purpose3, and:if .that..is-so. then there, will bo consumed, as math'flue wool as ever, ] well, romembor Venetian: cloths Originating, and ..what •■>..run---.thero--;was :for -ladies'' costumes, Jackets, etc., First.; wo had drabs,- then -fawns, then followed; grey l , mixtures, > and' .greens. At tho : first .these were made.from -all fino.wools, then crossbred manufacturers' imitated ' them in stripesand checks,-, and- sihee fabrics have varied considerably,;-at .one;.time:tweeds ,being all the rage. ' Just at :brcseht, there ,seoms'>to boa : big demandM"or"lndigo.;bluo ! 'Borgi)3 for-this'-spocial line, and. somo ■ very.; eifoctivo.. costumes aro bo- , ing ."inadd.:._ And 'what,, more. -' sightly, fabric "is there for. either "men or :womon's wear than a b1u0..- pdrge. --They-'always/lobk .smart.- oind are , sorvlceablo,'- and the :','oVcrlastihg"-'-wear is '-more' than.a moro' empty term.'. For next spring sevOral :'-of ;.our...'taannfacturers are, turning -'outvonotians, and all being, mado from .fine wool or a .jnixture of : wool and 'cotton, it means a largo consumption-of,the;'raw'.matorial.'- .-.:;,:,.,-.: J:V:'-;THE'POSITION 6F t "\ --Crossbreds;;aro- 'doing ',. littlo '-elsd than mark time,-tud.-Bradford, .market waiting, for a' lead. The/largest houses :,seem- very much disposed to lie .low, : and: .they.* would; liKo' to seo repeated : what hai 'transpired" ir.'-'fiierino's.'" • All along I have.had-:an; -iiupressiou -that .wo. shall -,'seo a mild: "bear" -attempt-made ; to get -prices' down in■'■ tho~;Uo'pe:iof ;atfedtiug/-New- Zealand '■ and Oueno3.' Ayres.: markets, - olio ' very-: large firm of buying -brokers .emphasihg". the fact: last, weekend' that .every,-tiuality •of 'crossbreds . were woakcr, .but ; l.'couldnot' see.it. - If is true that .Ws. aro 'comparatively ;slack, "arid-they, "can be bought' at> most in -fact, many pooplo .aro .'at: d complete ,los 3 to understand, why 40'srare, so-slow aiid unresponoivo. -There aro a'good-many,'complaints that, the German' yarn trade in : sing!o,l6'B to 30'b, which consume large weights 'of Ili'sMoba, is, not as .healthy, as it might be, :and' particulars 'do: not' flow in as they should evenon "contracts': bought at Jd. to 6d. p'er gross" loss, than'what'sj)innors : will take ,to-day,'-v-Thcro. are offorihg somo .fair', quantities of "second-hand:yarns: at- prices which, sphincrs will- not accapt, that -being .a ; clear inoioatidn that,. .consumption is: nots what,-it. should .bo ' Thero ■' continues;, to bo tho most: business' in medium and fine qualities, -.and stocks-here aro not .large. I daresay.-some, of our largo' im-porters-would ba only tod kden to use tho weapon of "selling down, prices' if -they -know that stocks were at- all -heavy, but: there dannot bo very-riiuoh';wrbng: with "the market when .the surplus carried", over on Juno" 30 of New Zca- 1 land ;and Birerv.Plato'.crossbreds has all gone ! into consumption. ::;That-seems to be- a surprising fact which 'should not be; lost sight of Thore'i3 still, some 'seeking, up 'of''fleeces';-- anci the trade in these: is considorablo, "America absorbing some, nice of, both English and ■ colofiial sorts;--.'""''"'., .. ,: . ,-."■"■'.-:,-"■■