OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 752, 26 February 1910, Page 12

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

SOME HATTERS WORTHS CONSIDERINO. '■'■; (Prom Our Special boiresnondentJ :.' ,'•'■•.■•'■ ;' '■■■■■-', /'Bradford, January'.U.lr- : Jost at -present Great Britain- is ■" Iα -, the throes.of α-geueral .election, and textile conditions, in, Yorkshire are '~being contrasted with Germany and America; -I. think'honestly mill life 'on"the''Continent',"'" oompared with tlie West. Biding is ; in- , ; ferior both as. regard conditions.ofllabou r " . hours ~ as .well as-- payment: ;In ''■. lact, oven strong ■ \ Protcctiqniets ~ are ' not..; to-day attempting to palm on to our,work- > ere .^German , -manufacturing .conditions 'as .-.- "ideal,", connning moßt'-, of., their., : remarks;: to.the' Unite d: States. : '[ One' of.-.Dradford'i ' biggest wool cjporter6---Mr. Pranciß.-yrilics'';; —is a .strong, believer 1 in". Tariff. Eeform;;.': and ho said..last - -. Friday that;hisS.'wool.''■.'. sorters at-: Barre, in the •.tTnited ''States,:." get £3-per'week, 'compared with ; Bradford ' , sorters', £1. IZs..'■' But the most significant,'' contribution' to; the - -.controversy ia;that ; given by Mr. Harrison Benn,.head ;of the - well-known, : . firm. ■of Messrs. : Joseph,; Benn • and Sons,. Ltd., Beokside.Mills,.GrcatHor-', t0n, , ., Bradford. .This firm.huilt. Borne.lea ; ' years ago ,a now mill .at Greystoce,,; \a\Massachusette./and are , thero'manufacUtr-' ing,:successfnlly::tlie Bame'. class' ; of -yarnß:',.' and'■„fabric: ae''iu;'Bradford*.". Free-trade.. cannot have done'!so very; badly'Xor-them, beoauso to the prospectus issued when they^ ,; floated the company, they.showed;that : for the' twelve years—l69o to 1901-r-tho' proflU:" of their business - were: more : than" £39,009'. per-: year—an:aggregate,- as Sir; James- Bobs'.'.': erts,.of SaJtaire Mills rfame,: points out,--nearly naif -a , -million"pounds "eterline.:: : : But -what-1' ; want *to- more I 'particularly':■ ehow.'is': the wages'paid. to .'-the!-various '■' hands - employed in the staple Bradford with-: Ajnerlea; ;j, -. : Of.:'-. course, ■ there ■Iβ. the' extra- 'cost of living-.'. to; consider,': although Mr. HM-rison Benn : : asserts -that-when even-that'is-taken .into: account c Greystone "can:. save. ■ more in : ' America, than, tley' con>.earn'.-in"''.■ England.": 'The-./following- are .the paN: - ticulare' supplied by Mr; Eenn:— :■;;,■.. '■•■■ }■'";

■;--.Yfi-''\Js : ::--y.:-)-< - ■■ ',-: .':-■-.',.■■•". .vvi ;,;,/..,;. : : v v and.;- ! '^-;■'■',.l';'-', v , ;..-■'■ •■' ; ;:'l)&y.\Work; , ; ; Bradford.:.,Qieynone.'C '■/Per. VTebt.-, •!,''.!.-';"■; i.'& : ; e t d;:-52d.;,;».d. y\ Voolsortere ~_-_—i".- "B'O,- •' .-•< 66.8'' :^ : .'; Men box-mliiders-._''l7 oto HO .33 4' ,J. ; ' Noble.-oomb-minderfl. 20 0: ; v v , : . : : 39.7-;:■■:'-; d'. Oan'Bill-mindeis_- 12 6;:■•"."■:.■; 29 2 '-■'•'■' Drawers ' _....__^_." 12 OtoIS 0: 29 2' :: r ■ : -y . Ebyers ;;.i_._..~ul-.:." 11,0 ■ - '.'29 2 : -'J.-V Spinning overlookers 50 0 : • -": -: : 62 6- V- ' .■' Girl, spinners acoord-:r .-:•;.'-.'. ''. ■' :; :;■:.r. :.-V: '■■ '" ing; to number.of•„• ■:■■.-■■''--. ■- " ; - .-■,--'- : .-';.: : ■: Bplndles »6t013 6,~aio.to2JJ■:■ Bolfere : .S 0 ' ■.-• 18 9^" . ■ Girl:.twisters:—.__ '11 o■'.;''V: v 29 ■%'■■■'■■■'.■;■'■■>, ■ Girl warpere _-..— .13 0: ; ■■■ '33 4- .' ' v - : Wcavore ..„;.;:.._.._: -15 0 to 16 0 r '41 8. to 54 T ■Weaving overlookers.36o >" - v 66 8' ;' !.-.■•-• Joiners ■ : .....i._:..;;™' : 31 0t052 0 62 6 ■: v "".' v Mechanioa SOOrV-: ■> -62 6-.' ".r -■ Stokers • 0'"-: \ ; * -60 0 ; :.;^'7;.: '.Another" well-knoTO '"Bradford •; basine*!; man Bays that ,the.reply; to Mr.. Harrißon ■ Benn'a figures': is obvious,! and then- lie nro- ;■ ceede to. ask: this question: "Would .Tariff ■ Beform reprbduoe American conditions in England? If not, what'is, the .value of the v comparison?.:; It; the;'answer.;be Yes, why' has it fadled'to'doso in every .protected, country.in Europe?",''lt ? is certainvthat; Tariff'.Eeform in' England'^ can never pror' , - dnce a duplicate' of American! conditions,:simply: becauee: this .country t is.y.too^de-v pendent upon'■ the: outside, world, , .for. .the.' bulk; of ■ its food • etuffa -~ and' raw mannfao-,: turing materials'.' ; The'questioh. is : a very --■/ vexed one, and it ; will-never:be;.Bettled-te'. , suit-:all parties.:'.■; !, v':-v. ;; s '-~;-"Vs"-:-

'\ .pmotiK'iKiß' mE;KHTDdN; sams.;; :; i Already;.there ;'is.'the- ' sound .■ of;"a'.'gding in the;. top ; of ;the ;mulberry.-ytree's, and ! overybody/seems'to. be-astir making pre , ' paratipns '■'for the next' series of London sales,'which ; :begin-oh , Tuesday. -As : much' interest as: ever centres around', the ing.r and a large /number., of* buyers, are certain-to-be preeent'ltlis already , a fore-: gone conclusion ,that. another lively time will be : seen,'for there is;on all hands nr-' gent, requirementa toibe-' supplied. , - When machinery: is Sept.?goings at the/present rate: it grinds, up -α-lofot - material, . and although "there leVnovcryineioutvfor 'the want of flne:wool, yef-in-crossbreda there 'is'"a-, perfect; wail;ttt:the dearth ~of sup•plies.-: The trade is very hungry for bred;fleece.wool,'and:4l,ooo.bales are available.i/This::ia;'practicallyo.the.. tity as- we saw laet' year, and, will:"do"no more' than ,: meet' present'requirementa.?:.. lunderstand •: that 'already;.' several ;■' noted- ' America n ,, buyers ; have ■ arrived,- and' they will■■mal!e".their : for-the .bestolaeses of croesbredß, touching, in all-pro-bability the'ooarsest- qualities. ! One never: knows,'but I hardly..think we shall eee many.' merinos bought-for America, , ae they have already bought cheaper wool in ' 'Australia. . It is just -poseible;that with the, excellent offerings which'.are- to. be. submitted, • United-; states buyers • may; be,, in the market for- larger- weights, than-..is generally, supposcdj; and "they are.; certain to>be: big, buyers 'ofverossbreds..' A'.'.very- ■ expectant' feeling obtains , -,throughout.- all consuming centres that higher, prices are: going to rnle; - infact, ; ;there.is already a. foregone conclusion that coarse-crossbreda ViU - be dearer by 10 ; per•? cent.-- I- am. strongly inclined ■ ,to c think- that.- even medium ■ descriptions- .will. Valso- appreciate about 'five,; but-it 'is -very: doubtful, if. fine' 'orossbreds- will go: .up. any..- as the. prices paid last series were certainly, very high; . Merinos : are not , . , expected to; show ; much'variatiori,-as; values here aje.'Conr sidered high; and there: tea fair bie quantity''of fine woolto be lifted., \.; ■ v ;.., ;

'v.^-!BpHWA^OTBv!6N.-XHiH.-.08Ttp61C..;.-;-;' ; . ; - ! Me'ssre;iH. Schwartie ond:'aonujanr-Dnl>.; lishedlhis ■'•week i .:Vheir,- .annual preview,. \rhich-as.'USual>is very.;.luminous .:jnta Btatisti'cal:in£orina.tion;iegardi]iE tke:.w.ool' : ' and: • textile /.trades.:,;. In': many - ways- the? say the past year hae proved a,surprising one.~- -To - begin 'withi the ' supplies iwcre, much heavier (than .'had .been .anticipated.; Inetead of a decrease in .the: Australaraao. imports','- which- had .actually.. been'. as. sumed in certain: Quarters, there'.vraa. an increase of'no, fewer'than 224,000 ; bales.. The trade had also to-:reckon-with.further increases; of 104,000 '.hales; from the»Capo, and of 87,000"bales":from the Kiver.Plate, the-'total production'-:reachine- the' enqrr. mous 'figure 0f'3.247,000 bales, includin*;'o. record ■ Australasians dip .'of ,2,296.000 bales. A further : surprise, was provided when , it became evident'that'these v huw ouantitier. could, he; absorbed without difficulty.. ,At no period was any .hesitation:, apparenti and prices'hardened steadily: as the year advanced, bo that merino ie >ow fully-10 per/cent.; and orossbred 25 to 30 uer.'.cent.: doaror ; than a year a«o. rThe close of the ■ year, saw crossbt«ds at their,,hlerhest^point,' while merinos tare about 5 per cent, below the' extrome -prices in- , September, Praptically- the-whole .ofVthe'; increase in colonial • production has gonev.to the. Continent and America,' the latter takine no fewer than- 85,000 bales in excess of; their; last ; year's purchases/: : .'..'.::■. ;.'• - : 'According to , the>"aboye. firm's ' estimate ■'the'■"colonial'and; Eiver 'Plato olios -last; :year showed 47.2 per: cent, as-the production of orossbreds, , " the remainder; being, merinos.'.' Tho average value'.ner. ; bale of colonial-wool worked:iouf,at-f].s,:;and it; took ■' 40,000.000'. sterling -.to -total colonial clip.':; Then '.follows tieir.- viewß regar^ing •' the ; future:—"lt: is' (lifflculfat this period -to;.-estimato. accurately.;.the> probable tho;Australianl,and;Now Zealand'clip, but'-it. appears unljkely thaithere ' can- bo. any considerable,' : inorcaso, Capo' shipments,itooi- should.-shtiw.-only-a small, excees;. while,from', the; Biver.PlaU. there ■will: certaiulyi bo .a heavy,- ilecrcaso,. probably:fully ','O,OOO bales.:co.ua! to nearlj 200,000 colonial bales. :.On the wholo,- then, we miy'anticipate'about;.tho' samo'.onan-. : tity"oft merinost as ,: last: year,-; and , , a largely-decreased snpply '• of :;crbssbreds. Stocks,;so far:as: Eorope is ! !concerned;, aro reasonably email;;; there Js an; active demand, ..oven at this .generally, .oniet period of theVyear, and money:is not eo dear; as' to hamper., business.-;,; The;;putlook,.'.- therefore, is ■ favourable, ■ and w« do not anticipate any serious decline :in values of merino' wool." -' ' •:•■;;;?:.'.'.., ■-.

"Aβ' to. crosebreds .the' fact ''cannot '• be blinked, that they have .risen continually until they 'are once more on a, Bomewhai high level, especially as rogarde;.'the.finer qualities.. But in view br the continued demand' for this-class from vail"'marten! (including tho--States),' .the Oman. , xtslble stocks of raw wool, and- the lareo decroMo in: the production, •:■;.wo; are tncllnn] to think" that here, .too, .the. present ; high prices .are. not..likely. : .to:.be disturbed for some time to como." ..:■'"''-■ ..'■'"■■.

There' is '.'no moro : " astonndiriir ' faot' in connection with.:the wool trarto of Inst year than the arrivals :£rom' AustnJad*, 2.296,000 :bales, making . a ■' worid'i reoori The very fact of- there "also being an' iocrpaso of 104,000 bales'from , the O»m enow* how- South jUrica is: going ■ forwnH -Ma wool-produointt ' comitry, - and .-■ ttwr*, la every, prospect of both 'Austra!aeii;iußd:u»e Cape trimine. ont rewjrd: ipiantUtei «roin this year. South Alrio«n j)sat6rnlisl» tn at present in a wore ; vmgnai-h traa* at mind, and: thay B«im SUposei to .\rtpe out::the. Btijnna .whiuh-.h.M hoot- Rttnolred' to .their, wools doi-hu; tho rant Sftrywun. At the" forthnoinlnc Jwinarj , , nSn ' »oma very pood Wool* are to bo off«o«d. ami we ehall- be much; mnirinod if ; irrorrAinerioa' 13' not a larcor lmyor'of, South Afrloaa WOOls.-..\. .■.:.'."■ :.:-.; . : " .' : ; .- '.-A.- :- .-,VT?\