YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1153, 14 June 1911, Page 10

YORKSHIRE LETTER.

SUBSTITCTKS FOR WOOLS. (From Our ijjiccial Correspondent".) Bradford, .April 2S, 1011. There is no doubt that ivp live in days when everything of a by-product nature is receiving the attention cf tho;e engaged in all trades, and what 25 years ago was looked upon as only fit for the scrap-heap, is to-day being utilised. .Some assert that in tlie natuial order of tilings there is 110 waste, nature taking everything and converting it into something useful to meet the needs of mankind. This common law operates in the wool world as elsewhere, and it would surprise many a man with only a superficial knowledge ol' the trade to see to what use tho various by-products are being put. livery iibre of wool grown upon a sheep can be utilised, but the day was when very heavy locks, for instance, were allowed to rot upon tho dung-hill, l«ing too short to be used. If one gees back 25 years to the time of handcombing wool, then length of staple was an absolute necessity, and anything on tho short side was turned down to be used only in the manufacture of woollens. Things have changed, and even today short six mouths' Cape wools with a staple of 1 inch to H inches arc being utilised. We cannot 5-ny that such merinos are at nil welcome, but with buyers having 110 say at tho producing end of the trade, they must perforce take the wool as it stands, and make the best use of it. At the same time we have always been strong advocates of growers producing an ordinary of ctaple, for without' that characteristic uiie-lialf the manufacturing properties of (he raw material are lost. It sounds to sense that shorter the wcol and more the waste, whereas if growers will simply spinners and manufacturers with something of a useful length, then they can obtain lrom the wool the maximum amount of manufacturing properties. These remarks arc being prompted to-day by the repeated news that manufacturer? in the est Riding have found a substitute for wool—a by no means new announcement. Some months ago a company was floated, at least an attempt was made to float a company, for the purpose of handling sea-w?ed which was said to possess manufacturing properties, and which pould be used in conjunction with .wool in the production of good saleable fabrics. The writer has seen blank-is which contained a certain percentage of this material, and while to outward appearance the goods seemed right, yet put alongside a bit of genuine stuff, the sca-weed-cum-wool fabric was altogether out. of the running. For year's we have been accustomed to seeing vegetable fibres used in conjunction with wool in tho art of manufacture. For instance, cotton is largely used every day, but here wc have a nice length, of staple,, it is sound, whereas seaweed is short, and snaps like glass. If the writer's head never aches until this fibre is generally used by woollen manufacturers, then 'it will not ba yet that that sickness obtains.

It appears that something like 20,000 acres of this marine fibre ore at present known to exist along the foreshore of Kangaroo Island, South.Australia. There may be a million acres available for what anybody knows, it being difficult to make an exploration of the bed of an ocean. We learn that the. promoters expect to bo ab!e to ship 20,0C|1 tons of this fibre per annum at a cost of „C 5 10s. per ton c.i.f. London. The value is said to be 2d. to 3d. per lb., or «£lB 13s. "Id. to per ton. This material is said to be suitable for the production of matting, low carpets, blankets, bagging, Hessian, backing of floorcloths and linoleums, bedding, and upholstery work. That certainly is marvellous, and posribly to some extent designed to attract an investing public.i Wo, must sav' that we are exceedingly sceptical as lo (lie results, and prefer our garments to be made out of a bit of veal good wool grown upon the sheep's back. But then, we live in an age of cheapness, and manufacturers under the stress of competition anil the demands of wholesale buyers have today to produce something tasty and good at little money. Somehow we liavo little fear about the success of this marine fibre, for we cannot yet see bow a lifeless, dead article like seaweed can be utilised in tho process of cloth manufacture. We have had a life-long experience in tho manufacturing trade, and seen almost every known substitute - used in conjunction with wool, but up to the present'we have seen nothing that can be said to meet the needs of machinery like the fleece of the sheep. Of course, substitutes like cotton and mungo will always be used, but these articles possess staple, and a certain amount of strength. Oftentimes mungo and shoddy aro spoken of in very disparaging terms by those who know practically nothing of the articles, but mungo and shoddy partake of tho nature of wool, simply because both ;ico produced from rags which are put through a grindingmachine, which disintegrates the woven fabric, this then making it possible to remanufacture the product, which is usually blended with wool for cheapening purposes. What the manufacturing world •will need to the end of all time will bo raw material possessing life, vitality, and elasticity, and if these characteristics are absent, 'it will lie impossible to produce that which users require. We therefore sav that no party need be alarmed at the so-called substitutes which are being brought to the front in order to replace wool.

MERINOS FIRM AND STEADY. Dealing directly with the wool market, we are glad to bo able to say that all tho sound features hitherto noticed remain intact. The past week has been quieter than wo have recently seen, and a good deal of the excitement has passed, but for all that values are as firm as ever. Wo are now within measurable distance of the May London salMj, and as far as one can see, there is little likelihood of anv change tiil then. Most people are talking about a further advance, and some go the length of saying that we =hall sec an improvement of as much as 10 per cent. That seems to us a little too large, and we think that 5 per cent, will be nearer the mark. Last series some very "long" prices wero paid ior merinos as the end drew near, and notwithstanding the. penny advance which lias been obtained for tho combed article in Bradford, vet tlie cost of tops out ot last series is" above current prices 111 Worstodopolis. Many lots of wool were sold last series that will cost 111 the top anywhere up to 2s. 5d., and yet to-day 2s. 3'd. will secure some very good lines of standard (Si's. AVc are certain that in many eases last series tho clean yield was over-estimated, and ® ven there is no rise, wool will he ouitc dcav enough for the markets of Bradford and the Continent. The* moit significant feature of the wool situation to-day is the full maintenance of consumption, and the raw material is being shifted with the same dcrco of alacrity as wo have hitherto see"n. If we: said nothing more in tins letter than reported, a continuance ot bri*kne*s at the mills, it would_ be worth chronicling, for wc linye here the key to the whole situation. It is really painful to hear spinners complain of their inability to meet the demands which are being made upon them bv manufacturers and export houses, and'all alike are at least -a month behind hand with their deliveries. All kinds of movement are being resorted to in order to meet iho demands of their customers, and instead of being five quick delivery, many assert, that thev are bored to death. • X\ e are glad to be able to say that on all sides consumption is well maintained, prices are as firm as ever, and the whole trade is looking forward with interest and pleasure to the approaching May series in Coleman Street.

CKOSSBEEDS UNCHANGED. There is no less interest manifest in erossbreds, although things are quieter. What else could anybody expect? Yarn spinners and shipping houses cannot go *n buying for ever, and therefore it is but natural to see a less active market than we have recently witnessed. , But that does not alter the fact that prices are anv different ; in fact, topnialcers are as difficult to deal with as ever, and as far as one can see there is little change to note in any direction. Our exports continue on a very satisfactory scale, and with the two branches ot consumption remaining intact, everything is very healthy There is room to-day in Bradford for at lenst 100 more sorters; in fact, two or three firms alone would easily alxnrb these if they were available. Just at the moment supplies are en the (op of combs, and will be for some months to come, livery available combing machiaa is runniuE. and I do not

know- ;i -inqlp firm r-n-.-rrrrl in this operation but what is wurkinj day and night. This shows what is the actual condition of trade. W<- shall soon he witnessing once nunc the cla?h of arms and the round of many voices, but although sompthiin like another IfIIJ.OOO bales ef New Zealand crossbrods will be available al the May sales, which begin in about ten days, yet 110 one is expecting any less prices. We can easily see mi advance of another 5 per cent., for everyone knows that after the present supplies are disposed of, there can be no weight of crossbred wool available till next January in London. ]t appears as if all the New Zealand clip is going to be available at the beginning of the year, and a shortage at the finish. However, topmakers seem at present disposed to buy and so make preparation for the future. Yarn spinners keep unusually busy, and the only difficulty which is confronting them is that they cannot give delivery on new contracts.