YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1321, 27 December 1911, Page 8

YORKSHIRE LETTER.

CHINA AS A BUYER OF WOOL. (From Our SDecial Oorro6cdnd«nf.l Bradford, Xovem'bnr 16, inn ■1 -'S EWing is intimately oonneo). eel with tho outside world, for mam- of its manufactured goods are distributed throughout every countrV. .VoWith«laiwl. ing high end cruel taVi/fs. Tork'liii-» manufacturers ore able to producr woolleu and worsted fabrics,, iuoludirr lops and yarns, which ore largely' taken by other conrilno?. Although our export Irnrle m fully nianufnctured goods i= perhaps hardly up lo the high sfaudard tliat it onco was,, still when the figures ior seini-manuiaclured articles nre added tho aggregate total is greater than ever, home sriimblo'af the. (Incline which luis laken place in our export of-fully-made textiles, but when one goes throu'"h the towns' ami villages , of Ihe West UMini there is no evidence whatever of retrogression. If a map of the West Hiding ot lorkshire is- tatcn, and the point of a pajv of compasses put on linidfo'r'd, it will be found that every town and village within' a radius of twenty miles will lie enjoying n. rirnVpi-totis, time. thoughts are suggested by Hie present slandinjf-- of Ihe raw lrjaloriiil in overseas mai-ket.a, but. more-particularly' by the sciciul revolution in China'.. Considering Ilie present trouble in tho Far Kast, and tho groat struggle that is tnkinp pln»» iu order to smash up-old systems, ii fg surprising whut littlo uttr-niion lias bc-ou given lo the tn.ttilo trado that' Great Britain ;s doing with the Celestial Umpire. During the past few days I hove, been trying to realise what, it would mean !p tho. woollen and worsted trades , if the kilning niilliori.s of China adopted Western' ideas and -methods of dress,- it doe? not need the wisdom of a Solomon to also see .what an important bearing it would have upon the wool supplies of Australia by causing higher values, and before'very many years I am certain that a great chalige'in this direction will take place. Of course, China has-" been' one of Lancashire's best customers in the past for its cotton , manufactures. As civili- , sat ion spreads, ami European, ideas and methods." of dress become', more , generally adopted, a transformation will come over the Chinese,,, anil they, will buy'more of those fabrics into which' wool enters.

THE TIiADEDOIMi. It is always well to give. thn roadman intelligent, idea' of tin; actual trade doing between two .countri.es . thai av'o being , sjioken about. From the' officialreiiiru's. of the.' annual statement of the United Kingdom, 1 sliiiw b?low the exports both of cotton yarn aiui piece goods sen 1' from (ho ['ni'ted- Kingdom (0 China duriiii, , rixen't years:— Quriutitii'S. 190 S. IW. . r.UO. Cotton yarns:, . lbs: ...... 5,538,100 -t.l-72.Wf0- 75:',ii)0 Cotton piece • ■ Socds. yards ... 498,2»i,>3f10 572.18.U0!) 171.531,600 \Voollen nud worsted : yarn, lbs. ... 271,200 . of&IOO 260,000 Woollen and wor-ted n.52n,60fl o,C7fi,noO 10,i!8,300 Value. 190 S. lflb'J. 1910. £ .t J: Cotton '.rariis, . lbs 250,280 IKI.IJi W.9IC Cotton picco goads, •yards .... 21>5,'J53 7,315,yi.~> 7,2"U,190 and worsted yarn, lb.i. 20,0-17 :12.7'.17 aiJ! Woollen and worsted-pioi.-o goods, yurds' ... M2,:i!i9 ' Ml,7j!i i;17,5>79 Other than niece goods. yards ... t>5.007 Sti.SUl lll.Mti 11. will be scon from the atou , that in regard to the woollen and_ wdis.led piece goods • exported, la.-t yom-'s nu-iii-L-.- an.thu lnrge.-t since IMS. Thvy ;iw, luiwevnr. nntliiiiK near lo iniportani ns, IWili, when 11j.732.100 yards wore oxpcrtcl. wbile in 11(07 no lew than 17,851.fiWj yards Mere a«nt to , China. Of cotim , . trade vniic.-. ron-ideriibly with' foreign"• lo'arkeLv each y«-ar. sml nX 'imr.« tnfctftr- .ire 111 operation which -jrc-itlr' inil'-'cuce tl?n of ordcti for certain classes of fabrics,

dm tlHiiiiinl for wliii-h v;,iie- iiirnrdini 1.1 lii-llioil", we. llnv.cviT. I here i- auii)ii« lri>vi'llci> riM'ri-.'i.iinc. limi.-t's ;i iiiiiiiiiiii'.iu- ■.ijiiiii.-m Ilia! i.'hina i- a mmin» cjiinlr.v lor ab-iirbins woollen and v.-iirstc-l I'.-i'ljric-. Altli;>iish miiny .years- ] ini-vibbly ebipse bciniv China brI'oinuN an impcriunl (rompclitor at .\«>- iralian selling centre-, it is well lo reiiieinlii'i" the siiriirisiitK iiillu.'iirr of eiluCiition, as' ivitn.—«l in .luikiii. Ulanlnds and fabrics for tin- Chii"-'' troops are bcili',' ino-tly nuile at liouir, aiul I am certain liiat jii.-l- a- rnlton is vr.iwinu in the I'm- V.s~i. >o bef.ire l.ins I woollen 11ml woi-.-!lh! mill- will 1...- c.-l.ib- I li-iinl in (I'iiiii ils'if. Ii ii.t:U mi lent; >irt'l-.:li or tin' tu ««• that «■- «i>on 11- iii" Cliinf.-i' ni'iion beu'in- to v.;eor «u'.)llen unil woi--I.ml fabric- a '?reai dil-I'eieiic-c will be n-.ndc in tin- woo! world. A!-■•■). Ihcii- wir.ipr- are colli, am] -omo- • thing l-.ravier than cotton i- ceriainly itqu'irei to-ket'ii the human body warm. Till. TRAOK'oV Till-'. WKST r.II.HNX;. TiU'V.' i< ri'l-.llv notliiiv,' very new or -lartliii" to miv id rcgaril to the: wool Mtuatiou. I'erli-ip- the V.M thins-.1 ™n -av thi- wfk is tha<- busine« <;i>nei-ally al" (he mill end nf the -trniln is bMier. This is duo entirely to the placms «t now orders for yarns and pieoc--. HaviiiK recentlv had the privilege of goins; Ilirousi sonlf'important iliMi-ict- in the West 1.-irt-inj,-. I am jrlail lo noti thnt in mo.-t--eases mills aro »ell ninployml, and that some are workinc riverlime. riiw'-woisicd nianufacturcr.s in Huddersfielil are uinloubleflly-the worst off of any section, ' but although there are some 'looms standing, oud only onlitmry lime being worked in the majority of eases, there is. nothing serious yet to complain about." 1 should liko things better'if-some-of--Ilie bipsest. and be=t firms in Uudcler.field were fully employed, font-weavers are liariaff to piny a- lew d'iy< in several case- when they, 101 l out " At the same time, if wo u'O tlirauili the heavy woollen district. s;ty around Oewsbury and Batluy. then on In Leeds, Pudfoy, Srannirißley, Tiar-ley. '.'alv?rl<?r. Yeailon. Uinslt-y. an.l Keijtliby. there' is little ciiise for cbiniilnint. while Brad lorn , combers and siiiimers have fully .■>« much as they can <\\ J. is j here. too. where we find ftandin? .loom-. Worsfi'd dress <;no(l* manufacturer.-. ' «nd worsted coatins inaniifneturei-s arc nuinl. Still what eoncerus- us most is the oonsmnntion of the rnw niatvrial, ami it do?s' inilesd.'s>olll stvanKo'that combers and spinners should keep tmuiins . full time when coatin? aiuVdre's; gnofl.i'manuI fnclurer-", aiV'rjniefer in Bradf'irJ auu . ! .tliuldeiffield'.' .Somo arc sCronsjly of the [oninioii tliiit Chovinl (wfcds aro join? lo S hiivo a run. and there arc'crljiinlv very slron"'indications io that clYect. Tf mis io-jks'' over ihe bmiclifts of tnilors' p»(fems'for Ihe prosenf. seasfln. liio'dium and fine crossbred fabrics predoniinalc. . T liftir from Hie.V>?.4 sources Hvit fnv Ilie oiitumn oud winter or ' 19U! S:ot.-h 'tweods. "iThii-.li, of course, arc ii.lso- Inrjf'.ily muslo in 'the - AVc.-t Kidin;,. have taken Vl' '>}" 11,0 wh.-dcs.ale Ira'di-. moro .than ever. - It. is ncrlitinly. a lililo siu--prisinp where nil th?. fine coating yarns I are coins.-lint it must be borne in mind that." as I have explained in- past k'l.tr-r.-. •worslcd yarns arc to-day boiiv; con-nn.oil in'the woollen trade iu Urn. prod.u?lion of such useful fabrics a? rpinpronf;, liionUes. worsted . si-rv'es. and D'.o like. Here, undoubtedly, we have the e\plal':i----1 (ion why fine Botany spinuurs coniinue I lo be busy. Of course, prices lvavo b»2ii sensibly shaded duriiiK the past ?i:< weoks. in order to induce.now business, and -it is well-known, that "niMßms" aro- nothins tiDar so sood as they, were earlier in ■tho year.. • . . . JIEBIXOS TEJIY riEM. "Bradford continues lo be- dcminalcd with tho new? from .Vustrali.i, and several <ia'ble.s have epine to hand this week which r,lca.rly indicate . -very liriu markets. To bevvry: candid,- prices aro not going j.n either Sydney, or Adelaide, as. Bradford buyers , would like to we, .-their hiuid-.- being forced too by- Ilie Cfnlinent. Jt was hoped that when bi[T . wei"hts of wool would be ottered in the middle of Xovember to lli-J middlo of December I there would be nn ease in Tallies, Init prices are tending in the opposite direction. Tho ears, of the rn'de'-n-sro , tins'lin" lastMoudaycn Bradford Exchange, when (he Yorkshire "Observer'' issued a cableKr.iiii fj-oiii its Sydney correspondent stating th'it f.pinuei;a 70's tops would cost 30(1., lil's \iid., nud 60's IV-β. This vrn-i considered a little "b'aliny" by everyone, nud a good deal of ridicule was poured . upon it. Tile reader can easily uiuJimstand this wb«'u there wore buying brokers finite ready to accept orders, on a. basis of i'>\<i. !'or Bradford GCs lops, and. the ! most -remarkable thins of all was the fact that there were importing topmakers quite prepared to soil forward for February tlclively at ?sd. Of course, the news hod tho Vlteet of putting a litl.lo bit m'oie ■ backbone •into several firms, and pricewere therefore .quoted-aj. iirr.i.aud steady. At th« same tini'j. it is quite fnsy ta buy j for next ye.ir delivery ;tf 3>;d.'. and I I think a.-fraction-less would betaken for I I'ebruary, March, and April, delivery. There obtains throughout the West Rilling a strong opinion that values will yet po back to a JIVd. basis., and the- frenoral inclination is, to let the Continent continue to absorb supplies, for wlx>n they I have had their fill, Bradford will hove a look in at values more in harmony with (he ideas of users at this oml. There is. a nice steady trade doing lor spot deliv-' pry, mid for a very good lop i!">Jd. has' L-ss'n made, but this is not general. I understand Ihfil in more quarters than nne there is a : disposition to clour out at a furth'iiig 10-'s, and =0 get ready" for lifting Iho new clip when it arrives." Xoils. nr'e just itboiit w'hero they have' been for months back. A. steady' trade conlin'uss j to Ije (bue, but at prices which do not I fhow any advance, and this article is. certainly cheap for anyone who can use' it. If values were.' a penny higher it would make, n big difference to toplnakcrs.' and it is surprisinj,' that they can bell good fine tops as reasonably as they are doing! "• ' There is. r.o change in c'rossbreds until news, camps t 0 hand from Christchurch informing topmakers resardin? the future of prices. It is generally believed thn I ! values will not fall to the le-el of Bradj lord.