OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2630, 27 November 1915, Page 7

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

LONDON SALES AFTERMATH (From Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, October 8, 15)15. In tlie offices of the city, merchants and importers havo spent a very busy wock, quite as activo a period haviug been encountered as when tho sales ■ were on. There has been a good deal of clearing up, salo accounts have poured in, and what with one thing and another all alike have had no spare time whatevor. The congestion at the docks is so acute, and the difficulty of handling cargtfes gnt6 so much worse, that clearing up shipments is becoming a real trouble to averyoiio. However, buyers have gone home, the majority being glad to get eway. I'hcro was naturally very much grumbling at selling brokers only being able to- catalogue often not more than 8000. bates per day, with a few thousand "not shown" that ought to have been staged, and evidently many littlo lot 6 have been lost. It is now taking a month to get wool from Loudon to Bradford, and the situation is so acute that the railway coiv.panies in Bradford refute to deliver wool to the Conditioning House; tho simple reason being that drays have often to wait six to ten hours before being able to deliver their loads, and standing in the street that time is an experience enough to exercise the patience of a Job. Neither will any railway company bring to Bradford any wool on account of a bank, hence conditions to-day are very difficult indeed. These are a few ride lights upon the wool trade which will enable colonial growers to see what things aro likoatthis end, and however great efforts are put forth to Ternedy. the congestion, things seem to get no "forrader." Closing Results. The last few days of tho series produced nothing different except that there seemed to devolop a stronger competitive force which favonred tho rale of scoured crossbred■) in particuiar, and the very highest prices of the series were also paid for merino grease that showed length of staple. Compared* with the closing rates of the previous series, the following shoWB the alterations that took place:— Australian Wool.—Merino in grease, superior, par; merino in grease, average .to good, id. to Id. cheaper; merino in fjrease poor condition, Id. cheaper; mor'ino in grease, inferior pieces and locks, id. to Id;"cheaper; merino, scoured, superior, par; merino, scoured, average to good. ld. to ljd. cheaper; merino, scoured, inferior, ljd. cheaper; merino, scoured, faulty pieces and locks, Id. to ljd. cheaper; merino lambs' wool in grease, superior, par; merino lambs' wool in grease, medium, par to Id. cheaper; merino lambs' wool in grease, inferior, par to $d. cheaper. New Zealand Wool.—Crossbred in grease, fine, superior, id. to Id. dearer; crossbred in grease, fine, ordinary, par to Sd. dearer; orossbred in grease, medium, superior, id, dearer; crossbred in grease, medium, ordinary, Id. cheaper; crossbred in grease, coarse, superior, Jd- cheaper; crossbred in grease, coarse, ordinary, Id. cheaper; crossbred in grease, lambs, superior, ljd. cheaper; crossbred in grease, lambs, .ordinary, 2d. cheaper; crossbred scoured, fine, |d. to ;d. cheaper; crossbred scoured, medium and coai'so. Id. to ljd. cheaper; medium slipe, .fine, lid. cheaper;'crossbred slipe, medium, 2(1. to 2id. cheaper; crossbred slipe,' coarse,' 2d. to 2id. cheaper. ■ ■ ■" South' African Wool.—Snow white, 6iiper, Id. to tyd. cheaper; snow white, medium, 2id. cheaper; snow white, inferior, 2d. cheaper; greese, combing, light, par; grease, combing, heavy; par to Jr. cheaper; grease, clothing, light, par to Id. cheaper; grease, clothing, heavy, Jd'. to Jd. cheaper. Supplies and Deliveries to the Trade. • Messrs. Schwartze, Buchanan and Co. publish their usual figures showing how tlie current colonial clips are moving into the hands of consumers. Tho figures nro exceedingly interesting, but whon one considers the aggregate distribution, one wonders whore the extra 700,000 bales have gone, as ..the total distribution of colonial wool up to the close of last series amounted to 2,030,000 bales, compared with 2,727,000 bales for the correspording. period a year ago. A' still more remarkable feature is the takings this year of tho Home trade, the figures being returned at 1,566,000 bales against 873,000 bales- for 1914, though tho features which eclipses all others is tho takings of the Continent, which axe 119,000 bales, compared with 1,668,000 balse up lo the end of the corresponding period a year- ago. It simply means that tho war has disturbed all ordinary channels of trade, and if Germany has been drawing upon her previous 6tocks of wool, they must by this time be completely exhausted. We give below particulars of the. total deliveries to the trade, inoluding transit wools, and direct- imports up to tho olose of the recent London auctions, compared with' the ' corresponding period a" year ago:— 1914. 1015. Bales, Bales. Hopie consumption ... 873,000 1,580,000 Continental consumption .. 1,688,000 119,000 American consumption 166,000 325,000 , ' ' . 2,727,000 2,030,000 Adelaide's First Sale. The cablegram, issued by Messrs, Elder, Smith and Co., Ltd., of London, which they received last Thursday from their Adelaide hquse, proved to be very acceptable to the trade, and gave rise to considerable gossip. Everybody felt g;lad that they had cabled tho average prices for well-known clips, and it is evident that two or three which figured in Coleman Street last season are going to be sold locally—a wise thing to do under-pre-sent 'conditions. It is the writer's firm conviction that so Iod; as high prices are ruling, growers shoui meet tho market, and the .'prices oabled as having been actually made look to those on this side familiar with the wool to be very good ones. No doubt several of the clips will be more or less affocted by drought, but where wools show any length at all they are going to be in prime favour, and are certain tt> be appreciated: It is patent that Adelaide prioes a week ago were fully on a parity with Coleman Street, and Bradford- topmakors would, no doubt sucure reasonable quantities, seeing that good tops ■ are going to cost well over three, shillings, the same as they did out of tho best wools sold in. Coleman Street. The worst feature is that the trade will receive a.marked decrease from S. Australia during tho current year, but it is to be hoped that pastoralists will do their utmost to increase their flocks, and tho addition of three to four million sheep would be a very welcome feature to everyone. There was never a time in the history of tho wool trade when South Australian merinos wero so much appreciated, particularly the warp wools grown in the Midland and Lower North areas of the State. Quitt Markats in Bradford. Turning our attention to consuming centres it must be said that conditions in Bradford are slack. There seems to be on a "bear" move which, to say the least, is disappointing. It is a fact that some of the biggest Importing topmakers have sold their standard 64's for January at three shillings and'are offering to accept that t price to-day. This quotation is largely forthcoming from topmakers who own combing plants, and naturally the big firms taking 'such a price has forced others to follow suit. Even for spot* delivery it lias to bo a very good top that will fetch more than 3s. lid., there being plontv of average tops sold during the past fortnight at 3s. I<l. and Ims. Ot course, it is a. good price considering what the tops are costing, but why there should bo a deliberate sacrificing of margins is more than an outsider can really understand. There is absolutely, no need for it, and yet many firms apparently are prepared to sell if they get a reasonable bid. There is not a single commission woolcomber in Bradford j>ut what states candidly that the combing difficulty is getting worse, and will do to till tho war terminates. The number of male employees is exceedingly* small, and there is such a big demand for female labour amongspinners and weavers, that womeii will not work in the high temperature which combing require*. Crossbred?, too, aro on the easier side, and the Chamber of Commerce scorns totally opposed to endorsing request of the Export DetwHlHSttt U'usStifftl IPJJS Wslß&' Stat fa m Allies*