OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2667, 12 January 1916, Page 8

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

HUGE WAR DEMANDS ON THE WOOL TRADE (From Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, December 2. The wool trade to-day is up against a very big problem, and one which directly affects every reader of this issue. Europe is engaged upon the most terrible struggle that the world has ever seen. A rough calculation lias been made that about fifteen million men are to-day confronting one another, all with , the object of taking each other's lives! It is a terrible slate of affairs after the centuries of education and Christian teaching, However, if it clears the air, establishes more righteous government, and frees tho world from miltarism, perhaps the struggle and the sacrifice will be worth it. But these problems hardly affect our readers, VVhat we desire is to gain a clear conception of the bearing of the wool trade on the war, which has disfigured the world for the past eighteen months.

Sheep Returns in Countries at War. It is now -an axiom of war that men cannot iiglit ufion empty stomachs and bare backs, and ever since the outbreak of hostilities it has been the object of the British and Allied Government as well as those of Germany and her Allies to provide soldiers vritk something really good to wear. Anyone who has carefully examined the outfit of .Tommy Atkins must admit that he wears 'something respectable, sound, and good.' All his underclothing is quite good enough, shall we say for any man, even King George himself. The writer has had the privilege of inspecting the whole outfit, and from head to foot British soldiers are clad in something really good. All this, has meant a 'big onslaught on to wool 'supplies, and the value of having plenty of raw material to go at has been emphasised again and again. Evon the first placing of khaki orders in September and .October, 1914, led to values for all crossbreds sensibly advancing, and although a check-camo to the upward trend of prices the second week in July, ,yct when Kussia,.. Italy, and our own War Office entered the market again as buyers, it soon, stopped the downward tendency of valuos, and has since led to 0. material advance. Of course, this was largely the outcome of depleted stocks, there being this year such an onslaught for wools suitable for the khaki trade that Great Britain alone has been able to consume approximately the whole of the last New Zealand clip, the result being that values have advanced by leaps and bounds. The writer has been led lo take in hand this subject because of a question, raised tho other day as to the number of sheep being depastured in. the countries ,of Europe at present engaged in tho struggle, and on turning to the latest sheep returns, we find that the following aro the' number of sheep depastured in the countries named:—

Sheep. United Kingdom 28,500,000 Russia 45,500,000 Prance 17,000,000 Italy 11,000,000 Turkey 0,500,000 Austria-Hungary 13,000,000 Bnlgario 8,000,000 Germany 5,500,000 Serbia 3,000,000 Montenegro 100,000 The only remark wo wish to make respecting the above is that every country has not only been able to utilise the fleeces of its own 6heep, but has been compelled to avail itself of the wool supplies of the outside world in order to meet its demand. For instance, Great Britain has had at her command a laTge part of the supplies of Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, it only being towards the end of the year that the embargo was lifted and America, Italy, and Continental neutrals were allowed to help themselves.

War Requirements. Wo need hardly say tliat the requirements of the armies at present confronting each other apo colossal, and as months pass tlioso wants grow bigger. A rough calculation wt*i made twelve months ago of ilio probable weight of wool which would be required by the various armies, and although at tho time the estimate was looked, upon as somewhat "wild," yet succeeding events have fully verified the estimate then made by a X T ew York authority. Let "ua see if we can give the reader some intelligent and fairly reliable Idea of the woijthi of wool which Is to4&x beiag abutted ta J&o o£

Europe. I think we may safely say that tho wool supplies of such countries as Germany, France, Austria, and Serbia can ho ignored altogether, because the weight grown in these countries would he no nioTo than sufficient to supply their own armies with one suit of clothes; in fact, Germany with its five million 6hecp must 'have had immense quantities of wools from the British Empire to proride its soldiers with even one siiit, to'tally ignoring the wool wanted in tho production of all under-garments. Hcnco we say that the nations at war must look for their supplies in the outside world, there being only South America outside tho control of the British War Office. This being the case we will look at tho annual production of wool, our chief supplies naturally coming from Australasia, South Africa, and South America, and in the table below tho production of the British Isles, heing that of ttt-enty-eight million sheep, cannot bo ignored. The following is a fairly reliable estimate of the quantity of wool heinc grown annually in the countries named"

Australasia 767,041* 914 South Africa 174,G50!(X)0 The Argentine 268,970,200 Uruguay 14,760,000 ■ Pun la Arenas &. Patagonia 52,000,000 British Isles 120,000,000 Total 1,397,431,1 M Wool Consumption. The reader Ims now been supplied with fairly reliable data respecting \\,ool plies, and wo come to deal with tho question of wool consumption or tlie amount of wool required per head by each man on the battlefields of Europe. After reckoning the quantity of wool required in the production of a great coat, a full suit, pants, vest, shirt, and stockings it 18 estimated that if the materials were made from pure wool, it. would require something like 151b. of' clean scoured material to complete the outfit of a British soldier. But pure wool is not used altogether, and that fact might as well stated as not. We should sar that one-third of the quantity will consist of the very best pulled from new sorgo khaki rags, lxaides flannels au<l castoff stockings, ami similar materials. Jhe writer has como to the conclusion that, practically speaking, a British soldier is consuming 121b. of pure Jjqo in his complete outfit, and we wJ? a r® the same £,i;i? * rene . h . Belgian, and German soldiers, Everybody knows that shoddymade fabrics are of little use to stand the strain of a battlefield, and in the production of a great coat or a khaki suit, a man. cannot afford'to use any more than the quantity of shoddy already named. It is a fact that tho output of tho armies of the Balkan States is not anything like so good in quality as that of English, J rench, .Belgian, and German soldiers, but, roughly 'speaking, we should say that the whole of the armies of Europe *jre absorbing something liije 101b. per • jSI n- a reasonable case, a man in the firing-line- and iu. tho trenches ivil] easily get through three suits per year, if not more; in other words, it means that a solaier is going to consume anvv hero from 30 to 301b. of clean wool per annum. If we multiply 36 by 15 million, l K $\ YG9^ l \ of clean wool, vrhich will be required. Of course, in calculating the production of Australasia, fcouth Africa, and South America, the fi»give are for wool in the grease, and if we reckon this to give, say, a shrinkage of 60 per cent., we get 558,972,0001b. of clean wool as the normal production of the countries named. The reader can thus see that there is not a very quantity of wool left from the sources already named to supply the requirements ot the whole of the civilian population of the ouitsido world, consequently stocks of raw material have been pretty well exhausted by the advent of tho present new clips of Australasia, South Africa, and South America. It is a fact that tho armICS of Europe, together, with the civilian population requirements, have fully kept pace with production; in fact, the war has no doubt been responsble for shifting all surplus stocks that existed previous to tho outbreak of hostilities. As we contemplate the future, we are satisfied that the requirements of the world to-day are fully on the top of supplies, and 110 one need be surprised if the war continues another twelve months to see a still more pronounced shortage of raw material. Wherever we turn mills are very busy, tremendous numbers are Tunning night and day, consequently consumption ivas never so large in Great Britain or America, "while hungry machines are met in Europe outside the war areas, both the Netherlands and Scandinavia in particular being very keen to buy everything of a manufacturing nature. A Stronfl Market. The position as regards the market is a ' very healthy one. AVe find business satisfactory, and prices are firm to hardening. A good deal depends upon the position of the topmaker as to whether he is willing to sell on last week's basis, or is demandnig id. more. Still, good 64's tops can be bought at 3s. 5d., though Alarch is named as the earliest month for delivery. The most satisfactory feature of all is that consumption is fully maintained, and the optput. is still at "the maximum. The trade is now looking forward with interest to the approaching London sales, and everything points to fully last sales' values being maintained, and no one need be surprised if a fraction more has to be paid. The fact is, supplies of crossbred wool in particular are new very low, and as far as one can see there can be 110 augmentation, of stocks until the arrival of the new clip from New Zealand. Here, too, prices are very linn, and the constant buying of our owi Government and those of our Allies of khaki fabrics all helps to stimulate the market and augment consumption.