YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 21, 19 October 1918, Page 10

YORKSHIRE LETTER

t ' BRITISH AND AMERICAN BUYING INTERESTS J..-V- ■;>■ .-:. .-. '. \ .- ..- V:' '(From Our Special Correspondent.) i .■■'■■ i;; ■..;■';■.:. .Bradford, August 22.. !.'■-■. VMr.'A. S. Patterson, president of the f Textile Alliance in the United States, f; having come over to Westminster on a : mission, suggests a brief consideration . of ; what-is known to be happening.,ln \ ' .thetfirst place, Mr. Patterson has phiy-iVed'-an important part during tho r.re-i-sent war, .representing English-Ameri-fVsah wool interests, and is now acting i in ithe capacitj' of Foreign Wool Ad!i ministrator on the War Industries [.'Board. , By his business ability he has [.smoothed'over many a difficulty, and i paved the way for business freedom v when the shipment of wool, tops, noils, I arid wastes . has been possible. The I "-entry of the, United States into the [war-has meant the precipitation of pni. other set of conditions, making it imhperative for' London and Washington I to act harmoniously in conducting the i-great textile trade. The interests. of -the two countries are ns one so long as'.the present straggle lasts, it being !"• 'imperative, for our American Ally to ! have placed at her mill doors an ade- ! ■ tmate supply of raw wool at a .reasoni able price. The South American" and -South African markets have been open j so-far to American importers, at 'east I: up'to July 28 licenses were granted f ifreely for the free importation into i 'America of all foreign-grown wool. ; -[Americans have never lacked enter- : prise in the wool trade, and their er- •'. forts have .been, rightly rewarded. Howi ever, conditions to-day are very difterf.eht from what they were, and there is i no doubt that Mr. Patterson is trying ;■•-to arrange a programme for future ! wool operations beneficial to both Unt- ; fell and. United States interests. i The Known Programme. !;V';Five.-.well-known firms, two English - and three American, have been appomt-i-.-ed-.to buy for America in;. Buenos Aires [ and Monte-Video, but so'far nothing is '' known of what will be done in South ■ 'Africa. -Of course there is-a good deal ' of. heartburning in .' American . wool circres.at ; five'firms..'beirig'solely selectfed for operating in South American !■■ markets, several well-known brokers !" being left out in the. cold. In .this S scheme of State:,wool control ..many. I firms-good and J respectable—were { hound to be scrapped through no fault ■of. their own.'-It .'seems to the-writer itljat if the British. , and. American Gov- !. ernments had fixed the. price.they would r pay for good, clean, scoured tyools ■-each firm could hare been.allowed "to (operate on its i own account, because I- lf-.it had been>made a penal offence to ; charge more; - for certain qualities■:of I wool, quoting' a maximum price for (.superior'lines, both the British and 'American trades would have forked !' to that margin., The same principle ob-i-tains in'the top trade of Great Britain. (An approximate price is fixed, but out i own Department charges anything up. I'to 3d!-per :ib. .more , for a- superior spinner's top of the same quality, and I .if.;* say, 3s. per lb. has been feed, as 'the clean, scoured price for 46 s fleece i'iwbol in'either (Boston or-Bradford, imi- porters could have worked to that once ' in' Buenos Aires.'■' : lt .could have been h'ma'de an .offenco"' for' anyone-to :have It'invoiced, woo! at' aboye that price, and hin.;this. trade, could have coni tinuedT business--as 'heretofore.

i -■■.-.;..-, south .American Exports. Sμ The writer -has.never before known a f'time when South American wools, have J been.so prominently before the trade, f'-Buenos Aires and Monte Video are to ! the front because hitherto both centres f ;have been free, and -undoubtedly'a tig I'business has been done. Even ltiore Kiwould have been done if more freight [had been':available, aml.it is remarkable that from October 1, 1917, to ("July 14, 1918, the exports of wool ' : from Buenos Aires were 221,778 bales, .'compared with 319,425 for th> corres.'ponding period'of the year previous, a "difference of 97.647. ..One does not to say a derogatory word regard-j ■ tins Great Britain, but had it not been ! -for the interference in purchasing and .by: our own • authorities, this f/country wopld. have figured very diff'.lferently,'. for it will bo seen from the [, jnjlowinp" table that the exportß to the .'lUnited' States were only 2473 bales; Compared with 33,638 .for the samo (period! in the wool ■. year previous. vAmerica has been by far the biggest Hbuyer, and«the table of South American exports is well worth close analysis. ; 'rAs.previously stated, it is a surprise ■that : "Ameripan ;buyers have not been ■largeV .operators, but-when 40.000 bale? : reniaitfjunshipped - there, is little en:;courageinentto"put more money into ,-Wqol; ; that being tho position of American operators. .'•..Wo. dare say British ,buyers'.'w;ould have done' more, but our '.authorities, no. doubt for diplomatic •■reasons,, v :discouraged English operations, besides,'; : whatever was purchased '■■arrtl.brought; to England was commandpeered by the British Government. ' At ~.one time the British authorities exstended. the privilege, to British houses ;to buy in South America and import, I, guaranteeing importers 3 per eont., ■': providing the Department took over jthe wool on being landed, this actually -'taking place. Then the guillotine and the trado entirely stopjped. i The result is that for the past J J: six months nothing more has bean i (done, but we understand that tire ; small stocks which were held in Buenos I Aires on British account have been ; brought home by our Government, [rind, aro being used in military fabrics. jThe 'following gives some very interbesting particulars of the movement of fSouth American wools during the !' period alreadj , ' named: — WOOL SHIPMENT. '■' ' . ; t Same !-.'. ' Previously period : :: . ■ ' : ■' • ". .reported, last year. Bales. Bales. Kingdom... 2,473 33,633 .; Genoa* 18,233 25,509 !-TJnited States ... 159,110 210,112 ; : -Bdrdeaux 3,270 22.853 ";Havre $436 1,447 -■Marseilles 4,359 - 3,097 :■'" Amsterdam and Roti;; terdam ISO 7,517 ".'•■Barcelona 4,681 3,157 j. Various ;. : ............. 14,098 9,055 I;- Totals ...... 214,810 319,425 :;■. SUMMARY. '■-.''■■ • ' Bales. "Total to date 221,778 ;. Total to 1916-17 319,425 "■Total to 1915-16 258,782 [Total 1916-17 (total Oct. 1, j,:.-- 1916-Sept. 30, 1917) 349.622 : : Totnl 1915-16 (total Oct. 1, . i. ■ 1915-Sept. 30, 1916) 299,207 ■ ;l t ruguayaw wool shipments. [,' ! Previously Last !';' reported. jear. f ; - Hales. Bales, i Genoa 17,706 9,508 ■ United Kingdom 100 1,729 r;United States ....... 12,'J65 45,585 '■ Bordeaux and Mar- |. Vseilles 1,554 1.477 fe Havre .3,114. 253 ! Various 13,523 2,952 V. 48,962 61,504

South American Crossbreds for Military Cloths, No one will dispute tho ■ suitability of tho wools grown in South America for military purposes, as they'fire practically as good as New Zealand and British-grown wools. Our only regret is that more have not been available in this country, but they are being largely used in. the United States mills, and no doubt will bo for a long time to come. The bulk of the wools are around 40's to 46V-quality, due to so much Lincoln blood being used, in the River Plate, flocks. Yorkshire spinners prefer 44's to 36's qualities, hut in the production of military fabrics Bri-, tish spinners and manufacturers have arrived at ■ tho point when almost any quality can be used for this purpose from 36's upwards. Of "course, something finer than' this is miich to be preferred, but to-day 36's, and 44's are being blendedNn the production of 2-21's yarns which now form the warp for the tajtan.and;drab serge for the ordinary soldier., Great improveireni has baen. noted during rocent years in South American wools. Everybody is certain that Germany will not have'unlimited access to colonial wools, and no doubt British, Fronch, and 'American' firms w£t competo_ against. Germany both ateßuenos Aires and Monto Video. Nearly all the Patagonian ard Chilian clips have been shipped to the United States for two .seasons, and for hosiery spinning purposes the wools shipped at Punta Arenas have hardly any parallel. . When looked at from a commercial standpoint, South American crossbreds Sre to-day filling 'a most useful position, and as one looks forward, we may expect this to continue. The fabrics mnde from Argentine crossbreds may handle a little harsher than if made from New Zealand crossbreds, but they spin well,' come a good colour, and when properly sorted into their respective q>ialities do admirably. It is also known that German firms in South America are holding considerable stocks of wool ready for rushing to Germany immediately peace is proclainied. In the meantime a combined effort is to be made to nurchase wools in South .'America on' behalf of the United States, and probably Great Britain as well.