ENGLISH JTOL IMPORTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 112, 13 May 1937, Page 12

ENGLISH JTOL IMPORTS

JTHE'SEASd§S FIGURES-

ENCOURAG?NG OUTLOOK

'y (From "The Posffs" Representative.) : ■ IJONDON, April 24. ...With the close iof. the wool-selling .season in New Zealand, there has been a.general reviewhof."the wool imports '.into Great Britain^during the past year -and a stocktaking .among the industrialists, : One opinion,, which will be welcomed-in Ne\|' 'Zealand, is that .wool is likely: to Sremairi. around its present price, lev* for some time to come. At the sanie time, while wool is a costly commodity today, compared with recent'years. 4nd before 1914, consumption by the'Tofkshire mills continues on a very big scale,-and it is not suggested that thare will- be either a shortage or a surplus in England. ..-■ * The Board of ilTrade returns for March provide sor|ie exceptionally interesting figures delating to imports and re-exports of Ifbreign and colonial 'wool during the -Wast twelve months. The quantity of merino wool imported into England during the' first three months of this y« h (126,129,0001b) was ,33,765,0001b less th iin in the corresponding period of 1936,1 and compared with 1935 the decline 10,399,0001b. The "quantity of crossbred wool imported •(110,664,0001b) was [12,684,0001b less than in the corresponding pet;iod of, .1936, •fed 1,341,0001b mo V-e than in 1935. •: DECLINE IIN |SOME SORTS. TS The- quantity of S other sorts," which -like the'wool returned as merino, and crossbred! includes) greasy, skin, etc., wa5'20,263,0001b. 'S.'his was a decrease of. 5,675,000 .on 4he first three months of 1936, and an increase of 1,259,0001b on .th'e.'.cbrresporidil ng period of 1930. This year's' total (| ,57,056,0001b) shows 6 -decline' of 5_,124,C|1i01b, compared with 1936, and 7,799,000 Do on 1935, but the Ttelue was £1,312.1*20 more than in -1936, and £5,003,16 fr more than in, 1935. In view of such a [striking increase in - it is not at (jail surprising that Bradford iopmakeiSi fand merchants. ;have .operated cautjiously throughout '-the whole season, jf ; : -'Exports of .impcfe.-t'ed: !foreign and Colonial wool duriiji|?' the first three months of this yearn show a decline of ■;5,979,0001b in meriVno, 13,226,0001b in Crossbred, and ,an-, i H crease:- of .4,467,000 lb'in other sorts. 'Bhe t0ta1,(59,065,000 lb) was-14,738,0001'bi less than in.the Corresponding '.'per.W'd 'of 1936, and •11,449,00pib less'thalii-in 1935. ' i '?« The'value 'of' thiß 'year's, re-exports :was "£3,760,595, | compared' with '£3,421(469 in Januaip/-March,. 1936, and£3,078;130 in'the corresponding period of 1935. The net cjjuantity of'foreign and colonial wool fietamed for home consumption was -1.87,991,0001b. This .•wa5'37,386,0001b less!) than in the corresponding period eh? "1936. j Imports of wool tKom Australia up to the'end- of Marcblj this season were nearly 20,000,0001b.gKeater.than in the corresponding perioH of . the 1935-36 season.' The 1 Zealand total is about '22,000,0001b dcw.vn. 'The South African-total is ab0t8.,29.000,0001b less, and that" 'of' the ? Argentine over 7,000,0001b 7 down.,- - | v, British rrb PORTS. '•■Tt is .interesting to't-nttter', the fluctuations between imporfl^r m, corresponding.months of the twpf years: The most striking- of-.these "ate \ the figure Sj relating -to' imports from ■IJ "ew Zealand during the first three moil) ths of 1937. Thes e may.be seetifrOrii ythp: following table: ■ •

1H '35-36. 1936-37. ' 31 lOOlti. ! 10001b. j u i y - 19,555 17,056 Au g US t 30,919 6,331 ' September ' ? 5 046 7,744 October -.. I 5-4*4 UQ November ...... 3.1« 1,782 ■December 1 3,903 %ji* : January W. 143 8,8,2 ■February ;J.3'7 1»,443 March 53^ 20' 182 Totals t •••• i\*m w^

y me Bradford correspondent of the "Yorkshire Post," co. (_imenting withe current season's": figures, said. They appear to embody -th<b more stable features. of its-predecessor and, in view of the -exceeding-. Ibrisk buymg of United Kingdom Waters during Febriiafy and March,-liU.le surprise wul ,be" felt if-our impo|i ,figures .in the 'months .immediately {.abead make up most if not all,.the Heeway to bo reySvered if our curre.ntHseason s overseas Purchases of'wool arcl to make favour-able'comparison-with |;hose of last season The colonial ("wool marketing seasons now' drawings to a close have been characterised ■ . by «ni«uaUy marked variations o\kvn& to the spasmodic'operations: of niore than oneimcortant buymg-natioig, and these have fiSnresponsffile fori fluctuations m values and buying coaiditions generally which have tended /to interfere with anvthine like a settled buying policy on the part of counti? es more fortunatelyplaced. This rrjakes it tHe more-i necessary that our.infiiort figures at. a given'moment should!'be read only in the light of events ovei: a period. When that il done, the latesl amiable statstics take on quite a ditterent. com plexion." ■■ ;.