A YEAR'S WOOL FIGURES

Evening Star, Issue 12884, 6 August 1906, Page 7

A YEAR'S WOOL FIGURES

STRIKING TOTALS. In dealing with Australia's woo] industry one is brought into contact with huge totals, lue wool reason ends with June, since shearing commences bi Northern Queensland soon alter the turn of the half-year, and it takes the best part of twelve months to secure the market and clip all ovor the continent, fcvery year DaJgety and Co., Limited, publish informing statistics relating to the seasons operations. A summary of the figures for 1900-06 is now to hand. This shows that sales of wcol in the Australasian markets for the past twelve months came to 1,334,865 bales, which realised £18,304,0 ?2, as compared with 1,092,651 bales, valued £13,825,269 in the previous season, so that the increase for Australasia from local sales of wool amounted to £4,478,473. _ —Distribution of the Staple.— It is of interest to note who were our be*t customers for our surplus wool, and what proportion went into consumption locally. The tabic that follows gives the figures lor the past two seasons as applying to local sales:— 1805-6. 1904-5. Per Per , T ~ ,„. , Bales, cent. cent. United Kingdom 379,850 28 29 Continent ... ... ... 766,469 57 50 U.S.A. and Canada ... 83,676 6 8 Japan, China, and India 11,033 1 3 Local manufacturers, fellmongers, and speculators 113,897 8 10 It will be noted that local wool manufacturers, etc., took a considerably smaller proportion last year than during the previous season. —Export Value.— The total exportable production from Australia and New Zealand amounted to 1,869 455 bales, which, if taken at £l3 10s 3d per bale gives a value of £25,261,011. This is exclusive of 30,000 bales manufactured locally into cloth, worth, say, £405,375. Thus the total production is estimated to have yielded upwards of 25 millions sterling. The previous year's output of 1,595,734 bales was valued at 20 millions sterling, so that there was an increase in revenue of 5 millions sterling. —Production by States.— Considerable quantities of wool grown in one State aro sold in another, so that the net production figures for the States separately differ Iroru those of the oversea exports. As closely as the figures can be obtained from the Customs returns, the net production of each State was as follows:—New Sruth Wales, 816,000 bales; Victoria, 267,500; Queensland. 176,000: South Australia' 119,000; Western Australia, 42,500; 33,500; New Zealand, 415,000; total' 1,869,500 bales. —Flocks in Australasia.— Sheep numbers made up from figures taken from the most recent returns are given as follow :—1905 : New South Wales, 39,494,207; Victoria, 11,455,115; Queensland. 12,535,231; South Australia, 6,524,300; Western Australia, 3,140,360; Tasmania, 1,556,460; Australian States, 74,705,673; New Zealand, 19,130,875; Australasia, 93,836,548. A large increase in the flocks is expected to take place during tho present year. —The World's Flocks.— The review contains some interesting figures, compiled by Mr F. P. Bennett, of Boston, relating to the floclcs of the principal countries. These are appended : Latest 1895. Statistics. Decrease. N. America 51,000,000 46,000.000 5,000,000 S. America 102 000,000 95,000,000 3,000 000 Europe ... 193,000,000 186,000,000 12,000,000 Asia (except China and Asiatic Russia) ... „. 22,000 000 19,000,000 3,000,000 Africa -. 32,000,000 27,000,000 5,000,000 Totals ... 405,000,000 377,000,000 28,000,000