OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4846, 18 April 1918, Page 2

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

WOOL AND TOPS TO BE DEARER.

From Our Own Correspondent. BRADFORD, Feb,nary 28, 191 i '['he shipping problem is naturally oale of grave difficulty, and everything indicates that the day is not far distant when wool arrivals will become materially less. It is known rhat cargoes at sea are considerable, fully up to the average of the past six months, but perhaps that is not saying a great deal. Ayhat concerns the trade most is the future of supplies aru this not withstanding tile-fact that there are perhaps not any very urgent needs to be supplied at the moment. Unfortunately a huge blunder lias been made through tiie incompetence of the staff of State Wool Control, and if tile advice the writer tendered last October had been accepted, there would have been no shortage of comb ing wools such as exists to-day. What eat. be expected when leading men in charge have had no practical mill experience P There will he a day of reckoning sometime, and to those with a lifelong connection with the trade, the woi der is that, the entire industry lias got through as well as it has. This is solely due to the adequate wool supplies which have come into this country hitherto - , but in view of the submarine menace and the weekly Joss of a. dozen ships, it is disappointing to know there is a super abundance of supplies of short, clothing, faulty wools, and a shortage of combing of descriptions. It only needed an elementary knowledge to see that the consumption of combing merinos and crossbreds would be tremendously heavy', far greater than that of clothing wools. Only ordinary foresight 'was necessary to make provision for the present and the future. The writer saw this contingency four --months ago and warned-the officials, but with their usual precision and knowledge they neglected completely to take cognisance of the situation, consequently the trade has now been officially advised of a shortage in combing wools. Instead of bringing home, as we know to be the case, three bales of combing wools to two of clothing, tin.* proportion should have been at least foui; 'to five bales of combing to one of clothing, when there would now have been stocks available + o satisfy all the requirements of the woollen and worsted industries. FREIGHT TO BE LESS . The trade has now been semi-official-lv informed that there is to be a marked shortage in freight, the writer being told this week that no wool cr mohai: is to be brought from the Cape for at least two months. This has been a gi eat blow to the mohair trade in particular, for there, will be standing machinery in a fortnight all for the want of the raw material. AA e entirely uphold the attitude of the Shipping Controller in reserving all freight available for bringing home foodstuffs, for as one official aptly put it last week, the demands of the stomacn are always louder than those cf rue hack. Present stec-ks of raw material clearly indicate the better position of the woollen industry compared wit,i the worsted, and if the worst comes to the worst, it will be a question of woollen yarns being spun in sufficient quantity and a portion handed over to worsted manufacturers to be used in conjunction with worsted warps. Hie freight question is naturally a very big one. there being so much space absorbed in shifting to the theatres of war both food supplies arid ammunition for military operations. There is eve y likelihood of a certain proportion cf combing merinos and crossbreds being brought iren. Australisia ; even 20.000 to 30.000 bales per month would help to fill up the nap. As already indicated, the woollen trade is in a position to look well after itself for the next nine months, hence all available freight should be occupied in bringing to this country nothing but com„b----in-r wools.

PROSPECT OF HIGHER PR'CES. Although there is no official announcement on the subject, vet in* very well informed circles it is asserted that for the next rationing period which begins on April Ist and extends to July 31st, both wool and toys are to be invoiced at higher prices. There have been indications of this for tiie past three weeks and. we are reliably informed that the whole question is being seriously discussed in London, and everything indicates a new schedule of values for both merinos and crossbreds as well as British wools. We understand, that the principle being followed is that proportionately higher prices will be charged for merinos than crossbreds, the coarsest descriptions showing the least advance a nod the finest classes the highest. It w'T be remembered that the current rationing period prices for tops showed an average advance of 10 ner cent, ai'u there is every likelihood of the now scale carrying prices still higher although the Department will make no attempt to justify in the least a new scale of values. As a matter of Let. it simply issues the list and the •' adie knows they must accept it, the department being in a position to dictate whatever values it -thinks fit. ITS EFFECT UPON GROWERS.

From all one hears in responsible woo. circles the recent trouble among South African wool growers has been duly noted, and while no one is apprehensive of seeing a repetition of the same circumstances in Australasian wool growing circles, it shows clearly enough the power of growers. it is not too much to say that any furth er rise in the price of wool or tops ar this end: will be duly noted among growers, and unless the writer is greatly mistaken the Imperial authorities will have to pav Australasian growers a little more when they come to purchase the next clip. Some seem staggered at the very thought cf the Imperial authorities even attempting to purchase the next Colonial clip, out one hardly thinks the war will be ovoi soon enough to prevent that taking place. Then too, the Government is certain to control the destination of all Empire grown wool for six to twelve months after the cessation

of hostilities and perhaps the greatest good will be done by the British. Goveminent acquiring another Australian chp Of course they will have to offer terms satisfactory to growers, -and thev can well afford to pay more money. - One does not want to write anything that is not in perfect harmony with actual facts, and every wool textile man-at this end feels that Australasian pastoralists have played a noble part. Great credit is due to tiiem for handing over their fleeces at a price sensibly below what they would bring to-day in an open market. Nobody begruVgei the Department the handsome profits which have been made, but it is the vexatious restricts vs which have been imposed, resulting in the putting out of business of an aiinv of importers and wool merchants which is to-day a source of great dissatisfaction. However, everybody is loyally submitting to this incon enienc-e while the war is one. AMERICAN ORDERS.

, There is still no official announreii ent regarding the prospective American orders which are to be placed among British manufacturers, and we expect no statement until the orders arc- actually given out. However, it is known that some bulky weights have been asked for by Washington officials;, and we doubt if negotiations are still complete. Leicester hosiery manufacturers are engaged in the pi eduction of eonsklrauie quantities if underwear hosiery fabrics, all by way of renewals, and khaki cloths are to be tackled. It is common gossip among manufacturers that the Cloth Department in Bradford, which is responsible for giving out orders and making the stuff, wanted Washington to be satisfied with British khaki which is good enough for any man, American mills would be gladly allowed to make everything their own troops require if the question of fr< iglit were not a very important one. Sc long as our Government undertake to satisfy all demands by way of renewals, that is all our American friends can expect, and they must have regard to the question of British raw wool supplies, because there is undoubtedly a shortage of combing nier nos and crossbreds which arc all wanted and absolutely essential for the making of khaki cloths. America is in a better position for obtaining raw wool than Great Britail, and therefore we hope the officials of the Cloth Section of the Wash ington Government will acquiesce to t : e reasonable request of cur Cloth I-tpartment and allow American Loops to wear standard khaki cloths stch as are being worn by the rank a ul file of British regiments.