OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4852, 25 April 1918, Page 7

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

MAKING MATERIALS PAY (From Our Own Correspondent.) BRADFORD, March 7. The event of the week in wool textile circles is the publication by the Department of a new list of top prices, every quality showing an advance of 3d p.er lb. Our readers have been apprised of this already, although in the fil’st instance reliable reports asserted that the advance for the forthcoming rationing period, .which begins on April 1, would see both wool and tops on a higher level. Why the advance should not include wool is only known to the officials of the Government for there appears to us just as much justification for putting up wool ..values as tops, because after all tops arc simply combed wool, and the Department might as well go in for getting more money on wool as tops. A thought strikes the writer why woo} has not been advanced like tops, it being distinctly stated that the present range of wool and: top values is to continue for the next eight months, the longest period of any which, has elapsed' without prices being tampered with. The Department is evidently determined to make every section of the trade pay handsomely, although the reason given for the advance in tops is that •with poorer wool having to be used for combing, the cost- will ■ considerably increased.- Of course it will.- We understand that there is already a movement on foot for increasing combing charges, but ,jf poorer wool is used for combing it will necessarily mean a greater nonage, that is the ‘Tear” will not be as large as if good stapled wool was used, the larger the production or noils', the greater the cost of the combing operation as well as the resultant top. Now the trade is now in possession of an item which it lias Tong been desirous of knowing, and to the majority the reason given tor the advance is regarded as very palti;v NEW SCALF, OF VALUES The War Office .(wool section) has prefaced the new list of values y making the following statement: “The recent development in the shipping position makes it necessaiy, if employment- in the combing and worsted industries are ‘to bo maintained on or near the present scale, to produce tops to some extent from wool of less desirable descriptions than heretofore. The conversion costs in manipulating such wools wm seriously affect the ultimate cost ol tops, aiid in these circumstances the Director of Raw Materials announces that on and after April, lJio, the issue prices of all qualities, of tops for civilian consumption will he advanced 3d uer lb. as shown in the annexed schedule; these prices are to hold good for eight months from April 1: _ : Quality Prices Tops ' “A 36’s prepared ”2 40’s prepared ... ••• j” ’ 44’s prepared ° 44’s carded ... ... 46’s carded * " 48’s carded 4” 50’s carcte-d j”: 56’ s carded 58’s carded bo 60’s carded 60’s super to 64’s ordinary 64’s warp ' r L 70’s ordinary < 70’s warp •’’Vi V •• Qualitv2J 3 ca£ ah -n;j 61 tsaun The grades have no reference to what are known as spinners’ topsAll prices are net cash in fourteen clavs. The schedule of issue prices for wool now in force will remain unaltered for a similar period. ' WHY SHOULD PRICES BE ADVANCED ? It can be taken for granted that colonial pastoralists aie keeping a very watchful eye upon the action ot the’ Imperial authorities, and will note the further advance which they are charging the trade for tops. Do the officials think that wool growers, either British or Colonial, will be hoodwinked by supposing that if wool lias not been advanced, * then there will he no need to pay more for the forthcoming clips? Already oveitures have been made to the Imperial authorities b v British farmers for an advance for their approaching new clip of 75 per cent above prewar level, and one can see that as a result of the recent South African fiasco, Australasian wool growers will have a mighty lever in demanding more money for their next clip. Will our authorities go to Colonial pastoralists and use the present circumstance as an argument against paying more, simp]-,, because they have not further advanced wool values? The fact, no doubt, is true, but it does not alter the circumstance, that the hulk of th e Colonial clip can he and is combed, and so long as tops have been advanced, every sensible wool grower knows that an upward movement in tops is always equivalent to higher wool values. _lt is a fact that wool bought in Sydney the same week that the Australian clip was purchased by the Imperial Government has been brought to Bradford and made into 64’s tons at a cost of 4s per lb. whereas the new price will be 6s 4d for an ordinary top and a penny more for a warp article. Surely under the old scale, the Department had profit enough, but evidently they know that they can obtan more money and are therefore going to have it while the opportunity serves. POORER WOOL PRODUCES POORER TOPS.

.It will he observed from the above official announcement that the reason given for advancing top values is that they will he made from less desirable descriptions and as “the conversion costs in manipulating such wools will seriously affect Tie ultimate cost of tops, prices have been advanced:! a further 3d per lb.” One regrets very much that the announcement has been necessary, because every man knows that Poor wool produces poorer tops, and ot course under the present sytem of appraising, wools ai'o put into certain grades and valued according!--’to tlieir quality, length and condition. Everybody realises that if tops are to spin well, then good wool must be used, otherwise the whole business will ’be largely ki failure. During the past- two- months many complaints have been' heard of the bad spins, al] du e to poorer tons. The trade need not have been put to this hardship if commonsense and sound judgment had been used, but those responsible for importing wool have evidently lost sight of the fact .until it was too late that sufficient combing wool particularly merinos, was not being shipped . from Australia, and the fact seems to have been totally ignored that into the warehouses m Australia, big quantities of combing wool have been pouring since last August. If these facts bad been known and acted upon, there won d have been an adequate supnly ot iqw material.-and the trade to-davis sintering in ocnsequence, and will have to do for some months to come. This raises the important question which directly affects wool growe s both at home and abroad, namely that in order to obtain '-nod tops they must grow good wool - foi it is impossible to produce .excellent tops out of pieces and bellies, which apparently abound to-day. CONDITIONS OF. TRADE. The entire industry is very grave-

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ly concerned about the next allocations. An important Board of Control meeting is to be held this week and a far-reaching statement is expected bearing upon this very point. Everything will depend upon the quantity of wool- that is going to be available, whether machinery will be kept running or otherwise. The trade was informed last week that no more orders for military fabrics are to he placed during the next four months, only three standard military yarns, naiiiely grey, Shetland and blanket yarns and to be spun. Naturally spinners and manufacturers , conclude that more, wool and tops will therefore be available for civilian purposes and it is exactly how much, upon which the crux of the whole question rests. Under • the charter of the-Board of Control there is a fundamental principle laid down that wool not wanted for military purposes shall he available for the civilian trade, and around that condition a battle royal is expected. The representatives directly elected by the trade will no doubt fight for that condition and if the Labor 1 arty ot the Board of Control does not also support the trade, they will have ioxfeited all right to serve on any committee. AH that the members ot the trade want is wool so tnat machinery can he kept going and work found for operatives. Some talk or still more standing machmer-, and a levy being made on those who are running combs, spindles and looms similar to that seen in the Lancashire cotton trade is heard, but better by half hand out what raw material is available than resort to make-shuts of this Qi del.