The Romance of the Wool Trade.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 314, 25 February 1888, Page 3

The Romance of the Wool Trade.

[Chambers’s Jou’.in I ,] What is wool? “ The covering of the sheep, of course,” replies somebody. Yes, but what is it? Let us ask Professor Owen. “ Wool,” he says, “ is a pecu iar modification of hair, characterised by fine transverse or oblique lines from 2000 to 4000 in the extent of an inch, indicative of a minutely imbricated scaly surface when viewed under the microscope, on which and on its curved or twisted form depends its remarkable felting property.” At first sight this definition seems hardly loss bewildering than Dr Johnson’s famous definition of network : “ Anything reticulated or decussated with interstices between the intersections at equal distances.” But it will bear examination, and is really more tangible than, for instance, Noah Webster’s definition of wool : “That soft tu led or crisped species of hair which grows on sheep undsome other animals, and which in fineness sometimes approaches to fur,” It is usually that which grows on sheep, however, that we know as wool, and the number of imbrications, serralures, or notches indicates the quality of the fibre. Thus, in the wool of the Leicester sheep there are ISSO ; in Spanish merino, 2400 ; in Saxon merino, 2700 to an inch; and the fewer tlioro are, the nearer doeß the wool approach to haw. That which gave value to the Australian breed of sheep however was the introduction of the Spanish merino, which in time found its way to tho Cape and thence to Australia. There is an old tradition that tho famous merino sheop of Spain came originally from England ; but it appears from Pl'ny and others that Spain had a reputation for fine wool long before the Roman occupation. The word merino is supposed by some to be derived from Imri, tho fabled flock of Palestine ; and by others from inaimo, or ultramarine, from tho tradition of their having been brought by sea. Some writers believe that tho merino camo originally from Barbary, probably among the • flocks of the Moors when they captured Southern Spain. The merinos aro considered very voracious, and not very prolific; they yield but little milk, and are very subject to cutaneous diseases. Youatt describes two varieties of them in Spain, and the wool is of remarkable fineness, About 1790 the Spar’sh merino began to be imported into the Cape, and a few years later a Captain Waterholm was sent from Sydney to Capetown to buy stosk for the colonial establishment He thought tho service in which he was engaged “ almost a disgrace to an officer”; but when he left the Cape again he brought with him forty-nine head of black cattle, three mares, and 107 sheep—arriving at Port Jackson with the I’qsb of nine of the cattle and about one-third of the sheep. Three cows, two. mares and twenty-four of tho sheep belonged to that officer, and with this voyagehe for ided pot only his own fortune, but also tho prosperity of the great Australian Colony. Eurther importations followed ; and a Captain Macarthrr, early in the present century wont to London to endeav or to form a company to carry on sheep -rearing on an extensive scalo. He did not sncoeed, and returned to Poit Jackson to pursue his enterprise himself. Eventually he obtained the concession of a few square miles of land and thus became tho fatner of Australian l< squatt'ng.” Ho located himself on the Nepean R-'ver, to tho soiitq-vypst of Sydney ; rpid to lps industry and sagacity is attributed iil grant part the origin of the immense 'wool trade which has developed between tho Colony and the Mother Country. A id what is now the WQ°l-wealth of Australasia ? In 1820 there were not 111,000 shepp of a “ good sort” in New South Wales, and in the same year wocl iroin the coiony nuns sold in London jit r,u average of 3s 7d per lb. Tips led to the circulation of fabulous reports of the profits to be made out of sheep, aud there

■ was quite a run for many years on squatting lots. In 1848 some Australians started sheep-farming in New Zealand ; and by 1860 the sheep in these islands had increased t<> 2,400,000. In 1865 the number there had increased to 5,700,000 ; in 1870, to 9,500,000 ; and in 1887, to 14,300,000. In 1386 the pastoral wealth of the whole of the Australasian colonies trod thus:—

Total .. .. 84,222,272 At only 10s per head, this represents a capital of over forty-two null!-ns sterling, without counting tho value of the land. But now as to the yield of the flocks. Our latest complete figures are for 1884, and are as follow: Pounds of Value.

The London prices of Australian greasy wool have thus varied : In 1860, lid per lb; in 1858, 9£d ; in 1860, Is 2d; 1869, Is 6|d; 1871, 6}d; 1872, Is; 1884, lid. In 1884 the price of Lincoln wool in the same market was lOd per lb. The total importation of wool into England in 1885-6 were 1,819.182 bales, of which no fewer than 1,139 812 bales came from Australasia. The rest came from the Capo and Natal, 227,289 bales; India, 101,770 ; Mediterranean, 79,433 ; Russia, 65,027 ; other European countries, 47,655 ; China, 2,393 ; Falkland Islands, 6,614 hales,

New South Wales. Number of Sheep . 37,820,906 New Zealand , , 16,677,455 Victoria .. . 10,6 ?1,s37 Queensland.. . 8,994,322 South Australia . 6,696,106 . 1,702,719 Western Australia. Tasmania ., . 1,648,627

Wool. £ New South Wales 171,612,279 8,895,543 New Zealand .. 82,136.718 3,342,509 Victoria .. .. 61,369,000 3,878,520 South Australia .. 47,206,784 1,823,431 Queensland 36,526,977 1.889,504 Tasmania 8,215,101 453,567 Western Australia 4,272,948 249,255