YORKSHIRE WOOL TRADE.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 233, 1 October 1912, Page 6

YORKSHIRE WOOL TRADE.

WOOL SAMPLES

<From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, Aug' 23, 1912.

I have just been looking at some forty-six samples of wool which have been sent on for me to examine, standardise, and report'upon. These samples have come from a well-known New Zealand breeder, and as they range from 3§'s to 80's, the work has been considerable, yet very pleasant.

This brings before us the importance of every groover possessing a. clear knowledge of what "quality" in-wool is, and to be able to standardise for himself most of the wools which come under his observations. I. am sorry

to say that even some sellers of raw' material hare little knowledge of what the lot they may be handling runs outyto, and can give the grower little reliable- information respecting the quality. lam glad to see that throughout the whole of Australasia and South Africa there is a great longing for information regarding the wool trad!' in all its branches, this being a good augur for the future. Some weeks ago I purchased an old copy of ' 'The History of New 'South Wales" printed in the year 1820,-the perusal of which has formed very interesting reading. It contains a list of the first sheep importation into New South .Wales, and when one contrasts the character of the wool grown to-day with that of a hundred years ago, it can be seen that there has been a great improvement. What else can be expected? -There is no doubt that Australian pastoralists have been very progressive, nature also favoring their. enterprise, and there is no doubt that the Commonwealth stands to-day in tHe very foremost position as a' grower of good . merino wools. I can conceive of no finer collection that,any man can pos- ' sess than a representative fleece from ; all the different wool.'growing.area*of ; Australia. There is certainly much ; room for investigation as well as edu- j cation, but the samples of wool which \ are in the writer's possession ranging over the past hundred years of Australian pastoral life, show a groat advance which has already been made. Some of the clips which aro familiar to all buyers attending the sales in Australia as well as London have undergone a complete transformation during the past tv/enty-five ye^ars, all due to the present desire on the part %of pastoralists to grow wools somewhat deeper and longer in staple. I have just put down an 80's quality clothing wool which is lovely in character and shows splendid breeding, but that class of wool is now fast disappearing from the Commonwealth, the bulk of the wools. grown to-day ranging between 60's and 70s. This is an ordinary type of raw material, and no doubt serves for the bulk of the trade that is being done throughout manufacturing areas of Europe and America, but it will be a great pity if the superfine merino becomes extinct. I am rather inclined to think .'that!; as time goes on, sheep growing from 80's to 100's quality will command higher prices thaji they are doing to-day, and it is to be hoped that these sliaep will remain a leading asset on^ many properties in New South Wales and Queensland. I cannot see that "Victoria, South Austra- - lia, or Western Australia will'ever produce super fine merinos. No doubt the south-eastern portion of South Australia is quite capable of dping so, although the fibre will be somewhat different in texture from that grown in certain parts' of New South Wales and Queensland. There is no doubt that climate and pasturage play an important part in determining the quality of the wool, and notwithstanding the use of good,64's deep-stapled rams, Queensland pas- . -fcoralists find that the fibj;# returns to the old standard type of 70s.

GOOD WOOL A DELIGHT TO HANDLE. a pleasure there is in handling a bit of good wool! It creates a pleasant feeling wliich to a real woolman is the height of felicity, and when one looks through 30 or 40 .different samples, one can see immediately a great difference in the quality, character, build, texture and handle ■of the various staples. iam well aware that the season plays an important part in determining these characteristics. It is a well-known fact that a clip of wool grown in a droughty season often possesses a fine-' ness of, quality which can only be -called lean, but when the sheep which have produced it aa-e. kept! on good pasture from shearing to shearing the quality will be at least three or four

points coarser, and there will be more vitality in the staple, as well as more length and condition. The reader will therefore see the difficulties wool buyers labor under when estimating the quality and clean yield of the wool which they are examining and valuing. It will be understood also that -the consideration of the purpose for which it is intended does not minimise this difficulty, quality and other characteristics already mentioned, going a long way" to influence the decision for or ' against the material. This is easily explained. Many a grower wonders why his neighbor obtains say id per lb more for his clip than he does himself, for he can see no difference in the two lots. This is easily explained. A buyer can sometimes see more in a certain clip of wool than /in other grown in the same district, the explanation being that a little lighter condition, a great length of staple, and a somewhat softer . handle, all

count in determining what it is j worth. It iS'Certainly a great educa- j lional value for every pastoralist and tiser to sco as many samnles of wool as lie possibly can, and to compare the different, features which they exhibit. Some wools are suited for one purpose, others for another, and this fact plays an important part in determining their market price. The samples to which I have already referred vary as much as 2d per *lb in the merinos alone, while th^ crossbreds can easily vary up^to 3d. I make the suggestion that both.growers and users mmhb do far worse than make a* representative selection of the wools which are being grown throughout the world. Those who do so will have a means of education such as they can ■obtain from no other source. MARKING TIME. The situation in the wool world shows practically no change compared with a week ago. Recent cable news has been to the effect that the American Senate* has refused to pass the La Folletffce Bill sent up by the House of Representatives, and which President Taft vetoed, thus putting ou»b of court entirely the possibility of any. change in "schedule X" across the Atlantic. American users and importers will now be able to pursue the even tenor i of their course without being afraid that what thay buy abroad will be interfered with by the introduction of lower duties. Those in this country

who are best informed on the subject are of the opinion that there will be no alteration in the American tariff for another twelve months, many anticipating that buyers will operate more largely in Australian markets during the forthcoming season than they have done for* the past three .years. The .American textile industry is renewing its youth, and mills are very busy. These are most satisfactory features, and topmakers, spinners and manufacturers throughout the West Riding are shaping their programme accordingly. They beJieve that wool is not going to be very much cheaper in Australia than it is to-day, for consumption is still tremendous, and likely to continue so. During recent1 weeks no noteworthy alteration has been seen in the market in Worstedopolis, which is largely ; dominated by holiday influences. All the same a nice steady^ business continues to be done, sufficient to relieve things from stagnation. There is a nice trade doing in raw wool; in fact, the outstanding feature of this month has been the activity seen in this section of the market. Grossbreds largeIly monopolise the situation, and orders are in the hands of several firms for cased New. Zealand fleeces, as well as English wools. It will be : remembered that tihe shipments from i the Bradford Consular district to the [ United* States for June and July | werve very considerable, and showed ; large increases compared with any ; month during the past two years. : These increased shipments are likely to bo continued, the present month , being characterised by a good deal of activity. The result is that tops are all firm, and topmakers appear to be in a somewhat stronger position than they were even at the close of the last series of London sales. A nice steady business is proceeding, even in tops, and the selling price of average • 62's is still 2s 3d. HUDDERSFIELD TRADE. It is always wise when reviewing the standing of wools and textiles to take a broader view than the conditions which obtain in a single market ] like* Bradford, and it is some satisfac- | lion to be able to state that through- j out the West Riding very satisfactory 7nanufacturing conditions still obtain. Tha most serious feature is undoubtedly the, exceedingv wet summer and unseasonable weather which stillSprevails, otherwise there would be nothing to cause any misgiving over the future of the textile trade. Prospects throughout Europe are very satisfactory so far as harvests are concerned j provided Old Sol would only shine but more bravely. A good deal of i-ain has fallen throughout the Continent during the past three months, and there too an absence of sunshine is causing a little uneasiness in some quarters. Still, harvest time has never yet failed, and we believe that the crops of the earth both at Home and abroad will be safely garnered as usual. This week brings us a very interesting letter from a leading firm of Huddersfield. manufacturers engaged in the production, of first-class woollens and worsteds. They say: "Trade keeps good in every branch, and we see no signs of slackening. Merchants are now sending their spring confirmations in tihe better class worsteds, and there is no falling off compared with last year. The hardening of prices fpr raw material, and the prospect of no relief. in that direction fo-ir. some time to come, will tend to make the merchants and clothier more confident than he would be if there was a big supply of wool and a prospect of lower values." That is a very suggestive wav of epitomising; manufacturing; conditions in the Huddersfield district.