THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1915. WOOL DURING THE WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15964, 8 July 1915, Page 6

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1915. WOOL DURING THE WAR.

The British Board of Trade returns for- the four months ending on April 30 last include some very interesting figures showing the movements of wool during that period. A comparison covering the same months of the previous two years will show how the trade, in this most important commodity has been diverted during the war. One fact o f particular interest in this Dominion is the pre-eminence given to Australian and New JZealand wool. Great Britain is the largest wool consuming country in the world, using a little more than the United States, although having less than half the population of the Republic. The returns show that of the wool retained in the United Kingdom during the first four months of 1013 almost exactly three-quarters came from Australia and New Zealand. The quantities imported into the United Kingdom during the first four months in each year were : WIS. 1911. 1913. r rom lbs. lbs. lbs. Australia 215.4'i".561 132.140.974 10T,568.079 N. Zealand 127.173.951 116.797.564 123,841.988 K. Africa 63.898,062 80.427.31 73,079.197 L. Indies 13.478.459 19.736.037 19.820,049 falklands 1.316.112 1.819,100 1.180.504 TI. Colonial 134,294,148 350.920.988 373.(89.817 Europe ... 200.386 16.118652 20.445.715 I i-UKuay 128.287 1.044.790 8.284,155 Argentine 45.-18,302 25.835.059 39.948,297 West Coast 11.692.572 1t.225.C66 14,413.205 Other countries 1.746.755 4.832.222 6.730.726 Grand Tl. 186,370.350 413.006.777 465,311,915 The extraordinary demand prevailing in Britain since, the war began is revealed in the export figures, as it is clearly seen in the subjoined table that this year practically the vi hole of this huge importation was retained for local manufacture, whereas usually a large quantity is reshipped. British exports of wool for the first four months in the respective years were: x 1 ?'•">. 1914. 1913. ~T o Ibi. lbs lbs. Cjerrranv 60.9C0.937 38.956.259 Holland 145.753 3.568.051 2,855.943 i? ols:lum _ 33.475.073 23.134.626 1-ranoe 1.188.911 30.336.118 32.066.542 L. States 19.337.634 44.118,513 20,557 923 L'thor countries 2.945.718 -2.038.710 2.966.886 Ti. exports 23.921.046 174.437.432 120.51K179

Retained 162. {(9.304 338.569.345 311.793-736 The average annual consumption of i wool in the United Kingdom during I recent years is estimated at about 515.000.000!b. It will be s-en that in four months nearly as much has been secured as is usually consumed in a year: the amount is practically twice as much as was retained for British manufacturing during the same period of last year. The clip in Great Britain itself will now be in hand. This is far irora being a negligible quantity. The Mother Country possesses more sheep than does New Zealand, the latest returns giving her 28,951,000, whereas this Dominion has 24,465,526. Russia is the only European country with more sheep than Great Britain. As this week's cabled reports describe the wool market as active at Home, even after landing the enormous quantities shown above, and within a few weeks of the Home clip being offered to buyers, the prospects of Colonial wool are still better than they have ever been in modern times. The outlook fully justifies the optimism felt in New Zealand. Fortunately we arc at one and the same time conducting a profitable trade, for the D >minion and performing a service of inestimable value to the Mother Country, where the military demand for wool seems to be insatiable. Auckland merchants are continually being reminded of the enormous army requirements it Home, for they are experiencing the greatest difficulty in obtaining the execution of thenorders. British manufacturers are hopelessly behind in their ordinary work, on account of the preference given to Government orders. The exhaustion of meicantile stocks, which will have t« be replenished at the earliest possible opportunity, must k#ep the woollen trade exceptionally busy during many months ifter the war closes. Xo country in the world is exempt from the drain upon wool created by the war and by the practically illimitable financial resources of Britain and her Allies. The figures show that wool has been drawn to the United Kingdom as steel to a great magnet. Even the United States, nominally a large buyer for local consumption, is working up a considerable proportion of its import into uniforms for British troops, while military orders are straining the capacity of British woollen mills and British clothing factories. France, Russia, and Italy are similarly employing all their available wool supplies, while the flecks of the world are not increasing t-> any corresponding extent. Crossbred wools may be expected to return to more normal prices when the present extraordinary demand ceases but. it is impossible to say what normal prices will be until the world has replenished its exhausted stocks and resumed the tenour of peaceful ways.