ENGLISH WOOL LETTER

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8647, 4 February 1914, Page 9

ENGLISH WOOL LETTER

RIVER PLATE WOOLS. From Our Special Correspondent. BRADFORD, Decemb;- £G. Holidays this week have interfered with the daily round and common task, but the last market day before Christmas proved to be somewhat better Ilian wc have seen lately, and it looks as if the worst has been. left . behind. Whether that sentiment is born of expectations of the coming Christmas festivities or not, buyers only ran decide, but as recorded a week ago. the market has shown signs of improvement, and wo are satisfied that more business has been put through, users evidently manifesting a little more confidence in buying on forward account. The principal operations have been confined to merinos, and this is net to be wondered at. The season for the sale of fine wools is now very considerably advanced, and by the end of January the Australian sales will be a thing of the past. The circulars of Continental brokers contain much useful, information, and over a million bales have been sold at the four principal selling centres iu Australia, This shows a big movement of raw material, and there is an increase of about 100,030 baits compared with a year ago. It ia mote than ever patent that in a month’s time there will bo sufficient- wool in Europe to satisfy all requirements, and it is to be hoped that nothing will »o held up, but that everything will move out of baud as fast as it arrives. Sso far as Bradford is concerned, less forward business of a hulk character has been done up to the present than we have seen for many years, and in itself this is a good thing. If Australian reports are to be relied upon, Yorkshire purchases have also been comparatively small, and therefore there cannot be prospective heavy weights of wool pressing c-n the market sufficiently to cause priceo to depreciate. At. least that is the view taken by many, and it appears to be a sensible one.

MERINOS STILL THE HOST fashionable.

As the year draw’s to a finish it is well worth noting that merinos still figure very prominently iu the textile wool trade,, and certainly occupy a stronger position than crossbreds. Tire latter are just about half the value clean Ecoured of good nieriii'is. At leant It wo take tho business nf the present week /as n criterion, 40’s prepared tops bave been bought at 14d, and G4’s at 2s 3d to 2s 3id. Bat apart from the price, fine wools are certainly the most in favour when viewed from the standpoint of popularity. The present mild weather has to a very large extent arrested the progress of crossbreds, for the heavy blanket cloths, which have been made in very largo quantities; seem to be very much out of place, there being no weather to enable the retail olothior to shrift these on to tho wearing public. Bn't the same cannot be said of merinos. Fine, soft, clean cut fabrics are as popular as ever, and we see nothing as yet to remove them froth favour. Me tberel fore say that'fashions are still favouring merino goods, and with tho opening ox the American- ports, we believe that fine wools will occupy > quite as prominent ol position as over .• thuy did. There is something appealing about tho touch of these wools, and the business done during the past two weeks •has to a very largo extent boon in merinos. Throughout the past year topmakers and spinners of fine qualities have fared tho beat. ■ At least we think that less money will have been test by those handling GO’s and upwards than by those dealing with SC’s and below. Of course we are as yet "at ,the_beginmhgtof a new Importing season, that is, when, viewed frem tile standpoint of the crossbred irade, but there will certainly have to bii an important improvement at tho spinning' end of the industry before crossbreds come to ■ the front with as much vigour as merinos. RIVER PLATE IVOOLS.

The offering- of the first consignment of Eiver Plate anti Uruguayan grown wools directs attention to this ■ class ot mw material. It is quite time that the bulk of the wools grown in the countries named are disposed of at Buenos Aires, Bahia Blanca and Monte Video, but a few of the English owned stations still sell their clips at Liverpool,' the latter being prepared for market in Aus. tralian fashion. It is worth while chronicling that the hulk of the wools grown in South America are still prepared for market in a most primitive .-way; in fact, they ate largely, disposed of in the same fashion as English wools, namely, by private treaty, with all the bellies, britch and looks attached to the fleece. This seems a very obsolete way, ©specially to Australian squatters, and no doubt it is. South American paatoralists have much to learn, and it is surprising that old time methods still obtain to the extent they do- However, ther© are exceptions to the rule, and the clips that come to Liverpool are put up in a very commendable way, being locked and skirted in businesslike fashion. A sale of new clips is always held the Friday before Christmas Bay, and the auctions took place on. the date named, when a very large attendance of home trade buyers put in an appear, ance. There were few Continental representatives present, and America was only represented by Bradford buying brokers. The wools submitted were ' very good, and the opinion was unanimous that they were a distinct improvement on last year. This is entirely due to copious rains having fallen, together with pastures being in very good heart all through the winter. The shearing season has been late in South’ America, consequently well-known clips failed to put in an appearance, but will be to hand for the January sale.. The Lincoln wools were very bright and showy, being deep grown in staple, fair length and good condition. They were real American wools, and typical of the breed, mostly 36’s to 40’s quality. The homo trade naturally took the bulk ot the offerings, and competed keenly for all the wools catalogued. There was a very good clearance, and prices equal to recant London rates were made. A fair weight of wool was presumably bought for itho United States by Bradford houses, who, it is thought, null ship them direct, mostly on consignment. Compared with the corresponding sale a year ago, prices showed a slight decline, being generally id down on fine and medium crossbreds, and Jd to 4<l on Lincoln. Lambs brought extreme prices, but bellies and pieces went rather irregularly. We give below particulars or the prices made laet Enday and at the corresponding sale a year ago, for the same marks and description of wools: LAS OOXCHTLLIAS.

AMERICAN TRADE. We understand that the shipments which are being made to the Cm ted States continue to increase, and that tne figures relating to the exports for December, which will be available next week, will be larger in volume titan any this year. All tne same, there are no outward signs of life in the market, it being generally understood that tne business actually' placed is running upon lines which are of an ordinary character. Wo hear that there is far more activity among lining manufacturers, cotton as well as mohair and alpaca, than in any other branch of the Bradford trade. We- think this is evidence of the steady operations in raw alpaca in Liverpool, where somewhat little prices are being paid, especially for inferiors. Mohair itself is very slack, although a very hopeful feeling obtains regarding the future. Still there is no evidence of activity in the shipment oi mohair fabrics, although . a few orders for Sicilians have recently been placed. The principal business consists in dress goods and coatings, both plain and fancy. As far as one can make out there are no large orders as yet m the hands of anybody for worsted coatings, although thie week there has been part gossip of orders being placed by one firm for 50C0 pieces of fabrics of all descriptions, including men's and women « wear. ' Some of these are to be shipped at once and linings form the principal part of the order. So far the American business which has been availablo nas made no difference to Bradford. English wools are moving somewhat better, and the principal classes favoured are good halfbred®, north wethers, Irish a few Ken'ts and Downs, but tho whole market is devoid of life and activity Prices in English wools do not move in the least. One firm is shipping fair weights of Mazamet pulled wools, and a few New Zealand elipas are also movintr westward. Mohair is very slow, and prices are tending downwards m Bradford, Port Elizabeth and Constantinoplo. __________

December December aOfch,1912. 19th. 1913. Description. d. <L. Merino ... 9} 10 -10| Down wethers .. ... 10J 10} Down cares 10} Lincoln ewes ... ... 1U 10 Bellies s ETC/LOS VKCLESilTOS. Lincoln rams ... 10i 9\ Lincoln hoggets 101 Lincoln ewes ... Lincoln ewes. 10J No. 2 lOi-m 9i Lambs 101 9^ Bellies 6J 6i DA TOM ASA /HQ. Lincoln hoggets 11 -Hi 10 Lincoln owes Lincoln ewes. ioi 10i No. 2 101 1<H Border Leicester lO’-lOJ-101 Lambs Bellies and 10i 101 pieces ►... 6|. 9 e*- 7

LIN CIXN'IA/KT. Lincoln rams ... 10 Lincoln hoggets 101-10] . lOj LiDcoln ewes ... 10I-11 10i-10i