NEW ZEALAND WOOL IN AMERICA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13631, 28 June 1906, Page 10

NEW ZEALAND WOOL IN AMERICA.

STItOXG DEMAND AND GOOD SALES,

The American- Wool and Cotton Reporter, published at Xe.w York, in its issue of: April. 19 (forwarded to as by Milt. M.H.li.j, devotes considerable spate lo New Zealand. From tho report of ilia Boston wool market we make the following extracts,: — . Sales for the week, 5,410,0001b. largo sales of foreign wools during tlie pa.st week liavo swollen the total volume of business to an ac'presato of nearly five million and a-halt pounds, as compared with-about, three million and a-half pounds for tlie previous week, .

X"\v Zealand crossbrcds are the feature of the bti6ino«s. Wools' of 40's to 46'< count ore liciue taken vapidly by consume!s, in-c-hidins some of the largest worded concerns 'in the. •country. In the neighbourhood of 5000 'bales of these wools alece have changed hands, and they have been talrcn at. a clean c<mt, ranging from slightly under 60c up close to 05c. South American cm-sbretk also, have fold io the extent of over ;l million" aiid a-quartor pounds, the wools of. 40.'s to 44-'s count being in especially good request. There has been a decidedly improved demand for the low wools, including Angoras and washed Orfa.s, both for clothing and carpet purposes. Reports eomo from, abroad, as to file increasing strength of the low wools, and the feeling with reference Iti this slock is decidedly lietlar than it was.

Speaking broad'v, the demand is unmistakably for. wools grading quarter-blood and below rather than for the wools (Trading above quarter-blood. Large quantities of these woeis are going into dress boot's aiid ineji's-woar worsteds One large Rhode Island manufacturer of men's-wear worsted lias bought freely o[ wools of 46's o,ount. and one well.-kn.own. dross goods mill took South Americans of 40's to Ws count: another bought freely of New /Maud. ■Wools which are iust a trifle hio-ber in grade t.bn Lincoln wools sell well. The New Zealand wools which are being shown are very temnting to consumers, tlwy lyjing in excellent condition, well grown; 'of 4rong. staple, and silky feel. One cf tlie largest operators in these wools, in looking over. ~m. .extensive pile of this kind of stool.- in emnniuiy with the writer, vmai-ked ili.it lie had- never seem the Now '/••aiand wools in such good condition as iiiey were ■ his year. One reason why llvy aiirnr-t.'vo. also, t.o 'lie consumer is the f:i"t that, (hoy arc cheap, as compnr-ed W]'!ii viiat. it now "ce.-is to import, siu-li wo."!-; fmi'.i London. Tiv>re is litM.o donM aroong fhrso who ere ordinarily b?sf- i:osled wijli i.rj ;lio London market, flint prii.os :-t ihp next auclions will lie fully sitsr-jined. Tims, advices received bv one l:o;i-v! M-e thai, eitiiough business has been somewhat- ralnmr sinrn .the close of the London n.uet : «ns. a. ..si von?' tone prevails there, with i:idle.itions t.hat. the upward movement has nci >'ei spent ifeslf. bolh a? regards merinos and ciossbreds. The Bradford topmakev-s linve orders for fops which will require about all the wool which they will bo able to secure. They did not obtain ai! the crossbred wools which they desired' *-t the last auctions, and their requirement. eomlii.ned willi thofe of the Contir.enlal , spinners, will, it is felt, readily absoi'i) such stock as is offe.red. The strong situation abroad is due to the relation of supply and demand. Tho demand is in no degree spcculatiVe-if arises from the roouiromiitlU o£ the mills, to fill their orders.

NKW ZEALAND AXn AUSTRALIAN". Tho.largo sales of.Now Zealand wools, referred to before, were mostly of stock imported directly from Nc\v Zealand, wiiio.h, as we have slated, pre cheaper than ti:o London purchased wools. Homo of the lairor ai'o I'ojxutod as being soUl. however, the. 'Jean cost bei tvar e]o ; e to 65e for choice m.oc';: of 4G'.s count. Of cour,-e, a number cf tho buyers, of erewbreds are now pretty well supplied, anrl Ihe purchasing of this particular kind of stock may not.now be as active as it ha.? been. but. supplies in •Jh? market are within such small compsas that prices will rule* firmer, especially in view of the strcnath. exhibited abroad. Tlin wools aro reported as giving excellent satisfaction to consumers who have taken Hiem. Liberal pure-hares of 46's New Zealand and Australian were made by a prominent maker of men's wear worsteds at a clean cost flf about. 62c and 6oe. it is claimed. There lias been a little demand for meriuo! of 70's count, and they have sold _tu a moderate extent at greaso pricrs rangiinr from 42c' to 45c, costing, clean, alwnf. 85 cents. .

.South American wools aro moro active, especially the Lincoln and lustre wools, Snlc-,5 have been made at. 3:lc and 35c. a large maker of worsted dress goods being among tho buyers who liavn taken them, Quarter bloods have brought 37c or 550 and 56b clean. "Among the ,s:iles of tho week was one oi alxnit 108,0001b of South A'.nr.rloans cf 40's to 44's count- to nworsted "Pinner at 37c., the clean cost being about 55>\

It, lis leading columns tho Wcol ami Cotton 1 tfliKWr suvs:'—'"The increased attention which New Zealand wools have been receiving lately from domestic consumer.;.

5S noted in our Boston wool market recort. rendyrs a discussion of the conditions govemitie the production of tho'o wooin and affecting the growth of (ho New Zealand s-hccM) industry especially tiruely. In N"e\V Zetland for several years past i.lie aim of Urn sheep man has boon to produce a sheep of larger carcrtH 1 , yielding a larger poll awl more wool. The ge i atlv increased (li'inntid for frozen million ku stimulated tins t<> a remarkable degree, one ro3ult of which is seen in the establishment of a largo number of fmozimr plants throughout the islands. This industry has assumed such largo proportions 'bat the mutton sheep, which produce wools of (.lie crossbred variety, in-day far outnumber the merino sheep, although it was 5.0t many years ago tlmt the merino sheep wevo decidedly the more numerous,"

Our contemporary then proceeds to tliscusiUhe fluctuations in the number of sheep in New Zealand, but the accuracy of some of its deductions from some half-truths is somewhat doubtful. As, for instance, when it states that the high price for carcases renders it impossible for proprietors of frozen mutton plants to make the business pay. It contends that "the liigli price of nelis lua hurt the tanning industry in New Zealand to such an extent that' some of these works arc practically idle. Generally this business is much less active than it was, and this has had a tendency to allow the sheep to increase, which is reflated in the number of sheep in tho islands in 1905, as compared with 1904." Our contemporary then deals, with obstacles to •sbecpbrecding in. Now Zealand, the losses bv I;ea birds, tho Canadian thistle, variation in clips, and'indicates the chief wool centres. The Reporter says:—"The New Zealand 'dips vary greatly from year to year in the matter of shrinkage,' staple, spinning qualifies, and general character, It is ■therefore necessary that they bo bought with unusual care. A clip that it iflijrht tJo to buy Ihi:s your, a wool operator could not touch the following year, dun to the changed conditions of the'wool. The clips show decidedly less tendency to run uniform from season to season than do many of our largo territorial clips. It, is therefore especially hazardous to buy wool on tho sheep's back, or to contract, for a following season s wool. The wools when on the sheep's back may be all right, even pretty closely up io the time when they are to lie shorn, but a sandstorm mav sweep down tbrouirh ■ the gorges, and iiil the fleeces with dirt, so that the wools would hardly bo recognised as being the snme after fliey were shorn. The New Zealand crossbreds are good worsted wools, although the Australians, being better blooded, naturally spin up a little higher, and the same is true with reference to the New Zealand merinos, as compared with the Australian."