OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Otago Witness, Issue 2649, 21 December 1904, Page 8

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

(By. Oub Special Cokeespondjent.}

BRADFORD, October 21. LEADING FEATURES OF CROSSBRED

WOOLS.

I have thought for many a day now thaff crossbred wools have been re-discoveredu and their usefulness resurrected. I have talked recently to manufacturers who until' a year ag:> always professed to have a little feeling of dread at being compelled to use crossbreds, but changed circumstances have found them quite ready to consider tho needs of the present hour, and their "conversion" to crossbreds has been effected without much trouble. "Yorkshire manufacturers see to-day in crossbr&d wools a field of exploration they never saw before, for they find 1 crossbred wools and crossbred spun yarns an article altogether without faults. Every reader knows how mushy, and tender Are some Australian merinos-,, and while there is a complete absence of grey fibres, still, kemps are met with daily. Even a "shiner" met with here and there in a good 60's top is not liked ; but in the case of crossbreds, one has to get to verylow qualities, say 36's and 32's, before kemps are met with, so it is safe to say that in wools from 4-o's and upwards these objectionable features are conspicuous by their absence.

Crossbred wools possess other splendid! characteristics which are all in their favour as a useful commodity in the hands of manufacturers. They are a good colour, and have a fair amount of brilliance. Colour and lustre play an important parb in determining the price of a top, be it merino or crossbred. I have seen scores of times when a full penny per lb less has had to be taken for a top because it was wanting in colour. Now, crossbred tops usually display sufficient colour to satisfy the demands of most manufacturers, while the fibre, too, owing to the predominance of Lincoln and Leicester blood, usually shows a- fair amount of brilliance, producing? a staple that is attractive and smart. Some wools we know are devoid of all brilliance, and "soft" wools do not appeal to some buyers as do wools that are bright, clean, and smart in appearance. Colour end brightness are therefore valuable characteristics associated with crossbred wools.

One has always to be a user of an article in order to thoroughly understand and appreciate leading characteristics of any raw commodity. During the past year it- has b&en brought home to manufacturers very effectively that crossbred wools possess strength of staple and softness of handle, out of which there naturally follow good spinning qualities. Every fabric buyer knows that the sine qua non of a woven: fabric is that it must handle soft and kind* Cotton is an article when manufactured by itself that produces hard handling fabrics j but not so with wool. Some men have always had a grudge against crossbred cloths because they did nob handle so soft and supple as do me-rino fabrics, and while crossbred fabrics will always handle a little *nore harsh than those made out of merino wools, still they are not so hard ac to create serious objection. Experience has found) out that if a piece made out of crossbred wools is well eteamed, or, better still, well boiled, then a softer handle is obtained, and this has helped to popularise crossbred-made fabrics. No one has ever yet attempted to dispute the strength of staple of crossbred 1 wools, and no one knows better the value of this characteristic than spinners and manufacturers. Muoh grumbling was heard! on the tenderness of the last Australian merino clip, but I never yet heard a comber find fault at crossbreds "dropping" as do merinos. Good, sound, shafty grown wool means sound weavable yarns, and a sound: piece; but if wools are tender, you can treat them as you like, and they will manifest their weakness to the end of the chapter. Then, too, weak-stapled wools always give not only trouble to the comber, bud to the spinner, and tender yarns are never popular either with spinner or manufacturer. Coupled with the above facts the knowledge that crossbred wools lend themselves to artistic arrangement and reproduction in a greater degree than any other grade of wool, no surprise need be felt at the returning favour towards the article, and crossbred yarns are being utilised on a more extended scale than ever they wet© in the world's history. These fact* alone are encouraging men to believe that a brighter future is before crossbred wools than what has been before manifest, and everything is pointing to the present maintenance of values for New Zealand-grown staple. No more encouraging feature can be noted than the support forthcoming from the gentler sex, the most popular cloth today which ladies are wearing being made from crossbred wools.

The price of coarse crossbred wools hag now risen from 4d to 10J>d per lb, 6o the top is not far off being reached The present big call for crossbred cloths on Japanese account is no doubt accountable for to-day's prices, but prospects point to all wools being wanted at about to-day's level.

EXCELLENT CALL FOR WOOL.

The situation remains practically unchanged, the home wool market exhibiting pronounced firmness, particularly for the raw material. If Bradford were left to itself, there is no question of a. doubt but what some slight easa would be seen both in merinos and crossbreds, but outside factors are at work which seem to more than checkmate the evident undertone there is for lower prices- ' The verdict is unanimous fchat wool and tops will not tie, that a full penny per lb is the difference in all qualities, consequently topmakers feel that there is littler incentive to do business. A good super 60's top can be easily bought at 24d, andi for next February and March delivery several topmakers can be found who are willing to contract at £d less. This is all the more tantalising when the position of the raw material is fully consid&red, raw wool above Bradford rates being as good to sell as penny cakes in a famine. This really is due not to any current trade that Bradford is doing, but is largely accountable for by the brisk condition of the woollen trade and the numerous firms who h&va

lately received extensive orders for blue army cloths on Japanese account. This has bee-n sufficient to more than annul the slow dragging nature of the home trade, and it practically guarantees a full consumption of all the wool that will come to hand this year. Bradford commission woolcombers are very quiet, and there is a rather numerous conting&nt of hands out of work. The market this last week has been visited by a ■well-known United States wool buyer, who has taken some very large quantities of English wools, which has had a beneficial effect on colonial crossbreds ; in f aot, anything which seemed at all reasonable has been snapped up, thus imparting more confidence and increased strength to the raw materiel situation. There is th© usual hand-to-mouth taking of yarns by the Continent, but nothing to. show any increase in consumption. Mohair continues to be very quiet, but one spinner reports having received some valuable yarn orders since last market day.