OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Otago Witness, Issue 2665, 12 April 1905, Page 9

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

(Fkom Ora Special Cobeesfoxdsnt.) PACKING WOOL.

BRADFORD, February 10

The spumes and mamifaeturers of Bradford have now been debating for many ■reeks a question of no little concern to the colonial wool grower, and its importance is such that the matter deserves the attention of the members of the entire trade. The subject relates entirely to the question of packing wool. Through some cause or other manufacturers report a tremendous large increase in expense and ' damages, and thf» sooner those responsible for buying and selling tares to growers follow out the instructions of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, the better it will be for everyone concerned. Our daily paper presents the facts of the case so succinctly that I quote from a recent statement.

For- some time past the Bradford trade has been troubled by a matter which, though apparently trivial in itself, has led to a good deal of friction, and has been the subject of a very large number of claims by merchants and manufacturers engaged -in the dress trade. So serious have these become that the spinner^' section of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce Lave had the subject investigated, and are, we believe, prepared to make certain recommendations -which, if they were generally •acted upon by all wool growers and wool users^ would almost entirely get over the difficulty. As everyone knows, wool comes to us from over the sea packed in bags made of jute or hemp. These arc chiefly manufactured in Calcutta. When the fleeces are put into the baling press and squeezed into the bag_, the top flap of the bag is sewn down with twine. Then the bale is marked ■by stencil and black paint, and is ready fov dispatch to Europe. It may be that the first stage of the journey is one of several hundred miles by bullock waggon or dray, from which, perhaps, after weeks or even months, it is transferred to the railway waggon or river steamer, to be transhipped again, perhaps, before it reaches Sydney, Melbourne, oi Port Elizabeth. Should the wool be consigned for sale in one of the colonial mark-ate, the bale undergoes a period of probation in a wareLouse, and may be ripped open that the •buyers rr>ay judge, the contents. If it is intended for the London sale room, it may fee dumped into the hold of the ship as soon as it arrives at the port, and the ware>h* using and buyers' -examination will follow in due course in the London docks. In any ease, it must go into and come out of the -ship's hold, and undergo a further journey by rail or sea, or both, before it comes to the hands of the ultimate user. Thus for a period never less than three months, and probably averaging eight or nine, the vnool is enclosed .in^the jute bag, and banged about without much ceremony by dozens and scores of people under all sorts of conditions of light, weather, and temiperature. There is little wonder, therefore, that a perfectly sound and uninjured package is the exception rather than the rule, and that a very large percentage of bales reach their ultimate destination bearing evidence of damage to the bag, often- repaired in a vtry rough and ready fashion.

Thus it happens that scraps of the bagging and the sewing twine frequently get intimately mixed with the wool. These vegetable substances are no serious matter •rhen the wool is short and burry, because the preliminary process of carbonising destroys them. With combing wools, however, the case is very different. It is very dimeiJt to detect a little piece of jute or ihe-mp thread in a handful of greasy wool. The colour is very niuoh the same, and even ■ih-Q curl of untwisted twine may deceive *he eye. And if it should pass the ordeal of the sorting board, then detection becomes f-raetieally impossible and nothingr. can l:e done but to await the inevitable end. The trash-bowl and the hot water break up the fibres and distribute them more thoroughly amonej the wcol, they become as white and as pliable as the wool it-self, and nothing but a microscopic examination will reveal iheir presence in the top or yarn. When, 'however, the piece is woven and goes to the dyer, the offending? particles are beifcrayed. Quite different dyes sn<3 methods are used in the dying of vegetable fibres — cotton, for instance — from those that are applicable to wool. Thus, cashmeres made with cotton warps intended to b& finished iblack must have the warp dyed black beifore it goes into the loom, for the dye that \rill make the wool weft black will noL touch -the cotton. And so it is that when a piece of black worsted stuff comes back J3r.ished, if there are any scraps of jute or fcemp fibre in its composition they show jup like tiny streafcs of silver. And in 'dyeing light shades, similar though slightly idlfrerent results occur through tho refusal of the vegetable substance to take the same ©clcur as iha wool. Ib may be urged that this is surely not a

new grievance, for we have been getting wool from Australia for nigh on 100 yca^a, and although 't :s on record that tho. parson who imported tho first lot of Botany into this country packed it in barrels, tho fana liar gunny bags have been the common peeking material for generations. But t-wo or three causes have helped to bring the difficulty to the froat. In the first place, the demand r or perfect goods is much more exacting tha 1 it used to b°. Imperfections which now are made the bas - i 3of claims we-e, with the inferior combing, spinning, weaving, and dyeing of the pa--,t, afcepted as inevitable or provoked no comment. Then the quality of the packing itisel? has deteriorated materially of lat© years owing to the competition for cheapness. If the fibre used is short and inferior, if the yarn is not so hard twisted as it used to be, thon the bags are not so strong or so clean, and every topraaker of long experience will, we are suro, bear out our contention that the bags are not nearly so good as they were 20 or 30 years ago. lire practice of blending tops has, we are certain, more to do with it than anything eke. Wool-sorting is not now done with anything approaching the care which v/as formerly considered necessary, indeed, it is credibly stated that hundreds and thousands of fleeces from well-skirted bales never go to the sorting board at all. If spinners will only buy their tops subject to a guarantee that they contain no vegetable fibres, they will scon find that the nuisance is abated.

A LOWER TENDENCY IN WOOL.

A somewhat pessimistic tone seems to have come over the Bradford wcol trade, and yesterday's market was by far the flPttest seen this year. Nobody seemed to be able to give any reason why this should be, but everybody reported business as very slow and transactions difficult to get through. Prices are certainly a shade easier, and those topmakers last week who were standing out for better rates are today willing to sell even though they have to sacrifice a little. Why things should have fallen is no easy task to define; but it is certain that cables from Christchurch helped considerably to depress the market. There is not that running about after wool that one saw a month back, heavy imports being sufficient to fully meet existing wants, •rj-hile a few are landing supplies and exhibiting haste to dispose of them. Wools that were bought at the earliest auctions in the colonies are undoubtedly much cheaper than thosa bought later on, but it is questionable if the earliei purchases of either merinos or crossbreds can be combed and sold to show a profit on current rates. It seems to me that the present ease is 'more due to fear and timidity Than anything else, for consumption is fully maintained, while prospects are ever brighter in home trade circles. With heavier supplies now being available, users no doubt see a chance of squeezing the seller, and the easier tendency in London has given them a splendid cue to work with. The question of the absence of all stocks has for the moment been lost sight of. and this factor seams now to have lost all incentive to either buyer or seller. Some are beginning to talk already about cheaper wools in London in March, and there is n-j doubt that the- next few months is going to be a somewhat difficult time. A hand■^b mouth policy prevails, buyers are not disposed to take up contract with any degree of alacrity, while export yarn shippers are pressing for lower yarn prices. It seems futile to prognosticate about the future, r or users under present conditions are certain to adhere to then present policy in the hope of seeing things cheaper still. Some seem to think that later on crossbred? will recover their lost ground ; but war contingencies will eventually settle higher 01 lower values