OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 8

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

-- - (FbOK QUS SPEClifc COHBESPONDENT.) • ' BRADFORD/ March" 9. j - CAPE WOOLS AND AMERICA In. the wool world to-day the United j States' is occupying a fairly prominent 'po-i- j tion; Inot 'so' much 'because of what she has j done, ,as "what she is expected to-do. The present wool eeaeon has found .JDnited ! State 3 wool buyers in a very much kss active attitude both in Australian and Lon- j don markets than they were Jast> season, due, no doubt, to -their natural desire to buy 'at a trifle less. In' the opinion of many people Uncle Sam needs to replenish his wool stocks, and the, question arises, How far are Capes going to be availed of? There is no doubt a certain class of Cape produce that suits American buyers as well ■as tha6%row,n in Australasia, but v it.is very riimired and scarce. -The free wool Wilson days gave United States 'manufacturer* - 6uch a taste of the manufacturing abilities '"of Oape wools' that they have never forgotten them, and in the^good 'old days before ■high tariffs were known, South African ■wools were largely, bought by A m erica. In the 'early- seventies, and back" to 1867, it was a. 'common thing for 29,000 bales to be m sight -in- Boston ; those being the days of broadcloths and doeskins, to the finish of which Cape wools are exceedingly well adapted. Worsted coatings and serges have , long displaced those fabrics ;- doeskins are ' only >at memory; and the, only" use for broad-rclolh'"to-day' is for casket' or funeral cloths. : zln' recent years, -probably much less than '•25 -per- cent.-' ot the amount of Gape wool r^.Bqve" estimated- could have been found j iafc" any one-"time in "the principal seaboard | tewn of America— namely; -Boston. "-■p^s grade very near to what are known 4. unencan "territorial wools, the average shrinkage being about the same,- say &r .to^-TO pet cent.- - United States manufacturers have of "late' 'years paid' very little, "attention to them, due primarily to the excessive wastiness of these wools. In the j free wool Wilson tariff days, as already - eaitl a period of experimentation with Cape N -v' occurred, and they were well liked; j. !>uch is the- special careful handling which" "lhey lequire .that to-day* there is molhing like the quantity taken that there ', used io be. Fine territory wools adapted <t© any possible purpose for which Cape could be used can be bought much cheaper than the latter, due undoubtedly to the lieavy shrinkage of the Cape grown article. , "" cc last few months one has discerned in -nierican wool circles a growing int«re&fc for Cape produce, due to the grevt in the supply of territorial wools and the poor selections that have consequently obtained. "Capes for some time past have met with a better demand, eonse- ', quently at "date there is a larger supply across the herring pond than at any previous time for the pasfc faw years. Cape HVO&I6 are recognised as being nice and fine, efsentially clothing stock, the average staple b&ing from l^in to 2in, possessing good felting qualities, because of their fine serrations, scouring also a splendid colom, - 'likewise? taking all dyes most readily. "Capes coniain very few burrs—a great boon '-—being in .this respect much superior to :-. £o«f]- American and Australian wools; in ." fact," very few ..burrs are found as yet in the South' African grazing lands. We have tafcserYed a few Cape wools coming from Ihe Eastern part of the colony and tie • Irauski possessing a few burrs, and this 16 "to "be regretted. It will be a pity if Cape )b«>ols- become burry like Australian wools, . anJ l h(v burr plant should be exterminated ur.l- >t. is found to be a valuable fodder I>lh:k. and must absolutely be grown. Capes may be divided into two separate find distinct classes — namely, 12 months' wools, which come along from November lo March, and which are undoubtedly the best, and six months' wools, which are offered in more or less quantities at every series of London wool sales. In my opinion the Capo wool trade will never "arise and . shine" until shearing twice a year is abolished. Without being too arbitrary, it 'dees seem peculiar if not absurd that sheep -should be shorn twice a year in Cape Colony, the practice being adopted in no >ther country in the world. If a fine Cape is wanted to-day, the average shrinkage will probably be found to be something (ike 65 per cent., the wools usually oon-ia-imng a good deal of dirt, causing tre " inriniage to be unusually great. It is a |aty that Cape wools cannot; he marketed Sn a better condition, for then they would Stand muob better and command much inor« favour than they do to-day. We have " lately had less ecourods than used to be ihe case, and I do not know that this has In any wise fcelped to benefit the Cape Srool. .industry^ Good, Western, Province .'teoureds as well as Uifcenhague ajid Transki scoureds sell readily, buyers being able to '.fudge the "clean yield" much better than jwnen the 6tapfe is charged with earth end * »ust,- as is so often the case. Remember, . jjondjtiott Is a -very raluable factor in de'termlntng the price of any parcel of wooL ' The future U6e of Cape wools by AmentO,n tnaaufaoturers is a good deal less problematical than, was the case a few years Jback,. due to the fact that during the late Wilson tariff, when wool wa-3 admitted free, Cap© wools were te&teJ and approved by Snany American mills. At ihe last series of fjopjion wool sales some fair Heights of

Western Province Capes^ercL bought, due ' I entirely to jthe fact tbat they" were nice, ! ligh^conditioned grdwir*wpols. It may not be generally known, hut Cape wools as a | rule are not -the i-iaas of stock that Aixterij cans buy, though they are veil liked. I ■am positive in saving that sqme big ! weights would betaken every; series if the style- 'of 'wools suited. America ; but, dwing to the heavy duty of s£d per ib oa grease wools, America must have nothing but lightconditioned, greasy wools, and the ' lighter the better. Those taken last series wye all really desirable., parcels, and in all" probability w-3 shall' haire to wait another year bcfor^ we get another Jot- like them. The pity is that Cape wools offer such a poor selection for American buyers, but what South Africa loses is naturally the gain of Australia and New Zealand. A fe~w of the best farmers' clips "grown iir Kaffraria and ths Eastern Province find their way to United States; but as I said before, the. selection is too poor as a rule. America ne\er touches heavy, short, six months' wools with a 70 per cent, shrinkage, these, being altogether unsuitable, and even for English or Eurooean consumption they are not iiked. Cape Colony turning out such a large quantity of badly-grown wools is the bugbear of the whole industry, and it is high time that there was an alteration. The bad name which Cape wools have is entirely due to the awfui condition in which th<* majority- come to market, aaid things will never niend_~until condition improves. American manufacturers cannot afford to buy sand, earth, and sheep dung at S£d per' lb. hence we find Australian wools commanding- the unreserved attention of American buyers. We rejoice to see that at last the Cape Government is waking up to tlie needs of the limes, and that even farmers' ' associations are inquiring as to the possibilities *of their own industry. For a start, six 'months' shearing will - hare to l-e abolished wherever it possibly can be done, while new Australian blood is urgently wanted. The Cape wool industry can be turned inside out if the subject is tackled in a real up-to-date, practical, and businceslike way. A RED-HOT MARKET. One has to go back a very long time to find Home wool markets in such a lively state as they are to-day, and a perfect boom obtains. Bradford »"s simply red hot, and not since 1899 have we seen markets | like what we recently have witnessed. I Every meeting on 'Change has found holders of the raw material with higher quotations, a big volume of buying has been indulged in, and on every hand a strong optimistic feeling obtains. Everybody appears "capped" that" \alues should- have tßken such a ttrong lead, and that business ou such an extensive scale should have been done. The fact of the matter is t' c trade the last 10 days has wakened to the unparalleled consumption which i 6 proceeding and the great dearth of stocks. Wool merchants and topmakers are in a better way than they have been for long, and complete indifference prevails regarding offers if they are not. on a par with what they, are asking. It is now possible to quote t values a full id up since last week. even. 17d being made for a 40's top, though tos- ' sibly 165 ais a more average price. This . certainly is a very big figure, and not since- ■ September, 1895, has 'this description of top been so strong as it is to-day, though for a special combing 17d was made so , recently ag last October. In my opinion, ' the highest point lias not yefc been touched, though it is impossible to shut one's eyes to the fact that low crossbreds are now getting to a dangerous level. Still, so long as consumption is there, it is safe to assume that current values will be maintained, and if machinery is kept going for six months longer at to-day's rates, all available sup- , plies will be clean licked 1 up. In regard to merinos, these are exceed- ; ingly stiff, and. a lot of business has been put through. Last market day I could buy oasily a good standard super 60*s top at 2 s ! 2J>d, but not a fraction le6S. Some are wanting £d more, while some topmakers who have sold all they care to will not quote, simply because they will soon want 5-om© wool. All eyes are now eagerly turned to Coleman street, and next Tuesday I should not be surprised to see near hand a 10 l>er cent, advance. Everybody appears to bo a buyer of the raw material, and 1 a warm time is expected. No fear whatever is expressed about the future, and on every hand men are experiencing a record time. English wools are being materially in-fk-enced by colonial sorts, and everything is dearer. Mohair is a little more active, and prices are fractionally firmer.