OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2779, 19 June 1907, Page 8

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(Fbom Ob* Smciai Comlmfokdeht.)

BRADFORD, April 26. iDEAR RAGS, AND THEIR EFFECT UPON WOOL. The Tag trade of Yorkshire is a very tig one, two or three public sales taking nlace every week in the town of Dewsbury, Sn what is known as the Heavy Woollen District. It would be a perfect eyeopener to readers of this issue if thqy could ace for themselves a rag sale, and inspect (the large variety of materials* whioh are scraped together and* offered in that marJket.' Rags from all Europe are collected and sent to Dewsbury, and astounding as the fact may seem, yet a rag sale in Dewsbury is ten times more important to scores of manufacturers than a series of wool tales in London. The reason for this is not far to seek. I could name a large number of woollen cloth manufacturers who 4ot every pound of pure wool they buy .use at least 1001b of mungo and cotton. Plenty of other mills never purchase a pound of genuine wool from January to December, but run their machinery by mixing together mungo, shoddy, stockings, and cotton, and then sell the manufactured products as woollen fabrics ! {Legislation has been talked about by Brityh she^p-farmers and also wooigrowerg in toe Jnited State© to prevent the deception Ste&tJ*. lively practised, bo fta^ $c general pubho may know when they are fcuyißf a •h.oddy garment in pjace of real /wool. I feel certain that this will never be accomplished, the general use of mungo in {England and on the Continent and America ibeing too strongly entrenched to be disaddged. More good will be »eooinpli«heU toy educating popular taste and by discountenancing the clamour for something cheap. What wool can there be in men s ianoy tweed* at Is 6d per yard, §sitt wide? ♦***■• jet thousands of piece*

are made in the Leeds and Huddersfield districts every week from Is 6d to 2s per yard, and which look smart and dressy to a degree. The curse of the woollen trade is the great cry for something showy and cheap; and until that can be changed the reign of shoddy will never be- brought to an end. " Manufacturers do not buy rags, mungo, and cotton through" any love for the --articles, for they know that lher.e is far more pleasure and less trouble in the card- , ing, spinning, and weaving departments "when pure wool is used. But they know that they must make what is wanted and wha*» they can sell, and that explains why such large quantities of wool substitutes are being used. GREAT RISE IN PRICES. The great rise in wool prices has had the effect of causing even rags to rise in the same proportion. There is nothing to-day used by manufacturers but what is considerably dearer than was the case a few years back. Even leathers which are largely used for. strappings, card clothing, oiis, soaps, etc.^ have, risen tremendously, while rags and mungos have followed in the wake of wool. The reason for this is obvious We have now had a graduallyrising market for wool since the end of 1900, the consequence being that manufacturers, being compelled to produce many " bread and butter" fabrics at old rates, have had to resort to a larger use of wool substitutes, consequently there has been a bigger consumption than usual. The late Japanese war following -so early on the heels of the South African war created a perfect onslaught for all coarse rags, and j particularly light shades and white flannels, j In one week coarse white flannels jumped in Dewebury from 35s to 51s per cwt. I j was talking the other day to one of our j manufacturers, who said that black worsted mungo *or which they used to pay 4d per lb was now 4|d to sd ; black Berlin stocking, which originally was 7d, was now 7£d to 8d ; low black Italian mungo had risen from 2d to 2£d ; and blue grey llamas | from 3id to *id. Not only were they j paying more money, but the materials were nothing like bo good in quality, thus making the situation all the more difficult. A friend of mine who attends the Dewsbury rag sales every week gave me a few particulars which are worth reproducing as showing how rags have risen, and the followirg figures are worth more than passing notice : — Old price. Present Price. Per cwt, Percwf. s. d. a. d. Old seams 2 0 7 6 Old Lineey rags (black) ..2 6 8 0 Old Linaey rags (colours) ..56 13 6 Fine cloth .. .., .. .. 12 6 18 0 Coare© cloth 7 0 15 6 Bl*ck worsteds 20 0 37 6 Coloured worsteds .. .. 18 0 32 0 White flannels 40 0 65 0 Stockings 22 0 37 6 Merinos 17 6 32 6 A CALL FOR BETTER CLASS FABRICS.

One reason why rags are so dear is because of their extreme scarcity, and present trade being so good and mills all busy makes the demand all the more keen. Several of my acquaintances have expressed the opinion the Jast three months that with rags being so dear there is a stronger feeling for better class fabrics. 'lhis really is an aftermath resulting from the poor shabby, lean fabrics whicn have dur-u-g the past two years been made, wholesale houses to some extent being ashamed to retail the poor wearing garments which these shoddy cloths make. Then, with thrc trade ot this country being so good, the general public have more spending power, and at last there 'c a universal desire to replenish the wardrobe. In poor times men and, women, too, do with as little as possible, but in better times they naturally want better-class garments, and we see this in the popular demand tirs spring. I should say that it is many years ago since a larger weight of wcol was consumed than is being done to-day, several firms I could name having the la^t six months bought larger quantities than for years past. The reader may be surprised to know that in the very heart of the shoddy district — i.e., Dewsbury, Morley, and Ossett — Bradford worsted yarns are being very largely consumed. This is a marvellous change, and largely accounts for our worsted spinners being more busy than since 1889. Even Batley , manufacturers arc using extensively worsted warps, throwing the same on to the surface of the fabric, and putting in a weft on to the back of the piece. This combination produces worsted coatings and other fabrics which will wear fairly well, and it is a Jar better combination, than a cotton warp and shoddy weft, which has been largely tho practice to combine. Generally speaking, all manufacturers are lcnging to see the days of cheaper wool, an 1 although supplies are now very adequate and Bradford is full of wool, still tho consumption is there, and that i 6 an important factor. Some are hoping that before- lorg with a larger use of fine wool fa tries there wiL bo a larger supply of fine, soft rags, and 6O bring prices down. Be that as it may, the larger use of wool in shoddy districts is a step in the right direction, and everybody hopes that this w*il be continued. THE COMING SALES. The Bradford market is to-day in a somewhat lethargic condition so far as new business is concerned, and this state of affairs is certain to continue till London has spoken. There has already been a good deal of speculation indulged in as to hotf things will go, and London's verdict is certain to have far-reaching results. If the ae*?les at all halt and prices turn weak, Bradford is certain to feel it keenly, but general expectations are altogether of a different character. It is confidently expressed that merinos will show no change, and although some tremendous stocks of fine wool are on the market, still many feel thai the raw material is "safe." 1 don't think Bradford is altogether as keen as Was the case in but ho one need expect to see much change in fine wool values. My own view is that merinos when at all decent in character and well prown will maintain March closing parity, and that fine crossbreds will be on tho same 6cale, but I am less hopeful regarding medium and coarse cjualities. There is no question of a clc^bt that business in 36' s to Ws quality has been, very quiet during the interval, anil nobody seems anxious to force a pace. Afj carding wools will feel what fall there is the mo3t, but if the Continent at all sbj&wß '^ame," there may be a better call

here than some are looking for- I do no r < expect to see much variation in good, deep-stapled coarse crossbreds, for the trade in these wools still continues to be considerable. Although some fair big weights of "direct arrivals from New Zealand are to hand, yet the bulk of these wools are all spoken for, and as some topmakers have yet some big weights to deliver, they will be compelled to buy liberally. Others seem determined to make the May series a lever for dealing successfully with the new English clip, and they are going to play the game for all they are worth. The reports from America do not lead one to suppose that anything big can be expected from that quarter at the forthcoming sales, but nobody can size up the Yankee element until the actual sales begin. It is some satisaction to know that consumption is being maintained at the maximum, and as yet there are no accumulations. Spinners are asking anywhere from three to six months' delivery on all fresh contracts, and this to a very large extent puts new ' businesa~~out of court. Mohair is keeping quiet, and that is just about what dealers here want things to be in face of the approaching new clip.