OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER (From Our Special Correspondent.) BRADFORD, August 20.

Otago Witness, Volume 06, Issue 2899, 6 October 1909, Page 8

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER (From Our Special Correspondent.) BRADFORD, August 20.

AMERICAN DUTIES ON WOOL. I Various opinions will be held by individuals respecting tile duties placed on ; English, colonial, and other foreign wcol chat is imported into the United States, but all the same I think there can bo only one view taken by growers — namely, that 1 the duties imposed of s£d per fb on merinos • and crossbreds is, to say the least, extrava- ■ gant 1 am as positive that the intcllii gence of the average citizen of the United States will ultimately see the farce of su<ih i an imposition and that the duties will ba lowered as that the sun will rise- to-morrow morning. For one little section of the trade to fatten and abound in wealth at the expense of at least 70 millions of people is an : nsult to their intelligence, and the evidence brought before the committee at the recent tariff revision — which leaves the wool schedule untouched — has opened tho eyes of the entire world to the iniquities and absurdities of taxing a necessity to the extent of 11 cents per lb on greasy wcol. It may not be commonly known, but wools going into the United States are scheduled under three .heads — namely, Class 1, Class 2, and Clas3 3— and I have often wondered if the average reader has a clear knowledge of what is meant by these. Quoting from, the official tariff schedule of the American Goverhaient the following i-3 a brief description of the classes: — I Class I—that1 — that is to say, merino, mestiza, m-atz, or metis wools, or other wools of j merino blocd, immediate or remote, Down | clothing wools, and wools of like character | with any of the preceding, including Bag- ! clad wool, China lamb's wcol, Casiel j Bianco, Adrianople skin wool, or butcher's ' wool, and such as have been heretofore ! usually imported intc the United States ' from Buenos Aires, New Zealand, A-us- I tralia. Cape of" Good Hope, Russia, Great ' Britain, Canada, Egypt,' Morocco, and elsewhere, and all wQols not hereinafter included in Classes 2 and 3. Class 2 — that is to say, Leicester, Cotswold, LinoqLnsihire, Dowc combing wool, Canada longwools, or othar like combing wools of English blocd, and usually known by ths terms herein used, and also hair ! of the camel, Angora goat, alpaca/ and i other like animals. I Class 3— that is to say, Donskoi, native' South American, Cordova, Valparaiso, j native Smyrna, Russian camel's hair, and j all scoh wools of like character as have I bean heretofore usually imported into the j United States from Turkey, Greece, Syria, I . and elsewhere, excepting improved wools ! hereinafter providsd for. It will be saen from the above that { generally speaking Class 3 comprises | msrinos, Class 2 crossbreds, ;nd Class 3 low t carpet wools, which are mostly a mixture of wool and komps, or d*e?d "hairs. Very large quantities of the two latter descriptions are grown in the United Kingdom } and shipped across the Atlantic, all our different breeds of crossbreds being more or less sent, while Scotch b'.ack-faced, which goes under the heed" of carpet wools, is also exported in large weights Just at I present there is a great struggle going I on between Bradford, Glasgow, and AineTi- j can houses to buy blackfaced descriptions | at under 6d par lb in order to get the wool in at what is known as low duty rates. That means to say that if a decent i quality of blackfaced wool can be bought at, say, ssd per lb, then it goes into the United States at 4 cents, or 2d per lb duty. whereas if it costs in the first instance 6^d per lb, then tho duty charged is 7 cents, j or 3£d per lb, while if it contains not over 8 per cent, of dirt the duty is 6d per lb. WILL AMERICA WANT MORE WOOL? i America's competition in both English, Australian, and Buenos Aires wool markets during the past nine months has been a j \ery valuable factor, so much so that it has j made a pretty hot pace for all other com- i pctitors. When tie statistical year ter- i .innate? in the I'nitod States !<-s import-? j of wool will be the larg-est in its history, j thus pro vine, the fallacy of the c-oiit<?:itic-,= of the National Association of Woolgi o\\ 6' - ' ; t.mr given an adequate tax en imported ' | \\ool the United States could grov> all ' Ihe wool its manufacturer lequire. , America can no mure grow what its ov.n , u'eis require thrin tho nienncs can ho farmed in Iceland, ;ir.<l tanft or no lanif, fnitfci States manur ic-hirr » , will bi y Higer quantities ot fc.-012-11-gnjv.il wcol ;n ' : the futuio than m the past j of course, not reckoning naiiciu.l .n.sss. i Tho fact of t!ie matter is, Aniciica cunco- ' co without Australian merinos. .Vow Z^a- j lajid and South American crc=sbr<»d.-, for ; United States wools are not generally equal j in style or conditior to tiiose grown in , | tho countries naineJ. Am-oriean manufaej turers ha\e long ago qoi bajouJ the cxpen- ! mental stag-e in u^.ng Australasian n.crinos . and rrossbrecs, :irj they ki.ow full well j that if they W-ni rral tiu'cp fabrics 4 hey I n»u.«t resort to colonial Csocos.^, As tims . goa on American operation-* in t'.ie prin- '. cipal producing countries of tho world wil , even assuiao larger propoitions, ar.d in my ' : opinion the day is noai-cr a lowering of th? j ianff barrier than the. majority £«eia to think. . ! , We rather incline to flunk that i.h s ' country's trade with the Upitc»l tiiaios has I I io a large extent un-lergo; c- for good a ' radical change— at least, *o long as the j present high duties prevail, — ami 10 m;l- , lions of people acio-=s tho Atlantic are j having to pay dearly for the protection of , these engaged in manufacturing- v,oo!!"n | ; and worsted fabrics. For instance, Brad- ! . ford does with Anier.'r-a the largest and ' > most important trade of any centre in the ; , West Riding, and the nature of its «'x- j 1 ports has completely changed during the ! . last 10 years Saldom dees a month pass j i but what wool heads the list of shipments, and during "July out of an aggregate total I • of £463,419 wool valued at £243,205 wa« J shipped. That is the largest monthly ex- j , port of wool since July, 1897, but that i really is nothing to go by, simply because , shipments of raw material were rushed ; across tho Atlantic 'n anticipation of the , Dingle}* tariff, which came into operation on the 24th of that month- Thcie has b*cn j a big expansion in the trade of the West ' Riding with America in raw materials, an.l this is boun<] to continue. In. the British Board of T> ado rotuius, publiihctl last-. i vuak, there is wonderful evidence of ttK ■ as be seen from the following tabie, i which shows our export of Home and colo- 4 '

nial wool to the- United States during the first seven months of the last three years : — lbs. 1907 8,852,300 190S 7,946.100 1903 20,367,400 The above is very satisfactory evidence of business prosperity across the Atlantic in manufacturing oircles', and there is proof that American manufacturers cannot yet beat Bradford producers of stuff goods and cotton linings, for the shipments from Bradford last month of wool dress geeds and linings are up by £41,478, >and cotton dreas goods and cotton linings also chow an increase of £30.063. It has always been a myetery why America — the home of cotton production — could not better manipulate the raw material, for during the past 10 ye*rs cotton linings have been purchased from Bradford in increasing quantities, due to better dyeing and finishing of the goods PRICES WELL MAINTAINED. All the sound factors noted last week are still in evidence, and if anything there is a further upward tendency. Considerable business has again been done in all desoription6 of tops, and the market generally presents a most healths appearance. The inquiry for raw material continues to be most marfcod for fine crossbreds and merinos, and without doubt there is going to be the usual pinoh for the latter before the next Australian clip is available in any quantity. It- is surprising how teen is the inquiry for combing wool, and cjivthing with any pretence to possessing sufficient length for producing tops can be rc-adily sold. This week several of ouv largess commission wool-combers and spinners are standing, and ih?y will r.ofc resume work till next Monday morning. These all state that they have no accumulations of fine tops. Holders of the raw material are pressing for more money, erort super 60's have again got back to 27d, and 64's to 27£ d and 18d, several topmakers now being firm at the latter figure. There is i-n the market a very confident feeling, there being sufficient trade passing to warrant every man maintainig a very firm attitude, for until fresh supplies are available there are going to be no more tops in hand than will meet the requirements of spinners and manufacturers. There is also more doing !n coarse and medium orossbreds, some spinners 'having received some nice weiahts during the past 10 days. It is very inspiring to think that even 4-o's, which for so long have been depressed, present to-day a mmv more encouraging outlcok. Stocks hero ere moderately heavy, but all the same rherb ie a distinctly better feeling, and mom sale= of wool ii£Lv-e. l>e-ers ma-cH-c •during tii<^ fyasfc fortnight. More toprrfa.kers an? quoting 12|d for 40's, hut it is hardly fair to say that this price has been free-lv made. Wool bought at the recent series of London sales can now be disposed of at a email profit-, and the outlook for evon eoirse qualiti-es is better. M-odium and fine descriptions are very well held, there being no excessive stocks here. A lot of casing is being done in tho hope of attracting America later on, and on export account there is a trifle more dointj Mohair is simply marking time, though a shade more inquiry for Capo firsts is noted. The best feature of the entire market is a -maintenance of consumption, all spindles and frames being run at their utmost capacity.