OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3292, 18 April 1917, Page 12

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(FaOU OITB Rl'Er-TAI CoTUIESPnN DENT i BRADFORD, February 8. AMERICA'S INFLUENCE IN THE WOOL TRADE.

It is sometimes necessary to look at the political world and to consider the influence politics exercise on wool markets, and I have a case in point at present. Everybody sees to-day what events have been taking place and what is the real meaning of the latest diabolical outbreak. But 1 shall not deal hero with the murderous proceedings of the foe, my chief concern being the important part that wool is playing in the present iiuge conflict. We have at last seen the real attitude of the United States towards the wild tiger which is let loose in Central Europe, and the majority would bo heartily glad if our American cousins would join in freeing the entire world from a foe which is threatening the very vitals of civilisation. It is high time that the madness of Germany was done to death, and America's incoming _ would be the signal to the rest of humanity to join in the conflict. But it is wool that claims our attention, and never before has the important part it is playing in the conducting of this great struggle been so greatly emphasised. Wo have to face the fact that men cannot fight without adequate protection for their bodies, and wool certainly is playing a valuable part in supplying the clothing needs of the fighting forces. The value of the raw material cannot be oA'er-estimatcd. What has become of the recently-boasted manufacturing raw materials which were going to obliterate wool and put sheep entirely into the background? I refer to the seaweed collected off the' coast of South Australia, which a Yorkshire company ' was going to promote, and the excellence of which was proclaimed from the house-tops some three or four years ago. Then other fibres, such as wood pulp, nettles, ramie, were all going to be used largely in mixing with wool; but somehow they have fallen to the position which I forecasted, and as long as the world lasts I am convinced that nothing will supersede the fleece of the sheep from which to manufacture the clothing required by the human race. AMERICA'S PURCHASES. A good many loose and ignorant remarks have been made, particularly by American writers, respecting Great Britain's monopolv of the sheep and wool trade of the world. I say candidly that it is Great Britain's good fortune to own practically 75 per cent, of the sheep stocks of the world. Whatever measures have been adopted for supplying the requirements of the armies of the British Empire and those of her Allies, they have boon dictated solely by war contingencies; and the writer is ou'te honest in saying that no feeling whatever of animosity has been behind the action of the Imperial Government in deciding to nut an embargo on colonial wools going to the. United States. It must be said to the credit of an American that ho foresaw in December. 1911. that the wool production of the British Empire would be entirely absorbed in nrovidinjy for the military needs of Great Britain and her Allies, that forecast at the time boinir ridiculed as most extravagant. America Im-s been kept out of the field during the nast. six or eight months only because of the great needs of Great Britain and her Allies, and t'->e figures supplied by Messrs Pohwnrtze. Buchanan, and Co. are very significant, showing what colonial wools America has purchased durum- recent years. The figures are too significant to be passed over without comment. T have compiled them from the annual returns of the firm mentioned, and I give the . figures showing th<» imports into America direct from Australasia and South A frioii:—

AMERICAN miTRST TMPORTS OF COLONIAL WOOL.

The above makes a rather significant showincr—-a proof that last year, with all Groat Britain's deficiencies, our colonics supplied a larger weight of raw materia] than ever before in the history of the textile iwhietrv of the TTnitcrl States. After all. the British Empire rljrl not behave so v n rv bndlv towards our American cousins. Everybody on this side has rem'etlrd very much that clurinrr the oast few months an embargo should have been enforced: but every practical American mil! owner knows the reason for this. AUSTRALASIAN v. AMERICAN WOOLS.

It makes one ask the question seriously why America should be so keen to avail herself of colonial wools: and the reasons ai*o numerous. In tho first place, there is the inadequacy of tho American flocks to satisfy the requirements of 90,000.000 people. Then, ajjain, there is the superiority of Australasian wools when compared with American domestic wools. These two reasons, no doubt, are the most important, and they arc worth move than passing attention. In the first instance, American sheep flocks have deteriorated very materially, and they need not have done. The writer has said for the past three years that. American sheep-men have pursued a wrong policy in letting their flocks go to the dogs during a free wool regime, prices

to-day under the present tariff being higher than over before, notwithstanding that these, alrio, are days of free wool. I take to-day a survey of the sheep flocks of the world, and they are diminishing. It is to be regretted that even Australian flocks are less than they were in the nineties, and it is high time that at least 25,000.000 more sheep were being depastured throughout the Commonwealth. 'J hero is also a need for New Zealand to depasture at least 36,000,000 instead of 24.000,000 sheep, and the United States ought to be carrying today at least 75,000,000 sheep. If sheepmen throughout the world want an incentive for inaugurating a forward policy, surely the present high standard of values and expanding world needs should stimukte everyone to increase sheep flocks wherever humanly possible. . American sheep-men have very much to learn in the art and science of sheepculture, although I hope that no man will be offended at that statement. The writer knows whereof he is speaking from practical experience. I have seen American wool placed alongside even average Australian, and every practical American mill man, if he will bo candid and epeak the truth, will endorse the verdict given. There is room throughout, the whole of the United States to raise the general character of the flocks, and there needs to be a better system of sheep-culture, with more regard paid to uniformity of type, breed, and quality both in sheep and wool. The long, severe winters of the United States, no doubt, are an important factor ui j.teyviriting sheep from being kept on so uniform a basis as in Australia, and having to put sheep into barns during the severe nights, also tends to produce somewhat wasty wool; but when all is said and done, wool-buyers can deal with somewhat heavy-conditioned raw material, providing there is a uniform staple as regards quality, length, and other sound manufacturing properties. It is a huge mistake on the part of American sheepmen to keep changing about, every Australian pastoralist knowing that the more uniform his flock the better the sheep when marketed for mutton, and .more valuable becomes his clip of -.wool. WORLD'S WOOL OUTLOOK. It is no use disguising the fact that there is no country in the world nmducing to-day sufficient raw material to satisfy the present and prospective requirements of the world's manufacturers. Germany for the time being can be ignored, because the riritish Government has determined that in the coming years manufacturers there are not to bo permitted to avail themselves in the same free way of wools grown in the British Empire as was seen previous to the war. The present measure of Government control has oeen to some extent dictated by Germany's war policy, and it will be Great Britain and her Allies who will come in first and foremost for the raw material grown in the British Empire. It is the writer's firm conviction that nothing would enhance America's future well-being from a wool and textile standpoint so much as her joining the Allies. America is rightly making a bid for a reasonable proportion of the world's textile trade in woollens and worsteds, and everybody knows that nothing will so conduce to a successful obtaining of that business as being able to avail one's self of reasonable and adequate supplies. Great Britain would welcome America joining in the hostilities against the barbarous methods employed by Germany, and commercial war after the war will be successfully won by those who can lay their hands upon the raw material, without which no party can possibly succeed. I therefore say that America's future wellbeing is just as much wrapped up as a textile manufacturing country in receiving adequate supplies of raw material as the manufacturers of the West Riding, France, or Russia. CONDITIONS IN BRADFORD.

Though it cannot be said that inquiry is quite dead in the market, no groat amount of business is being done, and it is not an easy matter to state the actual position of values. Some amount of irregularity still exists .in all qualities of tops. The prices paid when tops are sold depend entirely upon the position of the owners and the attitude they are taking up with regard to future supplies. This question enters somewhat seriously into the situation at present, the confidence of some firms being so 'strong that they are basing their assumptions respecting maintained values very largely on the idea that the supply of fine wools will be bnrely adequate to satisfy requirements, and that, therefore the price of the combed article cannot be -depreciated to any material extent below its present level. "Another matter which provides scope for speculation is the extent to which ordinary civilian trade will be allowed to have a free hand. Though recent developments have shown that the authorities do not, perhaps, intend to keep such an extremely tight grip upon the trade as a whole as was anticipated, uncertainty still exists as to the scope which will be allowed to the ordinary civilian trade, and also as to the exact- measures which will be adopted with regard to export. These circumstances are tending to create a somewhat reserved feeling in almost very quarter, and, as already said, business is limited and values irregular.

THE BUTTER INDUSTRY.

BOARD OF TRADE INVESTIGATIONS. (From Oob Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, April 13. There was some alarm amongst exporters of butter and cheese recently because it was feared that the levy made on butterfat under the butter-price adjustment scheme would not prove to be sufficient, owing to the increasing price of butter in the English market. The matter has been examined by the Board of Trade, and after a very'full investigation the board is satisfied that the fund established under the scheme is solvent, and that no addition to the levy -will be found necessary. Some time ago the Board of Trade was appointed a commission to inquire as to jthe expediency or otherwise of prohibiting the export of white pine timber. This is the only timber in use in New Zealand for the making of butter boxes, and. as supplies are getting short, the suggestion is made on behalf of farmers and exporters of butter that the export of this timber, for which there is a strong demand in Australia, should be prohibited or restricted. The only counter suggestion made is that the Government ought to experiment with other timbers. The Board of Trade was directed to inquire into these questions, and actually opened the investigation in the Auckland district some time ago. The inquiry had to be dropped because thi' board had other urgent business to dea with, but it will bo resumed on the Wet Coast early in next month.

Auptrnlasian. Sonili African Year. Bales. Bales. .1916 .. .. 400.605 227.557 1915 .. .. 251.419 145.512 1914 .. .. 45.474 — 1913 .. .. 7,078 —