OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3337, 27 February 1918, Page 11

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(Fbou <.Oub Spkcial Correspondent.) BRADFORD, December 13. DISTRIBUTION O.F AUSTRALIAN WOOL. It seems almost as if I can sing the doxology, for it is officially announced that there is to be a distribution sale of colonial wools to the civilian woollen trade at fixed prices on January 10. Is this the beginning of a regular series of London Ga4es? Well, a one day's catalogue, comprising 8973 bales, cannot be regarded as a series, but it can be looked upon as a tale. No one knows what the character of the offerings will be, although it does not seem to be expected that they wisl be on tho good- side. A Government official, who is closely associated with .this 6ale, told the writer a few days ago that there will be a good deal of "muok" catalogued; but that term needs a. little qualification and simplification. The fleece wools may be on the burry side, and the crossbred probably will comprise mostly Australian and not New Zealand wool; but whether the wools be good, bad, or indifferent, it is as well that they be distributed in. the old way, thus giving buyers the opportunity of securing what 'they want. } CONDITIONS OF 9"ALE. Buyers are confronted with new conditions of sale, and they offer a very sharp contrast to those in operation up to last April. The following is the official announcement regarding the conditions of AUSTRALIAN WOOL. 1. A distribution of Australian wools to the civilian woollen trade at fixed prices will .take place in London on January 10. The wools will be on show for examination on January 7,8, and 9. Catalogues can be had in due course on application at the offices of the Committee of London Woolbrokers, 42 Wool Exchange, London, EC.2. The allotment is for the rationing period, December .to March next, and the wools will be valued and issued on the basis of the new issue price which came into force on December 1. 2. Intending purchasers should submit 'their- sub-certificates to the secretary of theh Rationing Committee, who will forward them to the Raw Materials Department, ivhich will issue the licenses to purchase. 3. The distribution will be held in the Wool Salerooms, Coleman street, London, 8.C., on. Thursday, January 10, from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.ni., and will be resumed at 2.30 p.m. 4. No warehouse charges will bo payable by the buyer, whatever the date on which the wools are collected from the warehouse, unless the delay should be due to any fault on the part of the consignee. 5.. Free delivery' to first destination will be given. 6. Buying brokers may select wools on behalf of consumers under the terms of the circular issued by this committee on October 25. 7. Prompt payment 14 days from date of sale. Delivery will be given against remittance on account, pending completion of invoices, at the rate of £3O per bale. 8. To meet the difficulty of buyers who are unable to furnish detailed claims, the distribution officer will accept approximate estimates of purchases; but it is essential that these should be sent in to the distribution officer in 'the saleroom not later than 1 p.m. in order that the remainder of the distribution may bo adjusted correctly. Final and accurate claims (in duplicate) must be handed to the Committee of tho London Wool-brokers before 6 p.m. on day of sale. The address of the distribution officer is as follows: Room 554, Caxton House, Tothill street, Westminster, London, S.W.I. 9. The quantity for distribution amounts to 8973 bales, comprising the following descriptions: Pieces and Fleeces, bellies. Laniba. *Baks. Bales. Bales. Merino grease .. 2985 1532 194 Merino scoured .. 645 1336 197 Crossbred grease .. 621 424 131 Crossbred scour ed .. 510 231 161 EXPORT* TRADE VANISHING. | In the last official report of the wool textile, conference that took place at the War Trade Department last week there appears a very . significant statement. Mr T. H. Jones is reported to have said: " Tha export trade, which had taken so much building up, and which ought to form part of the after-the-.var policy, appeared to bo on tho eve of vanishing, and would

undoubtedly be taken by other countries who were making serious attempts to get the trade formerly done. from this country or from Germany." The above are-cer-tainly words of warning which cannot very well be ignored, especially when for the first 10 months of this year our textile exports in manufacture of wool amounted to £44,982,424. Of course, the crux of the v whole question lies in lack of freight both inward and outward, especially in regard 'to bringing home raw wool. The writer was informed by a leading manufacturer a few days ago that mills were putting upon their own market good cloths at 8s per yard, which could "not possibly be_ produced on this side under 12s, due to being able to buy wool at a sensibly less price per clean scoured pound. There was also the saving of freight both ways, which to-day figures Out to a considerable amount, and .it is also a fact that American manufacturers, with their plentiful supply of wool, are 'to-day exporting \xpollen and worsted piece goods to markets abroad which in past years have, been entirely dominated by British and German made fabrics. To be very candid, British mills to-day are not :n a position to do a successful overseas trade; and unless the largo quantities of piece goods which are to-day held up on neutral account can be released, British manufacturers and - export houses will bo in a still worse position until the war finishes and wool comes to hand more freely. Everything points, as Mr Jones said to our overseas trade " vanishingY while American mills in particular are naturally straining every point to capture such valuable markets as the Far East and South America—in fact, both South African and Australasian wholesale houses have to obtain supplies of underwear fabrics from both Japan and the United States. CONTROL OF TRADE AFTER THE WAR. During the past week or two a good deed of discussion has centred around a Government measure which is known as the Imports and Exports (Temporary Control) Bill, which has for its the placing in the hands of the President of the Board of Trade full power to direct Imports and exports for three years after the war. This seems to many in the trade to be a very • large order, and the most astounding thing !of all is that one Or two Chambers of Commerce have approved of the measure. Has not the trade .had enough of Government control already? One of our daily papers this week used the term "revolution" while speaking on the textile trade, and what has been inflected upon it by 'the present measure. That seems to me to be strong language, and yet everybody is trying 'to carry \>n under the present' ponditions, annoying as many of the regulations are. But why the present state of affairs should be continued for three years ufrtr the declaration of peace is beyond the comprehension of any sane man. An important meeting of the Wool Textile Association took place last week, when it was decided to send a. deputation to see the President of the. Boarcf of Control as to what- the Bill actually means. Does it mean control as we see it to-day, or simply the determination of destination of raw materials as well as fully-manufactured articles?- I am confident that the trade -is quite prepared to submit to Government control so far as 'the destination of wool and its products is concerned; but it is unthinkable that the Imperial Government will commandeer all wool supplies and decide distribution of raw materials as well a$ " exports. The point has been raised, Will Australasian pastoralists submit 'to the present measure of purchase when their cousins in South Africa are allowed, a s free market, and are making to-day prices almost double what Australasian pastoralists are receiving at the hands of the Imperial authorities? It is quite true that both Australian and New Zealand wool-growers have proved themselves to bo more loyal to the Motherland than those in South Africa; but conditions are somewhat different. "It seems to the writer as if there is need for a clear and definite announcement as to the purposes of the Bill named. I can quite conceive of the trade being willing to support a policy which allows the resumption of woof auctions in Australasia and London on the same lines as obtained in pre-war days, but that tho Imperial authorities should have some say regarding the destination of 'the wool. That certainly is imperative;, but absolute State control vested in one man will never bo tolerated.