OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3342, 3 April 1918, Page 12

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(Fbom Otm Special Coerespomdint.) BRADFORD.. January 17. LONDON DISTRIBUTION SALE A FAILURE. Last week-end a distribution sale of Australian wools took place in Coleman street, when a catalogue comprising 8944 bales was submitted to a handful of buyers. This catalogue had been got together by the department for the purpose of offering ft to manufacturers of civilian fabrics, but no one could operate without having pergission so to do from tho department, riefly put, every Arm owning machinery was granted the privilege of using eo much olean scoured wool, tho department being tho sole source for obtaining supplies. Notwithstanding there were nearly 9COO bales catalogued, tho committee of tho London Wool Brokers has sent tho writer an official statement_ in which it says: "The demand for civilian purposes would have x ©agerly absorbed the whole quantity

offered had not the issue of rationing licenses been severely curtailed b.y the authorities. Under these circumstances, the quantity taken by this section of the trade amounted to 1800 bales." This means to say that the sale was a fiasco, and unless there is a very different attitude displayed we have seen the end of all distribution sales till the war finishes. Oh the surface it looks a farce to put up 8000 bales and the trade 'to simply absorb 1800 bales. The question naturally arises. Did not. the authorities know the quantity of wool which they had granted the trade the privilege of buying? The answer is in the affirmative. One could say a great deal on the point; but perhaps silence is best. However, the moral is plain to those who know the position of things to-day. There were somo very good merinos catalogued along with a lot of shabby carbonising wools, while tho crossbreds, which amounted to 20 per cent, of the offerings, were poor in the extreme. What was wanted was the broadening of the basis of competition—throwing open the doors and letting tho trado compete without let or hindrance, when every bale would havo been absorbed with the keenness of a hungry dog devouring a bone. It seems 'to many people ridioulous to put up wool like this and so ration the trade as to prevent them buying. THE SOUTH AFRICAN CLIP. Evidently 'things are not moving so satisfactorily in South Africa, notwithstanding that the Government has purchased threeeighths of the cm-rent clip, amounting in all to 188,242 bales. The correspondent of the; Cape Times, in a message published earlier in the week, states that the controversy over tho purchase of 'the South African dip by tho Imperial Government threatens to break out anew in an acute form. It seems tha't the leading organ of the Dutch in the Transvaal published an article on the eve of the assembling of Parliament urging General Botha to make representations to tho Imperial Government for the cancellation of the wool contracts. Some 28 per cent, of the wool farmers are concerned, and the Dutch paper states that, comparing their contract with the current prices, they will lose £BOO,OOO. The Cape Times denounces tho suggestion of cancellation as an ill-omened symptom of the increasing activity of tho virus of bad faith in tho South African body politic, and points out that the Union asked tho Imperial Government to make tho offer, which was freely accepted by thf> farmers who were concerned after months of public discussion. I entirely endorse the opinion expressed by tho Cape Times, and there cannot bo any cancellation of tho contract. The Imperial Government, through tho Union Government of South Africa, has been honest —i't has put all its cards upon the table. South African farmers had to decide whether they would accept the Imperial Government's offer regardless of shipment, or if they preferred a free hand to sell or retain their clips upon their farms. Tho suggestion of cancellation is untimely, unpatriotio, and certainly unbusinesslike. Much as ever Bradford buyers would nave preferred a free market, they have loyally submitted to the programme of State control, notwithstanding the hardships which it has brought upon tho entire industry. Tho war has brought about conditions involving

muck upsetment of trade and material losses, but these are being submitted to in a most commendable way, and the suggestion of the; leading organ of the Dutch in the Transvaal cannot be agreed to in the least. Of course, the operations of the United States and Japan in South Africa are the cause of the present unrest among wool-growers, and it would perhaps have been as well if the Imperial Government had commandeered the entire clip, as is the case in Australia and New Zealand, at the same time offering certain quantities to Japan and America as shipping facilities occurred. No doubt the present trouble is due to those growers who refused their clip making pence per lb more than the Imperial Government is paying; but our authorities cannot possibly increase their margin, otherwise every grower in Australia would agitate "to be put upon the same basis; and rightly so. As already indicated, the chief cause of the trouble lies in. a fairly active market on behalf of the two countries named, and so long as America .and Japan are free buyers, and willing to purchase a't sensibly higher prices than the Imperial Government is paying, there is bound to be dissent unless export finishes and stocks accumulate.. PRODUCTION OF STANDARD CLOTH. We have heard a great deal lately about the production of standard cloths for civilian wear, and the efforts of Sir Charles Sykes (Director of Wool Textile Production) are beginning to bear good f rujt. Already provision has been made for the production of about 1,500,000 yards of woollen tweedj and the trado has been told that provision is also being made for the production of standard worsted serge, blankets, and flannels. No doubt the general public will now realise that the entire textile trade is very much controlled, and is going to be. The standard woollen tweed is to be sold at 6s 8d per yard, broad width, and ready-made suits_ are to be retailed to the general public at 57e 6d. Those who have seen the cloth speak m good terms regarding it. It will enable the reader to form a reliable opinion of same if we state the component parts of the blend from which the yarns are spun. The blend is made of 60 per cent, pure virgin wool, 30 per cent, of crossbred noils, and 10 per cent, of' iriurigo or cotton. That. I say, is a good blond, and the resultant, cloth is bound to bo satisfactory. Thousands, of pieces have been made throughout' the West Riding in past years tliat did not contain 10 per cent, of pure wool, and the general populace purchased them in big quantities. I hope that the purchase of such etaridard cloths will lead the general public to appreciate something good, and they should'pave the way for purchasing correspondingly satisfactory cloths when the war finishes. 'Having successfully produced standard woollen tweeds, it if? not a big jump to the production of indigo worsted serge of a standard type—in fact, these have been made in larger volume as a standard article than any other cloth over manufactured. What looks smarter either for man or woman than a good blue serge? No one ever tires of seeing tho shade, while it only needs to be made in varying weights to suit either sex. The production of standard blankets will be a comparatiely easy task so long as the department

provides the .raw material. They are to be made in four sizes, and they should be ready in ample time for the winter of 1918-19. I am now told that still larger demands are being made upon flannel manufacturers, and mills in Rochdale, as well as in the West Riding, will be fully occupied by the Government orders to the end of April; but now that details regard-, ing the production of standard flannels have been arranged, these, too, should be out in considerable weights for next winter wear. The price to tho manufacturer is to be' Is 5d per yard, the wholesale merchant is to be allowed 3d, and the retail vrader 4d per yard—at least these were the margins originally decided upon, though they are liable to some slight revision. The blend for standard flannels, I understand, will be 40 per cent, wool and 60 per cent, cotton. AN IMPORTANT CHANGE. Since writing the above a cable has been received from Reu'ter's Capetown correspondent, which makes it very clear that tho Imperial Government has given permission to those South African wool-growers who agreed to sell them their clip to withdraw if they so desire. It seems that a very awkward position has arisen, due entirely to unexpected freight being available for the transport of wool to Japan and America, an activo market still being witnessed. This is an altogether unexpected development; but shows clearly enough inat the patriotism of .South African woolf rowers is entirely decided by their pockets, t i 9 quite natural for them to make an effort to secure pence per lb more for their wool than they, would receive under the Imperial Government's offer; but the most tantalising feature of the position is that English buyers cannot touch a single bale, .being completely at the mercy of the Shipping Controller in regard 'to obtaining freight. America and Japan can buy freely enough, whereas English buyers are completely out of the running, because, if they bought, they know that they cannot command freight, and the wool when landed here in England would bo automatically acquired by the department at pence per lb less than it cost. However, I think that the Imperial Government has acted wisely in yielding to the advice of General Botha, notwithstanding that the proceeding _ seems untimely, unbusinesslike, and unpatriotic.