LONDON WOOL SALES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3430, 9 December 1919, Page 13

LONDON WOOL SALES.

EXCELLENT PRICES PAID FOR MERINO AND FINE CROSSBRED WOOL. (Feom Our Special CoeAspondent.) LONDON, September 25. Reference has been made frequently during past months to the congested state of our British ports, and also to the fact that warehouses in Bradford were choked with wool. This is, of course, due to arrivals of raw material being greater than the rate of consumption, and no doubt everyone associated with the trade will appreciate any steps which may be taken in order to relieve what has come to be a most troublesome, if not actually serious, state of affairs. The position has been made worse by the attitude of the railway companies and thenemployees. Many instances could be named in which the latter, by the "exercise of a little ordinary common sense, could have greatly assisted the despatch of wool without the slightest disadvantage to themselves. The railway companies officially have also been known to adopt proceedings which would not be believed if the authorities for giving the information were not absolutely reliable Some of the practices have undoubtedly been in vogue for years, and it is strange that before now someone has not realised how reforms could be brought about.

The delivery of consignments at various warehouses in'the city has been a source of trouble, arid perhaps the requirements of the trade have at times appeared irksome. There is no doubt, however, that these requirements have generally been compelled by the necessities of the case, and traders have had sufficient practical experience not to be guilty of complicating delivery instructions. It is entirely" to their own advantage to have them as simple as possible, and car-, ried but with the minimum waste of time. The Wool Section of the Ministry of Munitions have' seriously considered the congestion in the ports, and _in order to I save labour it has been decided to ship 50,000 bales of colonial wool direct to Boston, United States, for sale by auction in that centre. Shipping arrangements have* already been made, and it is expected that the auctions, which _will be conducted by the Committee of London Wool Brokers, will commence about the end of November. To send such a weight of. wool direct to Boston will Tje some relief to British ports and warehouses. It is understood that the greater nroportion of the wool, which is thus being sent direct, consists of merinos, which is quite in harmom- with the demand for that class of wool which is known to exist in the United States.

COMBERS WANT HIGHER WAGES. The position in.the local combing industry, appears to bo going from bad to worse. Following the rejection by the combing operatives of the offer made by the Woolcombing Employers' Federation, an. application for a further advance of wages has been made. The application, which has been forwarded throusrh the executive of the National Society of Machinery Woolcombers and the Wool aftd Yarn Warehouse Workers' Union, is' for an advance of 6s per week for all members employed by the Woolcombing Employers', Federation. The West Riding Spinners' Federation, the British Wool Carbonising Federation, and Lister and Co. (Ltd.), Manningham Mills. The new demand arises out of the refusal of the combing operatives to work overtime. The various proposals brought, forward by the Woolcombing Employers' Federation were so knit together that when the operatives _ refused to work overtime the offer of an increase of wages fell through automatically, and the next step on the part, of the woolcombers has been to ask for higher wages independent of the overtime question. The incident has created some misgiving in the trade, as whispers have been heard of resorting to the only too usual method of bringing about the desired result—a strike. FIRM PRICES IN LONDON. -

Since last writing the wool sales have been continued in London, and though there has been no further striking- advance, such as took place on the second _ day of the sales when America came- in with such force, prices have been maintained, one characteristic being the greater activity of Yorkshire buyers. On several days the selection has been none too good, but even on some of those occasions America and Franco have been responsible for forcing prices to such a level as to nut the home trade out of the running. Greasy "Victorian wools have met with brisk competition, going largely to America, the best parcels realising 60d. New South Wales scoured super lambs of good style have also been in keen demand. They have sold at firm rates, realising up to 75d. Fine crossbred? and comebacks have touched up to competition for those being quite strong. At later sales there has been a good supply of both scoured and fine crossbreds, the whole of the Tasmanian wools being greasy fine crossbreds and comebacks. Yorkshire and French buyers, particularly the former, came prominently on to the scene when the Tasmanian wools were

offered, these selling leadily at fully recent prices. Melbourne greasy comebacks have also met with ready competition at full rates. Greasy crossbred pieces and bellies afforded an opportunity for France, all these being cleared at prices ranging from 20d to 24d. HOME-GROWN WOOLS. Business is proceeding in a quiet way in home-grown wools, the demand still largely running on tho descriptions which have now been popular for several weeks. The best call is still forthcoming for good Down fleeces, in spite of the fact that these are extremely scarce, merchants having the greatest difficulty in finding what they want. Prices for halfbred wools are steady, but deeper kbids arc not moving at all quickly. The general position in. homegrown produce ia ! practically the same as in. the colonial wool trade, fashion still leaning in a most determined maimer to the fine qualities. This is equally true of the skin wool:,, as anything of a good quality can be sold easily. Prices realised at the recent sale of scoured, carbonised, slipe and skin wool held in Bradford are worth mentioning here because of the qualities of British skin wools offered, and the prices realised. Ha slock seems to be one of the descriptions for which there is not now much demand, for at the sale in question competition was poor. The following is a selection of prices realised for home-grown produce:—Lamb has'ock 16d, grey lamb 31d. washed skin 26d, deep hoggs 26d..deep wethers 23d, pick Shropshire boffg_s 47d. Yorkshire hoggs 26d, super Shropshire wothrrs 45£d, greasy Southdowns 37-kl, greasy halfbreds 32d. A NEW CLOTH. The dearness of wool and the hitch prices of articles of clothing manufactured therefrom, has naturally directed mdre attention to the possibility of using substitutes. During the war there was not much scope for developments in this direction, as military needs were paramount, and it was imperative for the clothing provided for' service men to possess in the highest degree possible, warmth-giving and 'wear-resisting properties. Now that the war is over, howover, greater opportunity arises for the manufacture of goods on civilian account, and the fact of hostilities having ceased means that certain commodities wjjich were required for war purposes are now available for consumption in such wavs as manufacturers may find most suitable. One of the commodities which has thus been released is silk noils. Before the war these were used for stripings for dress. goods and' for yarn dyed for export. During the war they were used on a large scale for certain secret purposes, and the plant at one of the mills} in th 9 Bradford district was kept running night and day for almost the whole of the war period. When the armistice was signed this special work ceased, and with twothirds of the plant standing idle, the heads of the firm set about to find some other use for the noil. High prices of cloth suggested that experiments should be made in the way of adapting the noil for cloth manufacturing purposes, and a fabric has been produced made entirely therefrom. It is claimed that while it can be sold a\ about one-quarter of the price of good serge, it is not inferior in wearing quality to a pure worsted. The cloth, of which the writer has seen a sample in black and white check, will be obtainable in greys, browns, and blacks. There is something to be said in favour of the new fabric from the point of view of appearance, but it certainly does not possess the good handling properties of a cloth made largely from wool, and in spite *of its appearance it handles somewhat thin and papery. No doubt, for certain purposes, the new cloth will find a market. Every credit is due to the firm who have brought it out, but it Cannot rival fabrics made from wool.

Since writing the above a sale- by desoriptiori'has been held-in London, the quantity offered being 5900 bales. The price paid often barely equalled those realised at the other auctions. Homo trade and French buyers were the largest competitors, and it was scarcely to bo expected that 'customers from further afield would bo eager to buy. In some cases prices were 5 per cent, lower;, but, on the whole, good clearances were made. South Australian and Sydney merinos, as well as Sydney scoureds, being prominent among the offerings, as also were merino carbonising wools. These latter were mostly purchased on French account at the reduced basis already mentioned.