LONDON WOOL SALES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3774, 13 July 1926, Page 38

LONDON WOOL SALES.

APPRECIATION IN PRICES. ARTIFICIAL SILK COMPETITION. (From Ocb Own Correspondent J LONDON, May 4. The third series of the current year opened on April 27, with 9289 bales, including 2456 from New Zealand. Messrs Charles Balme say there was a good attendance of buyers, and competition was satisfactory. As was the case at the opening of the March series, French and German buyers secured the bulk of the offerings, both merinos and crossbreds, the Home trade showing some hesitation in bidding. Prices for merinos were from par to 5 per cent, above last sales’ closing rates, the advance being principally on greasy wools suitable for the Continent and short seoureds. Fine greasy crossbreds also appreciated from par to 5 per cent., but medium and coarse qualities, on the other hand, were from par to 5 per cent, cheaper. Sliped and scoured wools sold at about previous parity. The small quantity of South African wool catalogued was mostly with drawn; the bids made, however, were fully up to the prices current in March. Altogether for the series 142.500 bales are available, including 43,000 bales from New Zealand. ARTIFICIAL SILK WITH WOOL. The wool trade specialist of the Bradford Daily Telegraph refers to the development in the manufacture of artificial silk, and says that every man engaged in textile manufacture can make up his mind that artificial silk will be used as long as there are trees to make it from. Those who have been to Holland Park Hall are loud in their praise of what they have seen, and the articles of wear into which artificial silk is entering seem to be legion. We accent Sir Wnlliam Bulmer’s statement made last year that the use of artificial silk has displaced 500.000 bales of greasy colonial wool, but we certainly think artificial silk will be most useful in conjunction with wool Bradford manufacturers are combining the two to. great advantage, as it gives an attractiveness to many a cloth which guarantees its sale. One has only to look in any draper’s shoo window to see how extensively artificial silk yams are used, and we believe that ultimately, in spits of the aforementioned reference to the displacement of wool, the use of that raw material will be helped rather than hindered particularly if the nations of the world have the money necessary to huv decent apnnrel. One keeps hearing that artificial silk fabrics are not so fashionable as thev wore, but that •is best, determined bv the activity seen at nil the mills producing artificial silk varns, and new avenues of consumption are being discovered.