OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3782, 7 September 1926, Page 13

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

RELATION OF LENGTH AND QUALITY. (From Our Special Correspondent.) BRADFORD, July 1. I have just been reading the report of an interview in a New Zealand issue with an Australian wool buyer who had recent Dominion sales. The wool buyer had some very nice things to say about the method of selling w’ool in New Zealand, and no doubt mentioned other things in which there is ample room fop an improvement. He said: ‘‘Long wool should always be kept separate from the short. Quality really is secondary to length. By long wool of three-quarter-bred . (or 46's quality) I mean sin and more.” One cannot but think that this buyer must have been somewhat wrongly reported in asserting that “quality really is secondary to length.” That is the* first time the writer ever heard of any competent wool buyer asserting that quality occupied a secondary position in determining either its market value or its general utility. There is every reason to say that if either w’ool buyers or users were asked which was the more important characteristic quality Would win every time. One is very much surprised at any wool buyer putting quality in a secondary place, for there' is such a thing as w’ool being overgrow*!. The question has often been asked why in the case of merino wool “double fleece” should often fetch less than wool shorn from sheep that were carrying only 12 months’ fleeces. Even merino wool that has been allowed to grow on the sheep’s back for two years is of such a length as to interfere with its general utility. The same to a large extent obtains in crossbreds. At one time New Zealand pastoralists were strongly urged to get a little more length into their crossbred wools, particularly 46-50’s quality. During recent years hog fleeces especially have been overgrown, the wools showing more length than topmakers wanted. In all tables of points for judging wool quality has always been put at the head of the list, and has oftentimes carried 50 points, while length of staple, soundness, colour, and condition have been distributed over the other 50 points. VALUE OF QUALITY.

The writer is by no means disposed to undervalue the' length of staple, but length will not make up for the lack of quality. The statement quoted above is particularly unfortunate, for there is a tendency among crossbred growers in particular to sacrifice quality for length, which is a move in the wrong direction. If a spinner or manufacturer gets quality of fibre and a reasonable length, as a rule he is satisfied, and I am certain that quality in either merino or crossbred wool is a characteristic of vital importance in determining market value. It is perfectly correct that threequarterbred wool usually falls into the category of 46’s quality, and a Sin staple is of sufficient length to make a first-class carded top, though a little on the short side to make a prepared 46’s. Of course, some topmakers would put a full sin 46’s into a prepared top, and if blended with other wool of the same quality but showing a little longer staple it w’ould be a full prepared quality 46’s. But here is an important point to remember. During the past two seasons the bulk of the crossbred trade has been done on wools of carding length, these selling for quite as much as preparing wools. We should say that hog wool of three-quarter-bred staple largely goes into prepared tops, while sheep shorn previously will grow a sufficient length to make a good carded top. Many complaints have been raised about 50’s wool being too long for present-day requirements, but a wool to be under 50’s and yet called halfbred is more or" less a misnomer. Frankly, I say that there is nothing like a little bit of quality in all crossbreds, whether they be 40's, 46’s, 48’s, or 50’s. Every practical spinner knows that to obtain comfortably an even count of yarn he must have both quality and length in the top. When he has fineness of fibre he can always spin that top to its utmost capacity, whereas if it is low in quality, even though of pood length, it will not be such a good spin as a full up quality and a reasonable length of fibre. BRITISH SHEEP FARMERS' METHODS. The pastoral interests of Great Britain and New Zealand are very much alike, for in both countries sheep farmers keep dual-purpose flocks—sheep that combine

a useful fleece of wool with a good carcase of mutton. It is almost inevitable that this should be so, for British breeds have been introduced to New Zealan * and there is much similarity in the cliir. ites of the two countries. Here in Engh-ud, as well as New Zealand, we often think that far less attention is paid '>» the importance of a good quality of fleece than there ought to be, though we recognise that it is not neglected by leading pastoralists in the latter country. British pastoralists are slow to appreciate this fact, and there is more haphazard breeding than ever. It lias been proposed to hold a Government inquiry into the state of British sheep farming, and if evidence is taken woolmen will certainly stress the point that there is far too much mixed breeding for the good of the wool trade. For years it has appeared to the writer that British sheep farmers were going in more and more for crossbreeding in a most indiscriminate way, and apparently they are paying little regard to the kind of fleece grown upon their sheep. The Scotch blackface and Cheviot are kept pure in Scotland, but among English and Irish farmers there is fax too much crossing. The result is a Jack of uniformity when the fleeces come to be marketed, which puzzles buyers in deciding the market value. When offered by public auction the wools have to be averaged, for the buyer knows that they will have to be carefully classed and sorted before they can be put to any definite manufacturing purpose. STATE OF AMERICAN WOOL TRADE. Since 1920 the state of the American wool trade has been a matter of considerable comment. The woollen and worsted manufacturing industry across the Atlantic lias been in a very indifferent way. The anomaly is all the more pronounced because in other trades that country is enjoying unparalleled prosperity. Five leading associations of manufacturers, including hosiers, have decided upon a publicity campaign with a view to inducing the general public to give better support to textiles. It is reasonable to argue that if every other industry is in a state of prosperity and the people are earning big. wages, the textile trade should experience a correspondingly good time. The sum of 5000dol has been subscribed to this campaign, and while we do not wish to belittle the attempts that are to be made, we contend that these American institutions should first recognise fundamental facts. The American people are to-day spending heavily on automobiles, and have little to spare for clothing at its present cost. The import duty of 31 cents per clean lb on imported wools should be abandoned. This duty is imposed indiscriminately on shilling crossbreds and dollar merinos, which is most preposterous. The high prices charged for clothing in the United States are killing the country’s own trade. It should be worth while mentioning in reference to the above that, notwithstanding prohibitive duties on imported fully-made textiles, more of these goods are now being bought in Great Britain than for many years past. This should be sufficient to give manufacturers in the United States something to think about. The sooner they realise the real cause why their industry is languishing, the sooner they will get on right lines in introducing the proper remedy. I have no hesitation whatever in saying that if the general public in the United States could be provided with good clothing at reasonable prices the demand would expand considerably.