OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3823, 21 June 1927, Page 13

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) MANUFACTURERS NEEDING MORE ORDERS. BRADFORD, April Values for wool appear to be fairly well established, though no. upward movement is reported fronf any centre in which sales have recently been held. Neither does the trade as a whole desire any advance. Certain information received from Sydney last week was to the effect that merinos were 5 per cent, cheaper, and” this appears to have exerted a somewhat disturbing effect upon some members of the trade. These are now expressing the opinion that values have begun to decline, but the probability is that in many cases the wish is father to the thought. Even if it is correct that a 5 per cent, decline took place no real harm was done, and no significance can be attached to it. It is well known that values in Sydney have been on a very high level compared with Bradford, the clean cost of wool being fully 2d per lb above the market value of tops. Free buying has consequently been impossible for Bradford users, and operations during the past two months in Australia have been largely in anticipation that the wool would be right when it reached this country, or at before the end of the season. That has been the only incentive for many buyers, and although colonial purchases do not now look very attractive, consumption is on a fairly large scale. For the sale of wool Germany and Russia are good markets, and French manufacturers are putting away •big weights every week. CROSSBRED PRICES. Fine crossbred wool is not too plentiful, and deliveries of tops from this quality of raw material are being made very rapidly. Prices are exceptionally firm, though I should say 35d is the maximum price obtainable for super 56*s. At the last London sales the home trade and Continental and American firms took considerable weights of fine crossbred wool. Tire following clips sold in London at the last sales realised the greasy and clean scoured prices given:—• Poukawa/C (N.Z. Wool). — . . . „ ... QJ

A COMBING’ INVENTION.

Mr P. Henry, of Gracechurch street, Bradford, has invented a pneumatic dabbing brush for the Noble comb, which it is claimed will prove to be a great economiser. It is stated that anything from £70,000 to £lOO,OOO per year is spent in the renewal of dabbing brushes, and that the use of the new brush will wipe out two-thirds of this amount. This seems to be a rather large claim to make; but if the expense can be reduced by onethird an important contribution will have been made to the reduction of working costs. The pneumatic brush is similar in shape and size to the one now in use, and existing brushes can be adapted. The new brush has no'bristles to cover the actual tangent, but a slot which allows a flat tube to pass through it when the comb is in motion. Passing down this tube is a constant pressure of air, which is supplied from an engine attached to the framework of the comb. The position of the commission combers in Bradford to-day is by no means satisfactory. Some of our biggest topmakers are sending big weights of wool to be combed in Germany. Many firms are also finding it a distinct advantage to sell W'ool in the matching stage, and so long as better prices can be made on the Continent it is hardly likely that firms here will put big weights of tops into stock. One or two big topmakers who have their own combing plant are putting through no more than they actually require MANUFAQTURING CONDITIONS. Recent figures show an improvement in employment in the mills in Bradford and other manufacturing towns in England, but Bradford firms are not at all enthusiastic about the present position or future prospects. The demand for spring piece goods is very limited, and it is yet too early to talk about the winter of 192728. Dress goods manufacturers complain about the scarcity of new business, and too many looms are standing. Woollen manufacturers outside Bradford have also become quieter, firms which have been busy for the past three years allowing their looms to stand on the Saturday morning, and if there is no improvement these mills will be closed all next week for the Easter holidays. Manufacturers of cheap woollen cloths, which have been meeting with a ready sale in large quantities, are quieter, and the reason given is that many men are wearing sports coats and women knitted fabrics. Some of these firms make cloths of 18oz weight, which are now regarded as being too heavy for summer wear. Light-weight fabrics are now very popular in England, the womenfolk largely setting the fashion. The contention apears to be that if women can wear these light goods without any ilbeffects, it is high time for the men to follow their example, though a difference of 2oz per yard in the weight of a cloth makes a big difference in the total consumption of raw material. Sports wear is also becoming very popular, no doubt due to the still increasing numbers of men who go in for outdoor exercise. AN OBJECT LESSON. Many colonial pastoralists who have visited Bradford have gone round the

mills in the district, and it would be a very good thing if still more could have the benefit of the same experience. They would then get an insight into the principles of cloth construction which would stand them in good stead. Only last week a young Scotchman, the son of a pastoralist in Western Australia, came to Bradford for the purpose of being initiated into the art and science of wool sorting, topmaking, and other processes involved in the manipulation of wool preparatory to or in the course of actual manufacture. In six months this young man will gain experience which will be of incalculable value to himself as a pastoralist. In the course of his training he will probably see some strange things. A few weeks ago I was in the willey house of one of the largest woollen mills in the West Riding, where those who do not know the trade cannot be blamed for expecting nothing but virgin wool being used. But in a blend of 200 stones (32001 b there was only eight stones of wool. The rest was mungo and cotton, and the blend was going to be carded and spun into 13 Yorkshire skeins. This information is given to show to what extent wool is being displaced by cheaper commodities. In the mill where the above blend was seen thousands of stones of mungo, shoddy, and cotton are blended in a year without a single pound of wool being used. Every practical man knows that it is impossible to spin such blends to a fine count of yarn, but, say, up to nine or ten skeins it is possible to spin good weavable yarns without a single ounce of wool. By this means some cheap, but really useful, fabrics are made, and, needless to say, if there were nothing to draw upon for manufacturing purposes except virgin wool, a very large section of the public at home and abroad would be very poorly provided for in the way of clothing. Of course, mungo and shoddy come from wool, and being actually of that class of fibre serve a very useful purpose indeed. There is also a tremendous weight of noils and other byproducts available, and these when judiciously blended with wool or cotton come in very useful for the production of fabrics at a price which comes within the reach of the pocket of the multitude.

(For Continuation of Farm and Station see page 19.)

Description & Quality. 0 tfia. Per lb. d. G t- « ■ p 8 S C U2 cj Per lb. d. Greasy Wool. A halfbred hoggets, 54’s pre- - paring 215 311 A haltbred hoggets. 54's preparing 21J 31 AA fine crossbred hoggets, 54’s preparing, part 52’s . . 17 25 AA fine crossbred, 54-52’s 171 24 A crossbred hoggets, 50-52’s preparing 15 20J A crossbred, good 50’s carding 142 20 B crossbred hogg’ets, 4S’s preparing 142 192 Awhea (N.Z. Wool). AA fine crossbred, 52’s preparing 175 23 A crossbred hoggets, 52-50’s preparing IS 2.3J A crossbred, 52-50's preparing 164 212 B crossbred hoggets, 50’s preparing 16 21i B crossbred, 4S’s 16 21