THE WOOL YEAR

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 2778, 29 July 1907, Page 2

THE WOOL YEAR

D ALGETY'B ANNUAL REVIEW. Messrs Dalg-ety and Company have issued their annual wool review. As in the past year, it is a remarkably i comprehensive account u. tire season, supplemented by some valuable statistical tables. | In three years, says the report, the flocks of Australasia have increased bv nearly 28,000,000 head, and the i output ol wool, even though the sheep numbers are 10,500.000 less than in 1894-5 season, has established a re- ] cord - -exceeding for the first time ru j the history of Aunralasia 2,000 OCV | bales. The actual inert ase lor 'bt j year lias been 220.780 bales. 1 her <• is no gainsaying the fact that tlie pastoralists ol Australia and New Zealand have by the scientific culling ol their sheep and selection of heavier cutting rams, added to the wool-producing capacity of their flocks : and though much has been written to the contrary, it is doubtful whether the wool produced to-day is not as usei ul as that grown a ueeade or two ago. The abnormal prosperity ol the world's trade, increased population and wealth, and conse quent improved spending power ol the people, are responsible for the high values obtained ior the past season's wool. Within twelve months, says the report, Australasia lias been paid £30,239,794 cash ior her wool. £4,410,950 more than in 1905-0, : £10.000.000 more than in 1904-5, i £10.500.000 more than in 1903-4. and just about double the amount obtain!ed twenty years ago. Pre-eminently. to-day'- prices, it is declared, although at the highest average level readied ior twenty-five years, are resting upon a real, solid, consumptive basis. The boom or 1891*. on tbe other bund, was caused entire- | Jv through a lalse impression getting !abroad throughout the trade that the wool then available would not go j round : everybody bought and piled up stocks, finally finding themselves j unable to lift the new clip then eomjmg or, tbe mar ket. Current oondlj tions are at the other extreme. ■Stocks can be found nowhere, and

I consumption is larger and wider than I has previously bee II know n. The consumption during the last ' year .has certainly be- n abnormal. and before pr-phesying what the futi ure will be it is important to examine th.' contributing causes of the pre-ent demand. It is found that the : population of the civilised world has increased enormously of late, while r In gold output has don* likewise-, mere than doubling it'. If in ten years. I he* grain crop of America last year was the largest on record; arxj the- -aju,. m;.y h< s a j<] o f. the I world ' output of iron. Wages have increased considerably. and the* purchasing power of the masse-s js greater than e vci before . Everything has jn_ i ercu * d in value- metals, iood. supplies. all textiles and it i' not surprising therefore that wool, flic best of all .substances f<rr the clothing erf mankind, sheruld have participated in the* general advance-. Neitwithstanding all the* adulterat i'*n in rogue, the demand for wool is unsatisfied. Europe wants wool. America cannot supply her wants from the domestic e-lip. which is. when j quality is taken intei consideration, relatively dearer than the- s-nperior ntiele* importe-el from Australasia j duty paid, while tire comparatively mu demand from Eastern nations i- one nf the- meist gratifying features < f the- outlook. During the- prest year J lorn-liases on .lupane-e account have In i-ii largo r than ever before*, and have* In on brace-el. greasy as well as M-oiire*] wool. New mills are be ing j * re-cteel in that country. rrlii!*- the- !

example is being followed in Chine. In India also woollen mills are being erected, and now that the Eastern nations have proved the advantages of woollen clothing we look with confidence to a growing demand from that quarter. Broadly speaking, t future of the wool trade, from a produeer's point of view, presents many features which are distinctly encour-

aging. , Referring to the past season 6 clip of this island, tire reviewer says: The North Island wools were of finer quality than usual, but a little heavier in condition than the 1905-6 clip. Again, far too large a proportion of the clip was very indifferently prepared for market. little regard being paid by the smaller, and even some of the larger, growers to skirting and grading. In dealing with the future of wool, tire review declares the outlook is distinctly encouraging. Though the Australasian output for the past yeai again shows a substantial increase, viz.. 220.000 odd hales, and the production has expanded by over 700.000 bales in three years, the actual quantity available ior the use of the eivil- ; ised wool-using peoples of the world I has during the past few years tV- ! cr*-.aseii per head of population. Tn ■ contradistinction to this th - production in other parts of the world -hows 1 a great falling off. The net decrease ,in the world's flocks for tlte ten years ending 1905 was 10,003,000 -heep. while in Germany the numbers fel ■■ 28 16,80 ii 186 t 500 in 1900. Even admitting, says the review, that the future of the wool market i- always more or less involved in mystery, the weight of evidence goes to prove that woolgrowing sto.uld he a profitable industrv for some year's to c-ome. and give a continuance of existing trade conditions and favourable international relations, the year ahead promises to easily eclipse the one now closing, and all its forerunners.