STRONG TONE IN BRADFORD MARKET.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14984, 11 August 1919, Page 7

STRONG TONE IN BRADFORD MARKET.

WOOL VALUES EXCEEDINGLY

FIRM

(Frojn Our Special Correspondent.) BRADFORD, June 12. At the time of writing the market does not present any new features.. Mills -jukl officers have boen closed W WhitiJjantide, but business generally presents 'j quite a healthy appearance. Values for everything are. fully maintained,! and the eagerness of spinners to secure* tops for early delivery is quite as noticeable as ever. 80 great has been the demand and so large has the amount of business actually transacted been, .Uhafc the majority of topmakers are spld forward as far as next November^ and are showing not little hesitancy ]^ibout selling tops even for de liveryl after that' month. Since last repot if? quotations have became higher, but isff is impossible to give what may be called a reliable quotation. For spot delivery the price is what the" spinner \vm give for the privilege of getting his n|ed^ supplied. This being apparently the only serious question which has tcr;-bo considered. Pleiafey of business is still being offered ;*§/■ manufacturers for yams, but Botari^? and fine cross-bred spinners are very •itidifferent abuut booking new oi'deraj:^except for distant dates. They are o£j course greatly handicapped by thair/'i /inability to secure tops, and prices|lre generally very firm and tend to Mjfden, particularly the finer qualities. ? More business has been done m lower?: starts, and it may now be said that ji|be hiarket is fairly "active for anything;"above 44's. For these qualities prices.' are also very firm.

#\ COMBING CHARGES. . It }s understood that another advance, is about to be made m combing charges, amounting to Id per lb. for merinps and 3d for cross-breds. This was oiily to be -expected m view of what.< Jias happened m the way of increasing combing operatives' wages. It was mentioned last week thafc the basic^rate had been increased, and as 1 tl)e v 4 om^ er s find it exceedingly difn-! cult , to secure »> sufficient number of haadsfj their only alternative has been to acjeede to the demand of the Industrial Council, and then try to cover the iucre&ed cost by putting up, their charges. ''/This is only another example of what'lhappens m the wool trade when highefr. wages are demanded, and as far as oiffi \can see at the present time the prospect of more reasonable values for eitheft tops or J y"arns is very remote. The rwjflk-ulty of getting wool to the comb*and through the combs is quite as gj«lt as ever, and the complaint whicl]|is frequently heard is that a larger §unount' of capital is being held up sijmply by -delays of this kind. It is a matter of no 'little concern that the labor^fupplies of the country cannot be better £ adjusted, and that there is so mucn^|. unwillingness m some quarteis to enter upon really productive work! This '4s one of the paramount needs of the hqj.ii', and is of interest to all sections^qf the trade, including the wool growing and because the maintenance of -'piling prices for the raw material can. only be assured by its continued «nd Steady movement into consuming channelß. There is perhaps not anything? really serious about the present situation, but it is not altogether a good omeii to find increasing supplies of wool m /this country accompanied by the serious -delays which have been >,o long experienced, apparently not being greatlyeaJsed. It needs the co-operation of *vU egctiom, including the workers, to maintain A really • safe and satisfactory »ta^e of affairs m the wool textile iu-di^t-ry ; v generally. The increase m gojnbing-'. • charges meant inevitably and this m its turn will reflect upon yarns and manufactured goods, LIVERPOOL SALE, A sale of Colonial wool was held m Liverpool last week. The total number of bales offered was 10,188, which includes the following : New South Wales 1,953, Queensland 4.131, Victoria 960, South Australian 1,283, West Australian, 358, Capo 1,237, Falkland Island 276 bales. Some very superior wools were put before buyers, including some of the very best merino clips from West Australia. Among the marks were some which are wellknown to buyers, being included Mt. Bute, Yarram Park, Nerrin Nerrin. and Terinajlum. These include the finest merino wool grown m the world, and along with them were offered some big lots of Central Queensland scoured merinos. In soine cases the wools were m excellent condition, the style, color and character being almost beyond criticism. A large number of buyers were present and the..strength of competition was such that the best Geelong greasies showed an advance of up to 10 per cent.; The best lines of scoureds advanced, about 5 per cent. Prices for Geelong ; greasies ranged from 63^d to 67d ; toy Sydney greasies from 58d to 64£ d; for scouj'pds 73d to 80d. EXPORT TO AMERICA. The members of the trade m this country who before the war did a big export trade m wool with the United States, have recently been expecting revival of trade on these lines, out it appears that an official statement made • some time ago has been misunderstood. During the April series ot London gales it was announced, that imported free wools could be exported to vile United States under a War Trade license. This mennt that wool imported from the Colonies Avhich had been released by the Government could be sent to the United States if the owners had customers there to whom they could sell, and providing they tui filled the conditions named. A further interpretation which has been read into the announcement has been that British wools have been included, this impression apparently being made by the fact that the wool grown jn this country is ■ not now under Government, control. Tho hopes of exporters interested m this class of wool are therefore doomed to disappointment for the time being, and there is no evidence that such wools will come immediately into competition with the American grown article. .It is of course to be expected that as time goes on the present embargo will be removed, wijen firms who did a large business m parpet and other similar wools wjlj be able to resume operations.' Big prices have been paid recently m this country for home grown wools which come most into competition with Colonial sorts. Tho consumptive demand is evidently very strong, and though merchants find prices somewhat high they console , themselves' with the fact that they are well able to get back their own. Some extreme idpas abpvu> values appear to be entertained by the /growers, 'fhpir impression apparently being t" a t their, wools should command prices corresponding tactile advance which has taken place m London. T,h e disparity which often exists m descriptions and qualities has been ignored. No doubt ■ all English wools will sell well, and good prices are known to have been realised m the' cases where what are Jcnown as the lower classes are grown. Taking the country as a whole there seems to be a prosyiec.t of a- fairly gopd cljn this year. Earlier the* seasotf the ewes did not appear to be thriving very . well, but during the past six weeks or so they have put on a fair amount of condition, and the fleeces seem £o \ mvp benpfittod proportionally. EXPORT TRADE I3tfBROYJNG. Some very good reports' have pome to hand respecting trade with occupied German territory. Possibilities of development are iw dpubf, very great, the needs of the .country for textile goods being so great that they cannot all

be supplied m a short length of time. The Department of Overseas has been drawing the attention of Chambers of Commerce to tho possibilities which Ho before them m this direction. British traders have been somewhat shy of interesting themselves m tho marketing question. The hindrances which have hitherto had to be con-tended with are, however, being gradually removed, the steam ship service being improved, and it is understood that the delay m transport is not now serious. Arrangements have also been made for the collecting of debts. Arrangements are being made by the Department of Overseas to assist those British firms who mayj desire to send their representatives to 1 the occupied area with the object of securing orders. A large weight of business . has already been done m woollen goods ;' one- -firm alone having' sold about 250,000 pounds worth of goods m less than a fortnight. Tho; position here is still largely dependant: upon the expansion of export trade. Low quality tops and yarn, th;:t is those below 44's, are still moving very! slowly, but trust is being placed m the, still further development oL.Continental markets to bring about the desired need. Mohair is one of the commodities exported to the Continent m a partly and a fully manufactured state before the war, and though there does not seem to be any great eagerness among niohair spinners who have been j compelled by the war to go on to botanies to return to mohair, it is expected that the latter market ' will develop, all of which will contribute to the good of the trade. !