The World's Wool Supply

Southland Times, Issue 14800, 17 November 1900, Page 2 (Supplement)

The World's Wool Supply

Writing on September 2Lst, the Bra^forr correspondent of the Hobarfc Mercmy fay* A change in sheep stock, either by con version of breed or by deorease or id crease is not felt in the wo.>l market ab once. Tin hmb that died in 1898 is only missed by th( maoafacturer is 1900. The cau«e is forgot ten bfore the effeub ia felt. Henca it ha« beeo B»id 'merinos are in fashion,' when ir. truth it should be said 'merinos are scarce and in denuod.' This really refers more tc lass year than this, owing to the great slump there has been in merinos. For some years after the general crossing of merinos with English breeds had commence i ia Argentina, the aspect presented by the Buenos Ayres mirke's remained unchanged; merino was the distinguishing feature. Then, from one year to another the intermediate ft age was passed ; merino wool seemed to have suddenly disappeared, lost amid the piles of white, loug-stapled flees. From the evidence of a general decrease in the wool supply to the manufacturing oountries of the world, as wel as the displacement of merino and approximately merino carding and combiug wools by th<i long oroasbrel grades, it is apparent thab Argentina h*e become, at any rate for the present, the mo«t important sou-oe of supply. The total wool parcel from irnt counrf reached, for 1899, 237,111 tons. O: this 90 per cent goes tj Frmoh, G-uinan, unrl Beigitin mmufaoturf rs, Fr<uu:e taking 42 pf>r cent of the to al parcel. The remaining 10 per cent, is Hivid' d brffween (ho markets i.f Groat Britain, the United s, and It.ly. Taking both tha homrf production and ; he funign supply handled by the woo! immu faohirers of t^e Continent., of Ure*t Br tftin, and of the Un:te>l States, wh finJ that A<gen it>a oniributed 3J per cent to the trad. 1 . of G r <w Katain, 4 p-r c j nk to tliti trade of thf Uni'ed States, and 43 per cant of the c mbined trades of France, Germany, and Belgium. Most of the wool of Argentini is fold direct upon the B ienos Ayrca markets to buyerß who represe-'t the Continental maaufaciutera. Soventy-five per cect of the totil clip ia shipped straight f om the River Plate mart to the European industrial centres. Intermediary markets, such ad Antwerp, now receive a getly diminished parcel. In 1886 about 55 per cenb of the Argentina woo) crop was shipped to Antwerp, and in 1896 t^e export to thatoeutre did not qu^e reach 25 per oen% while l»st year it suffered again a farther serious fall. Fifty years ago, when sheep in that country were neglected by the majority of the stockmen, and little care was t»ktn to im prove their quality and free the pastures from burr-bearmg weeds, the English manufacturer rej ;cted Argentina wooU as unsuuahlefir his irad>. That psriod of Deglect has l«ng sinoe faded into the shades of history, but it would appear to live as green in the memory of the British m^nufactu^r today as it did then. Tin parcel of w.v-1 which finds its way from Argentina to the English textile industry isnealyas insignificant as that exported from the same source to the United Stares. For a number of years the Argentine Republic has been the U'ger buyer of fine and pedigree sheep in the world. During the past five years she h*u f aken 80 per cent of the value of the total sheep exported by Great Britain. Out of 42,909 sheep, valued *t 1468 813, whioh was the British exp^rb from 1891 to 1898, A-g>nrina alone absorbed i 26,640, valued at L 372.805 For the past ! quarter of a century the Argentine breed j r i has been the best known and most fr°quent buyer of m^riao* from Germany and F ance. The United States of America have contributed V*rm«nt marines to tho Aigentine flicks, anH NewZ j al*nd has eupplied Ltnoolns fr^mits best studs to th^ same m->rkut. It would be strange if Argentine breeders, situated in somt of the beat sheep country of the world, hart nothing to Bhow in exchange for so much enterpise and ou lay. The present high standard wheh Argentine fl >cks have attained is little known except by those who have visited fche River PUte within recent years; possibly it is least known in the United States, who are the sol* buyers of the hairy wool grown by that remnant of the old Oreol • breed of sheep in the upper provinces, where it is fust disip- ! peariog before the advance of intelligent husbandry. Mauufictorers there may have ! perhaps judged A'geatina's wool parcel by , this )jtt l e consignment of Creole wool, but they will find no more than the sample ihny already tak* 1 . Tha English representitive j breeders who visired the In'ernational Sto:k ) Bhow held in Baen s Ayres lust year, ex- ! pressed amazement at the magnificent collen- j tion of locally bred sheep presented for their ■ inspection. The E aliah B >ari of Agrioul- ; ture in its report for 1898 allude* to 'i.ho muked improvement of sheo^' »ent fr.'in th->t source. Ia the earliest riajs of the io-du-try it wa? remarked tb*t the ( ffs,;jn;>^ b >m in the country, of mennoi irnpm t'-d from Germany to Argentina, was superior ia rype and fleece to the progenitors Argeutinn's climate and soil are particularly fay jr-abl-3 for sheep breeding, and the wo^l acquires a softness and lustre not excelled in Europe. To these natural coudi'ioua has novv b en added a competent knowledge and [ care on the part of the breeder, and the ex- > tendon of the railway sys'em has bsen f al- • 1 vwed by the fi rmution of agricultural societies, shows, and fairs in every district, bringing with it '.he f*miliari'y of the pou.ta of each typical bree I to the eye of the fl -.ck- ! master, and providing him wiih the market '. at his do^r in which he can buy the fiir f s he j needs to improve and renew the blood of his j flocks. Argentina now offers to the word's manuf»c:urerß her store of wools, merinos, and meriium crrsseß and long lustre?, i»ll henl'hily and careful y pr.ro.vii, of far uniftrmity of quality, and claiming as high v standard as th 'Be trotn any f.ther qnarier of the globe. She will bj the most roady to rcsp>nd to the cry for m >re meiino?. During the \nsnt nutumu the lirge i<nl^ of meriiu) types in oil the fairs was remarkable. Ia July a s lee ion of manuo sh^ep fiom Gurmaoy f-iched an average prioe of LIOO in Baenoa Ayres. Thfse ars n'gns fcfj*i tie ArgTitinn breeder hai noted th* sujjp isid si arcisy of memo w><>), and is goiDg to meet it, though tit think ehj will tt 11 adhere largely to the breeding of crosibteds, seciin^ th-* 1 the bloom in merinos if how altogether 'off.' The developments of the wool ma ket siDCr; l.»8t writing hi»ve not been ma^y or important, or at least in ao far as i lelalp-' t > that imonrt^iit section special-'y coverfd i>y this re vie - r . The mark- 1 is in tht quet st.i'e wnich i» the g<-nt.ra ! rule at r \h--> buyers have come ani gone. Daspito the fact that agents aod travellers never worked harder in their lives, the r» suits obtained in the merino department «f thn mwker, hue been a^ain very diattppointing, >nd the ma-i who can look upon well-fiiled ordtr bucks and spinning frames fully iuu, and iv whuh the orders carry the weight of volume with them, occupies a position where he has very few companions Trade in fine wools and in everythiug ranging abo^e 50* quality is decidedly at a discount. Throughout the week tbero has been a feeling m-toif.<«t more akin to actual busino3S th mi f .r months past, liut this n la < s absolutely to medium an I c >an<e c-os^bred^, »n.( does not reft r io merinos in i the least. Here there i* as much C'cseivativeness manifest as evtr there waa, and men yen >et look upon h- p'-e.'e it situaiion with teroe.ity aod fo-ir, aid cannot be iu-(luc.'-d ua.fer »oy pretence whatever to y^tnj'i-e iho ti')p grades I; is aheuiy a f-,r.-noue conclusion that the verd,iJ r <>f the !.ex" rteries of L >no'ou s^lds w.ll favour buyara, >^nd spincers firmly beii^vj th.it, ; I prio a v. ili favour t^e:n even yet mn e.sreiGg chit tr^do is ho slack and ordi ra a'l ruor.in^ for c-urser grade yarno. !he fact is, tabrics hat are to- lay being run paitake almost ab- : soiu'ely of the tharp, cricp order, the whole- , s>»le buyers ab the time of their selection re- ■ fusing to have anything to do with the sofb [ merin>s owing ro prioes then being oub of ■ the leaoh of the million. Tnis iaecen to-day i in fen increasing demand for such wool as I 1 40's, which quality is to-day the first in or- ! der, merit, ai>d demand. Topmake rs deling ' that htocks are dwiudling are askirg a more, »i : d ara meeting with soras measure of . -ucc^pb. This crossbred demand has given a • tilip to Fnglirh wools, a >d both in Irish, Lincoln, aod all h-jlf-bred wool- 1 , somn big lots huve recently change 1 liands. Piioes, hewder, are ltt'l^ be: er, though there i^ n iff liug abroad that eoa)e amecda are not far . <;ff. Trade general'y v no worse, but a good dial moro will h.*ve to bo doiug btfore it can be said to bo even in an average way. i