BELGIAN PURCHASES

Waipa Post, Volume 51, Issue 3694, 6 December 1935, Page 11

BELGIAN PURCHASES

AUSTRALIAN WOOL. , ' I During the year ended June 30, 448,689 bales of wool were exported from Australia to Belgium, that country ranking third as an export 1 destination for the clip of the Commonwealth. Those figures were influenced by the embargo on imports into Germany. Importations were made by permits granted at periods and the holding of supplies in Belgian centres enabled imports to be quickly made when permission to import was given. Belgium, however, is usually a bulky importer of the lower grades of the sheep’s staple,

scouring and carbonising being one of her large industries, a large part of the treated wool being re-export-ed.

During 1934 Belgium imported 164,000,0001 bof wool, and re-ex-ported 99,600,0001 b. In the first six months of this year 143,0 i j),0001b was imported and 75,400,Gd01b reexported. In August the scouring and carbonising establishments were working at only from 40 to 50 per cent, of capacity, but the turn-over of wool at the Belgian conditioninghouses from January to July last was 18,900,0001 b compared with 14,200,0001 b during the similar period of 1934. The quantity of tops and yarns dealt with in most months also showed expansion. Belgian currency was devalued at the end of March last and since that time the mills generally have been better employed.