OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 62, 6 December 1907, Page 10

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

I THE "GET-UP" OF WOOL. (from oun srseiAi,' corres—tdent.') Bradford, , October 18. The got-up of wool is a,peronnial-question, and ono that' is deserving ■ of as much attention as over at tho hands of all. wool-growers. ? I am sure that the present high range of prices lias made many growers somewhat careless in their methods of preparation for mnrkot, there evidently being abroad a feeling s which finds somq .snch expression as "never i mind, wo shall just got the Bame price by scamping the job, and putting in the skirts, as if wo took them out." Because the raw ma--3 torial has'this last fow years boon commandbieb. values, that is no reason whatever

for licensing any man for adopting less vigor oils and thorough methods in netting up hi cup for market in a businesslike way; ,bu from what I siiw at the recent series of Lon Jlon- snlcs 1 am positive that many New Zea land clips are being carelessly handled, whil< tape farmers have still much to learn befon they send their wools to market as they shoulc do. . ■ During the last few scries of colonial woo snlcs complaints-have been numerous that tin crossbred wools of Now Zealand have beoi anything but what they should be in.point o cloanliuess and growth, and especially the lacl 01 appreciation as to what is reqiiirod b< buyers, branding valuing one morning a bij Hie of grease crossbred combing wool, 1 wai .very much surprised to see that out of 51 bale: Of combing only one bale of pieces and tw< Dales or bellies had been made. This raiset niy curiosity, because on pulling out some o tno combing I stuck my hand into a lot o seeds and skirts, and this aroused suspicion bulling out of the bale a. whole fleece I openee it, when i beheld on the neck and tlio breed a whole mass of seeds. Certainly the belli portion had been removed, but what is knowi as biddy-biddy was simply plastered on tin neck and flank end, completely spoiling the better part of the lleece. Thinking I had gol hold of an exceptional fleece, I went to tw< or three other bales and did likewise and k every case .the top and bottom end of eacl lleece was full of seed. Here was a flagranl caso of absolute neglect to conform to the con rnon elementary principles of preparing woo for market. - ■ > ■ Now, the seeds of which I am complaininc are. not the ordinary shivs and carrot seeds which one comes across even in Australian oi Lapo merinos, but are seeds which are found on no other country's wool except New Zealand, and if a man had taken a score handfulf and deliberately plastered them on they could not have been more. What was the "result: I hose combing wools I am certain lost at least a penny per lb., if not I}d., because the neck; and breech hnd not been removed. Why, the difference in quality alone between, the shoulder, side, and back compared with the othei parts of the fleece 'was a reason of itself foi their being removed, but being also "rammed" with biddy-biddy increased tenfold the fla<r rancy of the case. Here we had good, bright •10 s crossbred wool worth lid. fetching only ■ 'Another caso where we'had a lot of fine halfbred and fine crossbred, the owner had left in all the skirts, there being not evon a single bale of pieces or bellies made out of the whole clip.-, If even one bale had been made it would have vastly improved the combing wool, for in tho same bale we had three-parts of fleeces giving a "clean yield" of 75 per cent., and other parts not more than 40 per cont! : Then, again, a; little appreciation of the question of quality would lead to better results. What sense is there in any man' baling together fleece wool of 3G's and *50's quality? Why, there is at once a penny per lb. differonce between the two on the ground of quality alone, while a man seeking good halfbred will gladly give 13d. ■to • 14d. per lb., whereas the average price to-day for 3G's to 40's is 10d. to lid. Anybody with a very elementary knowledge of wool can at once see that, when there is such a big difference in the quality of wool, it .will serve'two separate and distinct trades. Thero is in such wools a difference in length, .ho construction of the staple, the yield, and the appearance of the fibre, and these features alone should enable even an intelligent farm labourer to separate the two classes, and to make them into at least two lots. I point out these essentials in order that owners of wool might evince a little more intelligent interest in their clips, for oftentimes good money is lost because of a lack of- appreciation of these small details which are so essential in the getup of all wool , . • ■■.'.'■, This question of preparing wool for. market in a proper businesslike way goes to the very root of the wool trade, affecting both the producer, and consumer alike . I am open to say that- Australian pastoralists still lead in the way they handle their- clips, and it will bo a good thing: if the thousands'of little squatters who-are taking up land follow the good example •of their larger competitors. But even apart-from every other consideration, : it pays tho grower to well get up his clip. Buyers p< once, on examining a lot of wool, can tell if there is anythingileft in that should bc( out; and if the skirts and bellies are,there, it is a common occurrence, if one man finds them, to spread them out for others to see. In some way or other, if a man finds them, he will pass on the word, or else leave behind some mark to indicate to the next that something is wrong. And what is more pitiable for any clip of wool than to lose tho confidence of buyers? When that occurs there may not be any boycott, but the wool is bought with a full-knowledge that it will require plenty of sorting, which means a less price for the raw, material; in other w.onls, the farmer> has to 1 pay indirectly for the cost of sorting by his receiving a less price for his wool; H is a very wise" thing--n-here merinos arc grown to eliminate all the pieces, bellies and skirts, and to pay due regard to length and quality. A grower must decide how many sorts he will make by the size of his clipj and it is possible t6 over class just as it is to under class. What I say is, let the combing be combing, and mako tho other parts as good as care and attention can do. There are men who never touch combing, but who want the wastier parts of tho fleece, and tho high prices which are at • present ruling for good pieces, bellies and locks shows the universal use to which they can be put. Cape wools aro being better . handled in many cases than they formerly were, and buyers' are appreciating this fact. The six months' shearing which is still largely practised could be abolished with advantage, but buyers would rather have a clean six months' clip than one where, everything ;is, bundled wholesale into the bale.- Let growers/everywhere bear in mind the fact that, it nays to sort, and it will be a mistake if slip-shod methods are again to prevail because stocks are light and prices high. • . HOLDERS FIRM. The .week under review has not shown nny material change either up or . down, everything continuing intact. < Merinos naturally claim most attention, and as far as one caii seo aro likely to do. Bradford at tho moment is allowing everything to lake,its own free course, the majority rccognisiiig factors being at work which it would be futile to attempt to deal with. In regard to fino wools, there is no desire to follow either London or Sydney, though I do say that the price of tops is just on a.par with Adelaide. I don't think the cost of tops out of either' Sydney or Melbourne is above this market, and certainly below London. It is commonly reported that a super GO's out of Adelaide will cost 2s ijd., and 'Sydney 2s. 5Jd. The' former price can be niade here with the greatest ease, and 2s. 5Jd. is being asked. If past experience counts for anything, then it is safe to assume that the cabled reports from colonial markets are better than what actual results have proved in years gone by. Hence I'say that colonial markets are no stronger than what could be expected in view of how London closed recently, and when direct imports arrive those who have not sold forward will do some good with them providing current prices continue. Those direct importers who havo sold at 2d. per lb. less than what are current quotations aro naturally feeling a , little uncomfortable, but they are waiting and hoping' for an ease when tho pressing needs of users havo been supplied. Everything is moving out of hand as fast as possible, and thero is nothing to indicate a slackening in consumption. Topmakers seem as i£ tboy have nothing to offer, and spinners nro - likewise somewhat indifferent in regard to making fresh purchases, preferring to accept delivery of contracts previously made. Thero is much to encourago holders of wool, though some do. not like the appearance of the financial and industrial world. Crossbreds aro exceedingly quiet, though values aro steady. There is here a decided lack of life, and plenty of good 40's prepared tops can be bought at lCd. Orders from tho Continent both for yarns and combings are very small, and purchases are very limited indeed. Spinners keep busy, and that is the saving clause of the whole situation. Mohair has enjoyed a spell of activity,' and some largo purchases have taken place both in Turkey and the Cape, especially the former. There certainly is a big consumption of Turkey avorago, and spinners hero are very busy.