OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 703, 31 December 1909, Page 8

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

, ■ ■': ■, .PEIOISS AGAIN' ADVANCING. : : : '■ : THE WOOL TKADE OF BELGIUM. ~',(Prom, . Our Special Correspondent.) , ■'■"' : ■;. Bradford, November 19. 1909.■_,' Things in the wool trado aro developing I fast,, and factors" are 'in . operation which' never : before havo interfered with the ■ movement of either markets or prices. Strikes aro unknown things, and one can' novor fully, gauge their real significance, or • determine the ultimate oatcomci The cabled intelligent from Svd- . neythat the salca havo come to a standstill, makes ominous reading; and no section'of,the trade likes tho appearance.of .things'.'• .-It' is too. early, as yet. to .feel; uneasy, and the trade generally 16 looking on, with feverish interest, but all tho sumo there arc possibilities in tho situation ■ which. can seriously upset calculations at thie end of the world. It is possible that groworswill ; ultimately benefit,'by the Btoppago of , the Australian sales, owing to supplies, being very much , restricted, but all tho'same consumers aro" not dis-' posed-in actual deed just yot to pay any increased ; prices, notwitnstantlinE, that sellers: are pressins : . for .more ■' monoy. ,Thero':is : no .'■doubt that.the continuance of the strike, in, Australia will have an. important bearing on the' future ' of. values', and a speedy termination.is to be .desired' in the interests .of all parties. Some think, that'.if-wo see political complications, .due. to/a> certain general election, .the finances of..this country may. ' suffer'.a temporary/upset, but I am -not ' among those who are looking for any seridns trouble,'even if .'the Lords throw out the Budget, which is now a foregone ■ conclusion./.This country- is of too stable a , natnro for anyone to get into a funk simply because the Finance BUT tails* to : receivo'■ the, sanction of tho Houso 'of iLords://,/./■:., ; ;,-, ./■'.':, :.' v '.-:' :,-•! ... ; :.: - t 'iDEMANDINGXHIGHEB 1 ' PEICE3. '.This week .business .has ' naturally., assumed less"- imposing dimensions, all bocause of -the. deadlock in The f act. ..is '•' importers •■ do . not know N where ; they are,.; heneb several have deolared off, , ■ land will now no longer.,,sell.. , forward '. solely because of : the-uncertainty of ob- :. ! taining/ , supplies; '. The result is' that, most firms'have either stated emphatically that they, will book'no, further orders.-'or else they want more-money. •< They would . gladly sell if ;they felt certain they, would bo able'.to landr.wool'here in 'sufficient quantity, .and-in time. to allow, of , the , same being combed,. but that seems now. impossible.: Things-were going on."nicely, business ■■'was .progressing most encouragingly, ; and now ' this coal disturbance comes along •■ "to•■. upset ■ everything and everybody.' -The majority, of importersL are: to-day wanting 26d.. -and 27d. for . supor ■;60's and ,64' a tops, respectively,, and ■ nobody will, now'* undortako January • de : , livery, v.The raising.'of prices another' 'full'id. bring 3• both "futures" arid spot values to practically the same level, and very -little' business :of v .the latter charac- . :ter is taking,.place., ''1 could, name a : .score, of--firms who are -to-day in a most ' indopandent position, simply because they .. ..havo,' covered all their,' wants un , to, tho end 'ot'tnexl March, and- as for following. .. !tho market, they all say alike they :are ! going to wait.-Things-are in a very/to" .torc'stirig state, and what is.-'KoinK./tO; be ; itho'V upshot bfV.it. all no-, man; living cantell. - However, business of a; reiki, sound character obtains, and I • am, oyjtimiEtic enough to - beliovo that unless something great-'; and.'important occurs .io "the. financial':'dnd political.'world, wool ; valneß are not. going to vary. a great deal.; . : : '.'iTEADE . Of\ 'fiEtonTH. -",* .- Although but.a little country,/DoTeium - figures prominently as coUßUtnine-consid-erable r quantities ;ofv the raw material,' and push-has'lately' been manifest by Antwerp;wiol houses. "It is not long ago since, tnoy laid - plans for capturing the Capo trade, and foe fact-of wool sales being held iregularly. at; that city -was no> - doubt one -incentive J for , trying to ■ divert" . .South /African 'wools 'for sale --'at 'tSat city. ' As: a 'rule;"Antwert> .wool sales arc . well, attended, and i.are , specially noted'for' ' the South- Americaji crossbreds on offer. . There/ '.are'.': some j.largp .- and . important manufacturers dri "Belgium,: and V : a"big trade is' 'dotie-iii' , 'yaros,' ; particularly with English .mahufactu!rers. ' Recently .a Consular roturn was ('published dealing with .tho,wool trade-in i<3oß, and,although.it is :. spmoYrhat!.;,bo!ated,'"still ajfowvpolnte' are woHn .considering as showing.'what .is ■■ being; done; across',tho 'English /Channel.; ~- In- common with every otner ; consuming.' .: country - thej results - of', the. , trading,: last' : - ,yoar . wore - moderate, ■ .prices.-remain-ing ,low 'during ;the greater .part'of. the ■' year.; lAtiVervicrj early. In 1908..th0 nosi- ■ tion . was ...p'aiticularly .bad, ''.but as time Sasscd' business -improved ? somewhat, and y 'November trads. was again /brisk and prices on\theorise,; thus affordinc some • cpmpen.sation»<ifor the. bad times through 'which, the "trado had: ; paseed.. ■; The \Cnnditioning Houso returns .at Vorvier; offer a fair indicatidn'bfi'the-, business- doing, arid tho following figures'indicate both .- '.increase sand'' decreases ' compared."> with.. 1907, the figures) relating to raw- materials < pasaing;through during each, of ■ the. four . .quarters:of : 1908:--; ; . : ' '■.■.'..;,.■. , ' ■'• , -.•/ : ..' First'quarter N .;i._1.;..1,114,6iy'ki105. - ; : :'.'•'. 'Second' quarter .......... 285,443 kilos. :' ■ ''-Third .quarter/.',........;....:. 608,420 kilos. _ .J-jFourtli; ■quarter ■,•.;;.;..;. 1i445,6iip kilos. '• . As already Baid,yarn spinning forma.an iniportant'-adjunct'Jot■- tho Belgian ■ wool . trade, and the/report goes on to :aay that spinners -had a : most unsatisfactory year, .as .apart, from the general depression carded woollen yarns were much less in- . .demand- than-usnal:.:,; ',!■ have often been aurprised at' the class of yarns spun in Belgium, .and. thi).'.pricca at which they' are '[.qffored.. to 'Yorkshire manufacture's.' , Not-only: ore',they,,:as a .rule-well spun, but the. prices quoted per Ib. cannot, bo touched by West Hiding manufacturers. 1 The.United Kingdom 'is by far. the larg-; est custo'mor:for both woollen|and' worsted Varus 'sent out from JSelgium; ■'."■- JFor.' tho benoflf of, readers I Cehow in , the :fpllowing table both; the■:quantity. -and Value of. woollen and. worsted yarns, used:for 'weav?" that'have': been':;im'i)orted.fr6ni*.:Belgium .during' .theUl.tistyfew, yeats.' .•..The'r.o , ,is no tiyo,ar:' tides, thence, the .figures relate• to"i both;dcscriptions of yarn 'as being "inade.-trpni'' ■ wool:— ■■■•:■' . '.. "■• •■ .'• ' ■~''■■'. "' ; ! ; ■ '■■■■"'.. "\ .Quantity. Yalne." : " ■■ : ■":-Year: : -' ":/:■■■ -tlh^Jy:- ':':£:•■'■ ' •',: 1 .-"'...• 1904 '.Li...... 15.893.898 - 1.400.651 .; . 1905 1.:.:......';. 17,050,352 : . ; 1,572;E59 . : \ : 1906- :........... 16,805.132 '.■ 1,511.272 . " '1907'1....::....... 15,814,442 , 1.372.879— . .:■ : " ' 1908. ■ .'.:;.;. : .12,914,773;, -1.166.760 .;'■ Scouring and ; carbonising .ia largely groctiscd 'at Vervier, and owing to wool' cing.cheap the.,trade,:of last year was considerable.; -Like: the hugo'.business' ; done''at-Nazamot"in,France, so at 'Tervier large weights- bi akin: wool- aro. treated and-exported to England. ' The out-: ' elder -has" little.' knowledge; of tho .'actual. quantity of wool that is imported from Belgium 'intoi this country, and. it seems . "strange. Von', the:/,'surface.- that-Belgian. • .buyers ; should : como over in\ such good ■ numbers to ithe,London sales, take-wool ' ;hpmp' for treatment,.-ind ■ then':: send . it back to,'this' country for re-sale. ■" Tho' following are-ofßcia), figures,: showing the extent, of; the business ~dpno:— ..■'■. -.." ..' -V- ' : '~^' : '.; Quantity. :. .Value. " .:' -.''■■-' Tear.'-'- .lb.' ;' ''". £ : ' . '....1904 ....i...... 7,652,783 :. 264,164 i'.' 1905 .7.109,979 ; 286,834 .-• '■• :;■ ; 1906 ■- V...V..'.:.:.,-.6.999,458 ,v\ ~-289,748 ''■:■ ■'• -V- :1907-''-;;i^.i.-:- v ". ' '•;'-.:' .-1908; ■.:.;......;..: 5,065,131; : : ;^ :;; .2M,773/, V- : .' ' So 4 far K ' ; tlii's ;yfiar '..this : .branch.'.; of-'thoj . industry'ihits7bepn '?xcee'dirigly ■ well "eni-. . "ployed,"ana /considerable, increase'in 'busi-\ ness has been doho : both on homo', and ■ , export account. Tho. quarititiea which , haye. ; passed "through;. the' : : Conditioning: ■ House during-, the • first six';months of-19C9,: compared\.with "the.' corresponding ' poriod of. 1908, 'are-,returned.as.follow:-- .i . v;'.-; ■. Z'J',- ■■' ■-■-■■/■, ':,.;•: ? : : ; : m; .;■ - i?o9.'v ■•■! ■-.'■;'.■:.':.' :--.;■.....■-■;;..; :-Kilos.: Kilos.': Woola.V-noila,'. and-.wastes > . , (scoured .and , carbon-; , ■ '• ■ • ':• '.■ieedVr-....,..^;.,.:: ; 10.084.931 Noilß ' (raw) ' .....■.-;."...;.....■.... 164,454 ..:■'.'. 134.2T2 Carded and., worsted ..' . .".yarns' ; 1;..;:.::.:.'.....;:..;.. 765,712 :• 843.715 - . Obmbed - wool: (t0p5).....;.. 464,112 .. 478,083 ■:' ■Weighed only -........;...;„...-. 334,822': ■-,' 387,568 '; '-,'.;-.■;;;,...Tqtal; ;., 9,937,852 / 11,928,569! The Torra Nova, ■ the vessel .which. Ca,p- ---' tam.Scott will use next his.expedition. 'to..the '. South • Pole,' arrivad;. in ' tho Thames t recently, froth , .. St. .',■ John's,' ■ and was : berthed .'in, tho . West':;lndia>docks.;,"-;Tlie;:,',Terra■ 'Nova, . which,';is,',sene'rally.';.'conceded''ip bo "the best aridi largest,'whaler afloat,:boing considordbly'.'biggdr -,than ; "eitiier ' thb Discovery, or tho Nimrod,' has already been used for Polar., exploration purposes, anil t has been both north :. and .south. .For '.some timo now she , , has been in", use on tUoNowfoua-Jlaad. whaling stations. When fittodv'fbt' the 'expedition: bo'-open- to -public inspection, and it is honed ths.t many who yisit her will ,con- . tribute- towards the cost of tho expedk tion, a ccnsiderable amount of which is still wantsd.'...■ . : ..- Somo tiine ago a globe-trotting Englishman was; accorded an-audience , , by the' Khedivo; nnd in'tho'conrse'."of conversation he fished patiently and obviously for praise of: Great Britain in general, .and Xord Cromcr in"particular, "Prom. . what pntsidd inflnenco' has' Egypt derived. :the ,most benefit? , .' Jie>asked:atJast. The' Khbdive. appeared to think hard for a fpw: .minutes, while the other fidgeted : from let; to - leg 'in ■ an' - npony : : .of exp.eota-. tion.; said-his Highness iudici-' . ally, "it is rathor difficult to say, .but"— with an .'engaging • - ; think T ehould' name. Mr. Thomai Cook."