OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 777, 29 March 1910, Page 2

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

HOW'MOISTURE IN 'WOOL 'IS BEAItfS "'■v'• with. .';'■:-■'•• ■■'■'■' ■■' (From Our-Snedal CorregDondenU j , Bradford, February 18, 1919. "T| - It may sound very, strange to-wooW growers to bq toW that in., . with, the trade there exists in Bradford '.' and at several Continental.centres a con-f.. ditioning house, which serves a very use* ful purpose indeed.' No doubt the que*!' tion will at. once, arise. What. is.a. con- ■'..' ditioning house? and it is well worth an-< swering. Briefly stated, such.a place'.ial ■ a large building in which there is everyj '. apparatus known to man for the' testing!""•"' ' of moisture in wool, .and its allied pro-) <> ducts. , Circumstances have arisen whichv''' make it imperative that reliable tests/ ' be made in.;order, that the buyer is'ioti '■ 'defrauded by .the.seller, and that all.par-i' V ties are dealt'.with fairly. ' It would be< 4 '-." an'eye-opener for. a colonial' squatter W, f have a .walk round the Bradford condU Honing house, and see the finely-balan'cedJ : machinery, for .ascertaining the' ' actual 1 -, '.-'. amount of conditiou- there 'is in any* .-. • sample of wool, tops, -yarns,' or' wW / that he has a mind to take. The. workl- ' : of ascertaining this is.very simple, yet) ■'■ : - very delicate. Briefly summarised,- there ■■ aro large iron oven 9 all heated witk;gas.i -: ' m which'tests are made: Ah' operative goes to a number of sheets of. material. • the whole of thV sold parcel being de- ■ livered at the huge-warehouses.-:Thc,jnaa'' •' '< goes into any sheet heMikcs unknown-tol either buyer or, seller, makes his • oW selection for samples, and then puS .these, into several .'ovens, td whichaW' attabhed. very-finely-balanced scales. - Each] ' '-••: sample is weighed to the. most minuW fraction, and ; a record taken-before the sample goes into the-oven: After being! subjected to a -very high te'mperatur* the moisture is all driven off, the record also being taken of the" weight when! finished, and then after the "standard re-i gain .allowance.-has been,made;' average is struck, which represents, tha ' condition of the : bulk. When the.certinV cate is.issued, duly signed by the mana- ' ger,.gmng the actual results'of: the'test,'>'-'"•• the same is accepted by both the -seller'"" '" and buyer, the-seller allowing '-tot .'a'riyi' ■'-'-" excess of condition, and the buyer'doing l , likewise if under condition. -■" -i * '•"- table shows the numben "■"'•:■ of tests madt) at tha'Bradford condition-' ihg house.during •-.." ... ' £ ■ ... ■' n ©-1 . ■a .■ 5 ■'.-'■ £■■. ■■#■■■■ v;:-7 * 3■ * 'I' IS p : " Jan. .15,007 ■ «9 '269 .-558 :16.303. '::. Feb." ............ 15,319 ..,435 ,258-; 768 16,780-' 'X Mar. ..;:....„.., 19J30. 719.: 284: 556 20.72*'-/' April. .15,020 ««... 106 «6 lejOl' May .:„..;....; 18,080 416 ; 259 . 468 i.toUsk,. :'':■: June .....'..... 15,951". 559 . 246 450"' 17.2W" -" July; 15.575 ,453 . 249 '654 161931 v! v Aug. ....,:„.... 14,233 ,-320' 213 120 15".l86 -■'■■•: Sept. ...;...;.-...- 18,« i !. 570 259 . 546;, 19,826 •':'! .'. Oct. ..,;.-„.. 17J.54 .490 259 .498 18,401 "'"'-'. Nov. _.__..._ 17,349. .641 V 243 691 , 18.82* '."" Dec.-.'.:_;-_.'.■ 16.727' 610 '. 277 '«0 .18.074? /; Total-.;... 197,996- 6129 3012 6445 '213,58a 1 .,- Tota! for ""..-v - ' ''-'.'■■■■"■. ■ 1908,.:..-165,062 . .60.44 . 2295 .6542- 179J43J :-. Total fees received, 1909 ......... -£20,991-6 9* -* : - Total fees received, 1908:... £16,66110 11-'-i T-: Every practical man,.ho matter. wlietheß .:■.',". he be grower, buyer, - spinherj or ; mahn-\ "-' facturer, knows: "that' wool/is' of a/veryj I '-'' hygroscopic nature, and that it possesses ■]'.:■: the power of- assimilating and' retaining a- ' large, amdunt-.of i moisture.-? ;It>is no wolrj .common:thing.fo.r'c.wool-shipped in tr'alia. during, hot. weather to: regain 5-tol: -,-.- 101b. during carriage to this country,.bus ~:; whether-that be over-condition or not.iH-....!■'■ is hard to Say'. v In the olden days,: before-'.;'.'."' conditioning house's were erected,' itused -;: to be a dailyjoccurreiice-for'wool. people: ■ generally to; water' piles of wool, iskeps'; of "<} yarn, or to warehouse these in very dainpi: tliej-sole j).urpose.';of the raw..;,-'-. inaferial ■■ gaining > .in ; weight; : ? All ■ floors ->l; wero watered on.an evening '.'when-■ tb«, ".''. . place was locked up, but the incoming of:!.".."the conditioning house' has very' largely *'';': put l a : -Stdp-'to..all'-the6e'dfshbne'st J p'rac-^: f: •-- , tices. ' No-such thing "obtains-in' conhec-"f tion with the-deliyery : -of the-wool in: ■'-''• London. When wool is;offered for;sale, .;<x-i the bales are roweighed ; , the-.same; day, ~.-',: and that, forms ■ the -invoice-.weight,'as .",'!):• rendered to the buyer; .and unless, there,' ',', is a serious discrepancy nothing mori is: "... heard of it.-In., hot weather it is'no ccmmon thing .forjhe.bales" to lose on* -j" or. - two lb.- each between their dispatch-.' from the London . warehouse and the >:.:i ! same weighed-in at the mill; but - ;there. 'is .oftehtimes;- the,' .same weights gained ■-' during-,the cold,- wet,':;damp."days of .an, -V English 'winter^.'; Hcwe'i?er,. f or. the bens, j f.V' fit of | the '-whole ' i tra'de,:"ther"e has beea"'.','" establishedl:onb standard allowance, and *-" : lv regain- both-in ; -England, oh the Contih- v '<:"■ eut, and in. America, and,.the- following;"--is the trade., standard ft-:.:. - v -...... :> : .;.-; :Wbbls and/waste .for moisture, 2oz, 3}dr<-.-.:: per' lb:, or" a' regain of 16 per cent. ' ,C : - Tops combed in oil,, for moisture, 20a,, ••'.■""' 9dr. per ;1b., : - or a regain of 19 per cei';:';":.'. Tops combed without oil, for moisture,.. 1 '... 2oz. 7jdr.: per lb.i or a : regain of 18J: per ; ' cent. ''2- : -'-f'.■'■' " : ->'•-..■'■ ■■:.'• - : ;-: '.- "•-;; ;- ; ' '.'Noils -for.moisture, lo.z. loldrv per'-.lb., ■•;'*' or'a.regain of.iU per,cent •'■■"■:' \~'x"- i . .Yarns, worsted,.for, moisture, 2oz. I\it.-,'ir' per 1b.,',0r a regain of ; 18{ per. cent., ..-,-; .Yarns, cotton,; for ;riioisiture, loz. 4\ir. ']-.■• per lb., or:a regain of.BJ. per cent'.' . .".' ...Yarns,-'silk; for " moisture, "10z... 9Jdr,. '■'.'.' per Ib.icrii regain of-11 per cent.' . 'If we show readers- the weight of wool passing through European conditioning.. ' : ". houses, .it.will give them some ideaof the . extent, of :the.business done: and the ;fol--".--.;.■ is, a.comparative official '-.'rerJarii-'.'.i-L' Bhowing.tnevweighttof wool which .passed -.-•-..v through the various ...Continental condi- .'..-;■ Honing houses ''"during the ".'past twe 7 '.. years:— "•"'■" '.-'.'•' ■'"'.' : -■.'"■' '~,::■'":'//"' '•""'." :^ ;: .' 1908.'- :■., 1909."','■'•"' ■'■■: .' "■■'• ' ; . -"■ ' ; -'lb;-- :; .■■•'«.'"." Bradford- -.....;.::.. -76,812,090-'-"-90,920,373 --.- Tourcoing ;'-.'87,506,505- 105,097,78*: : ' Eoubaii ..'...:..-...; -92,788,404 -. 107,050,5C0 Mazamet ...;.....:.. 35,739,980 41,237,053 ■"; Verifiers ~ -.... 33,556,495 ■ 36,860,07: y,y Vomers"(Dison)..: 15,023,252 .-, 18,333,721 . Reims' :..'.... 17,802,795 ■ 20,475,282 - IWmies ' .....'.;... 14,089,548 ..16,535,985 ';. Ebanne 187.754 288,97 c .-'. Le Cateau :......:.': 2,074,533 - 2,878,578 ' Amiens. /.; 1,167,503 2,276,925'.- .'•':■' -PRICES FIRM. ' ::' ; ' ; .-'-^ : 'V The situation locally does not-show a:/ great deal of change' compared wth. a .... week.ago,'and there is not much.new to '' report. , Business .is ' still . sound ■-' and - healthy,, and if-there is hot passing a' big volunife of fresh.contraets,;still ! fhe'situ4-'-. tiori could not be much better. SpinhCrs,as'wellas tbpmakers, are-all in a happy ..-■'. frame of;mind,-.-and "are eiceptionally . busy. There is not that activity in fresh sbW .that''"some; would like to see,' lint. . ■oh the whole business,is passing in sufS-;. cieut volume to' maintaiii prices., Merinos..' ./ can be called nriri'to hardening, and.tile : news to hand from the various--selling,••' centres in Australia is'all ;in: the dircc. tion of higher prices. _ During the pastthree months we certainly have, heard a ;■• great "deal; about large increases,; but. ea !:. far there, is very little evidence of sur-. - ■•' plus,; and larger weights of .wool. will., have to heshipped before the .trade gou' ,- erally believes in any material- increase...,-.-, Even if- there is a further augmented , supply, the trade at present seems able. " to deal very comfortably with:,:l00,00fl : bales mbre than last season, and" we do. •'• not anticipate any surplus. Deliveriosof ■': tops are being made, to spinners at-ex--."■■ pross speed, and-,some are asking for .;, tops: whioh they, love no right to de.' .' liiand until a month hence.., Some,, who , are covered till " the middle., of -the'year «ire strongly, opposed to; paying..-.' any nigher' values, aui are going to wait developments .before buying, again, '.in . the case, of orossb'reds, there is' goneral " v firmness, :and a fair average trade ie.do- - ' ing ; in a quiet way. Fine descriptions air/; still selling'freely; and there is,suffioieni' ' demand for 50's and 56's tops to. absorb ~ every bale of wool offering. ' There is t •;' little more activity in 46_s. carded tops ;., -' nith -the' Continent, and Here, too, bus!-,. .:;.:.■;' ness is healthy and sound. Coarse cross. ■-' breds are perhaps the slowest artiolo bj; '."■'" the market, ana there-is not-the wwgM'...^''-'--being turned over in prepared tojjj'.'--one- might have expected.- America -is .:;. still a buyer of English fleeces, and wool-:;-"; suitable for that quarter in even cased--. colonial fleeces is selling readily. Mohair is somewhat slow and inactive, althoughconsumption is well Prices v generally are firm, but-nobody .need be .-■"-.-;■ 6urprisea to eee a little trimming done, es the time for the p»t cli>) ftpproachesi