OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 832, 30 July 1910, Page 13

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

LOCKS AND THEIR USES. (From' Our Soecial Correspondent.) Bradford, June 17, 1910. I have often been struck with, the fact that the wool trade knows no waste. In other words, the refuse of no branch of the industry has to be thrown oh to the dunshill as being worthless. If one goes back in thought SO'years, and even less, material was cast out as useless' which is to-day being utilised in the production of woven fabrics. Even floorcloths, much despised as they are, can be put through the "devil," i.e., the rag-grindinK machine, and. if they possess any wool materia! at all, it can be rejuvenated and the fibre reused. Even shoddy and burrs, which were at one time very insignificant as wool manufacturing material, can today be readily used in the production of clothing, and serve a very useful purpose indeed.' It is a question of, "gathering up the fragments that nothing be lost," and that scriptural quotation is moro applicablo to-day in tho woollen and worsted industries than at any time in the history of the manufacturing world. Locks is the subject for to-day, and in them we. have an. article that cannot bo despised.'. No doubt ihey present a very unsightly and uncanny appearance as tliey lie under the sorting table, and Bvoii shabby, pnoi.burry, short loc.;s can be so utilised that even the men on tho land cannot tell what they are when clean and free from nil vegetable matter. Modern science has come to the aid of experts in n remarkable way in this respect, for where machinery, has failed science has conquered, and vice versa. I have seen scores of times piles of raw material' that certainly presented no attractive appearance, but when tho same has been willeyed -. and carbonised, then it has instantly- put on a different aspect, and the short carbonised locks have been ready for producing material that could not' possibly- have been made out of w<pol longer in staple. The reader may not know, but it is a positive fact, that every class of woven woollen fabric cannot be made out of combing wool. The same thing to a largo extent obtains in crossbreds. Worsted coatings no doubt require a long-stapled fibre, but when we come to doeskins, buckskins, Venetians, rainproofs, and billiard cloths,' there- is nothing suits these better than nice short clothing wools; in fact, without these little good would result. Hence arises the necessity of cleaning a clip properly, and seeing thai iult justice is done to the respective classes which are made. Let no one think that locks are despised or can be ignored. They occupy to-day a better position than they have ever done, simply because' cf the requirements of the manufacturing world. We all know that locks are tho short, dirty, heavy bits of wool that drop between tlw bars of'the sorting beard when the floeces are being rolled and skirted. Thousands of bales of these have been left to rot upon the station, but that day has gone for- ever. During tho past ten years locks have begun a new lease of life; thanks to the consumptive capacity of many engaged in tho woollen trade. Their general usefulness only needed to be discovered to bo appreciated, and as time passes locks are enjoying more popularity because of what can be made out of f hem. I venture to say that if these short fibres of tho fleece were-hot forthcoming, the woollen trade would be a good deal worse off, simply because they servo a splendid purpose by producing some real.. good, useful, sound Wearing fabrics. Wool-growers cannot di better than prepare locks for.market in a businesslike way. It is not enough in these days to simply shovel out from under the sorting board the short heavy bits in u happy-go-lucky sort of way, for they are worth better treatment than that. As a rule, pieces are picked, and at least two classes are mado of them, namely, first and second, and the same should be applied to locks.. It has been said that machine shearing has brought along with it a largo ii.crease in locks, simply because shearers aro making more second cuts, so that when the fleeces aro thrown upon the board tho clean bits at once fall down under the table, consequently this class, of locks is good, and some big prices'-are forthcoming. It is common knowledge that during the past few months good, fine locks have sold remarkably well, and - to see scoured' lots fetching up to 16d. per lb. is indeed wonderful. The question is well worth-asking what is the cause of this, for such a price is large and significant. I well .remember . t-ceing the scoured combing from big Central Queensland stations fetch no more than 15d. to 16d. per lb. in 1S!)5, and to-day the locks from tho 6ame station are selling.at the same price as tho combing cod then. There is some explanation for all this, it being a fact that fleeces moro or less troubled with second cuts means an accumulation of a lot of fine wool that is clean and free. This absence of fault is an important essential in a lot of fine wool, whether combing, clothing, pieces, or ltcks, and to find a lot of scoured bright, white locks always means a big price., Shearers will do well .to avoid the second cuts as much as possible, but out of seeming evil :eal good is resulting. When a clip is mixed it is rather disappointing to those wanting the wool for combing purposes, a? it produces a lop of uneven length It pays better to have uniformity throughout the entire clip, and'this is a point which we trust readers of this issue will always appreciate. There, is plenty of room in the world for both locks and combing, but of course the latter 'always sells the best, and commands the highest prico. As a rule the price of scoured fine locks ranges between lid. and 13d. i A.MARKING-TIME MOVEMENT. There is not. a gTeat deal that is new to chronicle in connection with tho local industry. Merinos still claim premier position, and on the .whole the market is a steady one. At the same time it'is impossible to report any accession of new business, consequently prices aro just about where they were. It is no use disguising the fact that tho extreme values which fine topmakers were demanding a month ago cannot --bo made to-day, and a good 6-S's can be obtained at 2s. 5d.,' while a Capo top is available at 25.-4Sd. Really speaking, these figures are below-the standard of the last series of sales in Coleman Street, but topmakers seem quite willing to soil at' these prices. There is as much pressure in wooicomlnng circles as there era- has been, and without doubt this is a very satisfactory feature. In fact, so well are tops being taken up that there is no accumulation of stocks at combers, and this is without doubt the most satisfactory feature of the whole market. There lias lately, been a few orders placed from tho Continent for dry combed tops, but some local firms jire unable to accept tho prices bid:

In regard to fine descriptions are occupying a very good position, and prices are as firm as a rock. As fast as wool can be sorted and combed the tops are going out, and no man can buy at a fraction less. 51 odium crossbreds', specially carded descriptions, are better to sell than .prepared sorts, and we think it possible for a buyer to get in at a fraction less than he could three weeks ago. The position of coarse qualities is not over sound, and here several topmakers are open to do - business at less. It is well known that lid. has been accepted, in many quarters for a good JO's prepared top, and there is a feeling abroad that even here the tendency is likely to bo downwards, and not upwards. At the same time, consumption is telling its tale. Spinners of 30"s yarns, which are spun out of -M)'s to 4-I's tops, are all busy, ant! that being the case there can be no serious setback. The English fairs so far hold have indicated a bctfceT state of affairs than was looked for ill some quarters. Mohair is still far more active abroad than in this market, and there will have to be a fluctuation in local rates if dealers are to get back their own. Hills are all busy, and there is no standing machinery anywhere.