YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1231, 13 September 1911, Page 8

YORKSHIRE LETTER.

SHEEPSKINS AND SKIN WOOLS^ Ift'om Our Special Correspondent.! Bradford, August 4, 1911. Ono is apt to overlook flic fact (hat a very big business is done in sheepskins, this really being an important adjunct pi tiro wool trade. Of course, it is well known that when a sheep is killed anil the skin removed there is wool attached to the skin, and before the pelt can be tanned and made into leather the wool lias to bo removed. Jt is not mv purpose to-day to enter into the methods at present employed in handling sheepskins, but lo confine my remarks "to the business that is done in .-kin wools. This is a enloss.nl industry, and I only wish some reliable statistics were forthcoming showing the quantities handled year by year. It has been estimated by oiia well-known authority that the amount of English skin wool is about. 35,500,001)11). per annum, but what is the quantity of skin wool pulled at a place like Mazamet it is rather difficult tu say. At the same time it is natural to suppose that what j, pulled will be sold and sent out, and in the annual returns' published bv (he Chamber of Commerce the trade is furnished with sonic useful particulars which certainly throw ar. important sidelight upon the skin wool trade at that important French centre. But in addition to the large quantities of sheepskins imported from Australasia, the Capo and the Eiver Plate, there is also their own home-pulled wools. If we go across the At antic, they estimate the amount of pulled wool to be about 4 1,000,0001b. annually, the shrinkage being reckoned at {00,0001b. of clean wool. It will therefore bo seen that the trade done in skin wools is of a very important character, and these remarks arise from the two davs sheepskin sales whicli took place in Coleman Street at the finish of the recent series of London sales. 3IAZAIIET SKIN WOOL TRADE. The extent of the business done at Mazamet in skin wools is but. little known bv the majority of readers. Below are the arrivals and exports of woo! and sheepskins at that centre during the last ten years:— Arrivals. Exports. Woollcd skins. Wools, lear. Kilos. Kilos. ™1 ' 45,229,283 15,793,781 . J™2 '10,502,972 .18,930,958 IMS 17,197,490 18,335,377 "04 34,711,-ISL " '0,672,522 W5 -.31,361,919 1G,573,656 ISWS 30,028,843 15,211,301 ™l 42,533,164 .17,470,356 1903 41,532,471 17,809,040 , IM9 46,812,664 21,858,405 1910 56,455,712 25,274,315 SKIN WOOL SALE IN LONDON. The fifth scries of. public sales of wcolled shoepskins of the present year was held at the end of last week, the quantities catalogued amounting to 10,083 bales. Tliero was n fair attendance of buyers, but competition was devoid of animation, and a much larger proportion than usual of the offerings was withdrawn. Prices for full-woolled merinos ruled closely up to previous rates, but half-woolled were 5 per cent, and pelts 75 per cent, cheaper. Full-woolled crossbreds were 5 per cent., half-woolled par to 5 per cent., and pelts 5 per cent, lower. As compared with the prices current at the. sale held, on June 14 and 15, we quoit:--Merino, full and three-quarter-woolleil, par to \i. cheaper; merino, halfwoolled, £d. cheaper"; merino, short and shorn, id. cheaper; crossbred, fine, full, and tlirec-quarler-woollod, id. to Id. cheaper; crossbred, coarse, full, and thrcc-quarter-woollcd, Id. cheaper'; crossbred, half-woolled, Jd. cheaper; crossbred, short and shorn, Jd. cheaper; lambs, jd. cheeper.

WHAT ARE SKIN WOOLS USED FOB? There has always been a prejudice against skin wools, owing to the process of pulling skins. Up to recent years the only way of getting the wool Irani the skin was by steeping the pelts in lime pits, Wio action of tho lime, loosening the roots of tho fibre, and in thai way enabling men to pull the wool away. Everybody! knows' that' there is no more injurious substance , than lime, it destroying the spinning property. Lime always makes the staple handle harsh and brittle owing to the yolk in tho fibre being destroyed, and with the elasticity being so reduced, it has meant that tho spinning property has been largely interfered with. To-dny more up-to-date methods aro being employed in pulling tho skins, this being clone cither by sweating or painting the flesh side of Che skin with sodium sulphide. This means lhat tho wool is removed from tho skins in a far better way, and with less injury to tho staple. At the same time skin wools never handle so soft or give the same' results in the yarn and finished'fabric as fleece wools. Still, no one would ever think of refusing to use skin wools,' and as already said they form an important adjunct of the wool trade. The housewife knows tho difficulty that 'oftentimes obtains when blankets are. washed for the first time. Iho lady of the houso oftentimes savs that she can get no "scour," and that the blankets wash badly, the suds in tho washing-tub being killed. Every practical man knows that this is caused by tho blankets being bleached in order to improvo tho colour, and to a very large extent the same obtains in scouring skin wools. Great difficulty is oftentimes experienced, the suds in tho scourih" bowl being very chalky and limey, wool-comb-ers oftentimes asserting that the scour is killed, that being the direct result of the skin wools having come in contact with, lime. A combination is formed which teems to stick'most lenaciously as it passes through tho scouring bowls, and this can only be removed witli consider'tl I "'"f" K will therefore be seen that the less lime comes in contact' with wool, tho better it is for everyone in the trade. *o far as the actual uses of skm wools are concerned, they are consumed entirely by the woollen and worstf?'i n ?, ust JT- Tlle rcader will easily see that the length of staple .is tho sole determining factor as to what purpose the wools in question aro best suited. When they aro required for top-making purpose* they need to be of a nico length, say three-quarters to full-woolled skins, but' when short they arc taken by the woollen trade, and used largely for blanket purposes, lhe different names which are given to skin wools are almost legion, and are determined entirely bv the length of the starjle.

A STEADY MAIUvET. Turning to local conditions, 'the market this week has shown practically no development, and very similar conditions obtain to what I outlined in my last letter. Of course, interest is now layelv centred m consuming dislricts like the \\ est Riding, and in Bradford nricss are steady and firm. It is generally agreed that the whole industry has benefited bv tlie firm finish in Coleman Street, anil taking things all together, although the market is not very active, still a failweight of new business has ken done « B{i good Gt's tops are to-dav firm at' j-s. 3Sd., with some demanding'2s. 4d. I believe if topmnkers would only spcak the truth it would be found on a canvass being made I hat tho bulk of the sales have taken place at a fraction under 2s, 3id., one important topmnker asserting yesterday that it was with great difficulty they could make 2s. 31d. That really represents the actual standing of the raw material. Markets everywhere seem to be lighter and more cheerful, and increased confidence is felt over the future. Merinos are considered* to ho safe enough, and no doubt thev are. A good deal of talk is being indulged in respecting a likelv squeeze for the raw material, and it is just possible a few tonmakers mav be forced into a. tight corner, but somehow I have a strong impression (hat all the talk about a squeeze amounts to verv litlle, and there is in sight sufficient wool to satisfy all the requirements of users Those who tall; about n shortage evidently forget the 60,000 bales more wool which the Home, and Continental trades are being asked to absorb owing to the (Increased takings of the United States. Men cannot eat this big meal, ami machinery cannot get through more wool than was the ease twelve months ago, and R0 000 bales represents a fair big weight of rawmaterial. This is an nspeet of the trade which we feel certain is worlhv of very serious consideration, but Evidently miniare disposed to shut their eves and Wv "nowt" about it. ' ' '