YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1294, 24 November 1911, Page 3

YORKSHIRE LETTER.

!•< i.MI-; I'(II.NTS OF INTI'iIIKHT AND .IMPORTANi'K. MAKING A BID FOR LOWKK PRICEH. (From Our Special C'nrrcssonilcnt.i Bradford, OHobur 21, till I. We ;ne par-Mug t :i i;i!lni- ]n.rtiliar time, hut when all is said and done no one lie surprised at tho lalc-t turn of tho kaleidoMMpe. Old wr.ol haiulr linvo seen similar experiences before, though trade nowadays is conducted on somewhat different linos to wh.'it. some rt' lis have known, livery man is now in business for hinisc-lf. and as tho eu<! of all trado is protit. so in wool, ways and means are employed when prices are niod"iately high to bring about a V»ot101- buying basis, and that undoubtedly lias been the work of the pa?t; month in wool circles. The opening of a new season in Australia, tho Capo, aud South America must always be "regarded us a fcimo when markets i re onea to contiderablo manipulation, and this Mason a natural fall lias boon helped by tho "bear" party taking things largely into their own hands. In |iast letters wo have, emphasised t.ho tact: that a better buying basis has been the goal of those operating at Australian i-elling cent res, and many are of tho opinion that the majority have not yel got fully liome. Jt is finite true that prices have come down to a moilerato level, and there is not Hie danger connected with importing that there was, but buyers have still before them tho goal of two shillings as the price of standard tit's tops, and they will not rest until values eomo down to that level. Wo have been wondering during the past week how far the attitude of the "bears" is justified, and whether any mors Irado will bi> done with prices ni the basis already mentioned than would be ilono at, »ay, IO to )•"» per cent. more. It. used to 1)0 u standard saying in t.ho wool trade that Til's at "two bob" was a safe hasis, and with an increase in the world's demands if it was true ten years ago, il certainly must be more so to-day. All the same, a big elfort is being made to get prices still lower, and users throughout the West Riding nro very indifferent about contracting for iiest. year'.s supplies of tops, even though they can buy a. fairly good tit's at 2-lld.

A 1.12 FASHION'S CHANGING? We are persuaded that the present strong desire to see a lower rang') of values is bom of the fact that tr:ide is not nearly so good as it was a year ago. Upon that point thern can bo no doubt. .Mills which come under our own personal observation, give uninistalcablo signs of being quieter than they havo been for years, ft'c do not say (hat factories in the West Biding are very slack; nothing of the sort, but nothing near so much overtime is being worked, and in many cases where mills were running all last winter till 8 p.m. they are to-day shutting down at 5.30, while in ono or two cases tho weavers are working only from breakfast time. All these are indications that business is quieter, and to many people tho wonder is that it is not even more so. We may be wrong in our conclusions, but it appears to more than the writer that the only way of resuscitating trade and encouraging confidence on the port of the wholesale buyer is to tempt same by offering popular textiles at a trifle less money. Manufacturers in the course of a few weeks will bo showing for the autumn and winter of IflU!, twelve months .ix'fore tho. fabrics will be wanted. Nowit is well known that lino henry woollen and worsted fabrics are rather expensive, and with crossbred woo! being sensibly cheaper than merinos, manufacturers of Cheviot tweeds are doing their utmost to encourage their sale. Fins woollen men know lliis, anil are therefore desirous of checkmating " this tendency of fashion all they can. If one stops and glances at the windows containing l»th men's and women's v.ear fabrics he cannot fail but be surprised with the large quantity of Scotch tweeds, which are seen, all of which are made out of medium and fine crossbred wool. -This raises the question as to whether oi ik, there is a change in fashions. Very nonular fabrics for ladies' cloaks are being made this season from "reversible" cloths, tho one side possibly being a stripe or a check in a green, grev, or brown .shade, while the opposite side of the cloth' isn nlaiu shade, sav a groen, drab, or fawn. These are not being made out of merino wools, but being ligh 1 * yet thick, they are very popular, and aro going io bo, and same decent orders have been placed in (hose materials. Some dozen years ago this same fabric had an innings, and although we arc told that merinos still.hold sway for the regular lines of wearing anparol, yet one cannot but .bp .stnick .with the greatly increased showing of crossbred cWhs. All this w;e say clearly indicates t*3 general trend of fashion, which soon permeates to the retail trade, and the men behind.(he counter plav an important rart in inducing their customers to buy those Cheviot effccts.

THE USEFULNESS OF CROSSBRED WOOLS. The well-known Bradford authority, Mr. S. B. Rollings, was lecturing last Monday night before the Shipley Textile, Society on "Crossbred Wools; their Origin, Characteristics, and Uses," making some very interesting and practical observations. When the history of the Australasian and South American wool trade comes to be written the story about the making of our present breeds will form a very interesting chapter. • There is no doubt that the large .supplies of crossbred wools has done a great deal towards developing the textile industry of rho West Hiding, am! the number of fabrics which arc being used to-day of a crossbred nature arc legion. It reallv is surprising where all the weight of raw material is going to. and this year-the competition of America as well* ns Germany has 'ken very "much missed both in London and markets' "down under." No doubt the great development, of the frozen mutton trade has been the mightiest factor in • the crossbred wool trade, for whereas iu 1851) unly 100 carcasses of frozen mutton were imported into England,. last year Great Britain received 12,980,000 sheep and lambs. Now as every sheep must grow a fleece, the reader can clearly see how great and import ant is the trade in crossbred wools. Wc don t think fc-r a moment that too much of this el;ws is being grown, providing the avenues of consnropten ore not interfered with by exorbitant tariffs, and consumption checked by other untoward factors. _ At present the trade- is rather languishing, and uo doubt. even here ''bear" influences are at work iu order to a.teot the-forthcoming sales in New Zealand and Buenos Ayres,

URUGUAYAN WOOL SHIPMENTS. Total to date nl.lifS Total to date,. j'JU!)-10 1(12,510 Owing to a very good lambing, the agricultural authorities are of the opinion that the sheep stacks of the River Plate are larger than two years ago, whan drought played sad havoc. At the same time wo hardly think that the number of jJiecp being depastured is equal to ISSS, whcii they were returned at 71 million head. OUTLOOK FOR, CROSSBREDS. So far there has been no material move made at the crossbred end of tho indiislrv in order to affect, tho opening of tho NewZealand and Buenos Ayres season, but. all the same prices are onlv on the weal; side. It must bo a, heart-breaking job for I hose wuo bought crossbrctls at the receut series of London sales in the hope of turning same ic good account ou Bradford Exchange. An average iO's prepared top is obtainable at: 13d., and some say less. When greasy ileeco was costing lid. for -lO's in London what, profit can there be out of such transactions? Already quotations have been made of lid. by those engaged in the South American trade, and agents here representing Buenos Ayres firms are offering to execute orders on a basis of lid. clean scoured for !o's wool landed at 'Liverpool. Thw will mean Kl'id. in the top. so it is hardly any good at present, liradford is hoping to buy wool to bring in lO's at a shilling, so il looks as if priecs must further drop at the MMirces of supply. H is well-known that Ill's carded tips have beeu sold at jlUd., and prepared lid.; in fact,. it is difficult to say what crossbred tops are worth at a time like (ho present, quotations being more or less nominal. There is no change in merinos, except that importers are offering Gl's lop for January delivery at 2-lUI.