OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1713, 2 April 1913, Page 10

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

BLENDING WOOLS'FOR TOPMAK- : ING. (From Our Spccial Correspondent.) " Bradford, ..February, 20 There continues lo lie a very encourag■ng market ior the raw material, and tin way wool is soiling still shows that mami' faccuring coiiclmiiiis throughout liuropi are in a very healthy state. We are advised by cablegram that a, monthly sale has taken place in Melbourne this week, and that combing merino wool has agan advanced !> per celit. There' is. now every prospect of stlenee at colonial sell ing- centres lor another month, and in the nieantime '1,011(1011 will speak, anil show where the raw material stands. A 1 ready many are prognosticating that then will be a b per cent, advance in Colemai! Street, the wool hunger to be satisfied being', significant. We are glad of this for to find that confidence prevails, aiu, is'likely to do so; is alter ail one of tin principal factors which go to make ti good wool market.' It 'is quite true thai prices 'have advanced .very materially, am for the time" being.'values may have touch' ed the tGp, but' users nt the present tinu still have faith in the future, and not withstanding dear money, trouble in tin Balkans, and strikes, wool holds on it; way in a remarkable manner. The pas! week has brought out nothing very new in the wool and textile world, but a: mentioned before, very sound and satis factory--manufacturing conditions continue, there is no falling oil in consump tion, and although present prices are no I liked by manufacturers, and the ultimate fabric buyers, they are paying Ibe advances, and there is littlo to indicate anj set-back in the .course ol' values. TOPIIAItING. Topmaking has; become more of e science, than ever before in the world's history, and as oua looks behind. the scenes, and knows what is proceeding, ii looks as if the art of blending has nearlj reached perfection. .It is a,very common thing when sales are 011 111 London, Adelaide, Sydney, or , anywhere clsci U Injur a topmaker say that Gl's will cosl so much, ad the price mentioned is otter above what can be made in Bradford on the day in- question. UllO often thinks that such, a statement looks on the surface a littlo ridiculous, and 110 doubt it does. , Still, ■ there is more tjiaii a grain of truth in it, it being an acknowledged fact that for several series of London sales the bulk of the wool sold has cosl more in tho top than could be made oil the day the wool was bought. If thai ; so, the question naturally arises: How do top makers make tilings lit, produce a top at tho price at which they are prepared to sell, and make a profit into the bargain? Kome topmakers have .by nc means been on .velvet during the past twe or threa years. For instance, it was very frequently slated that. Gl's .wool bought in Coleman Street last sales would \'cost 2s. (id. in the top, and u good deal of the wodl disposed Of would cost even more. Yet some good weights of averago Gl's were sold around 2s. 5Jd. to 2s. sid. Hence many wonder how the thing is done. The explanation can bo set down to the art of blending, which is largely adopted. There 1 are tops and tops, just aa there is creaiu and cream. If a man wants what is known as a spiiiner's. top, then he expects an unblended article, tho top being combed out of nothing else but greasy lleeco wool of Australian origin. This is really a spinner's top, but several firms in Bradlord produce what can bo called a rank-and-file article, wliilo others are noted for producing .;i .guaranteed top. But the-foriiier gro most made,'. so' far as regards' quantity.' '■ Now', tlie : questioil'' is asked:. How is this, done? . . ; BLENDED. TOI'S. . It has been the' writer's privilege 011 many occasions lo inspcct a big pile of wool that was being put,'down the trap-door-of more than one large combing establishment in Bradford for scouring purposes. Such a pile presents a very interesting appearance, its composition even more 1 so. Why? Simply bccause raw material has been put together from different quarters of tho globe, and- is' now about to be scoured, and afterwards.combed into tops. It is here that we have the secret of being able, to ; produce an average article at a reasonable market price. For instance, - to-day's quotation 111 Bradford for an average Gl's top ii about 2s. (Hd. 1 , but it is well-known that i man can buy at {d. to Id. less. I will undertake to say that at the next series of London sales this class of top will cost 2s. 7d. Now to bring down'the cost ol that article to, say, 2s. GSd., the ' top.maker, blends with his Australian fleece, wool from, say,'-the'Cape, Mazamot skin ■wools,' broken,, pieces, and bellies., Ii that way -ho is able to produce a top ••that-passes-... .muster . .for au average Gi's, and when the same lias''been scoured and combed, I must say thai tlie avCrdge reader can ■ hardly believe, his eyes. If one were to put. alongside such ;a- top 0110: made entirely from fleece,, il -wouid need an expert eye to see (the' difference. but to a person in the trade the difference is discernible, while a practical ■ina'u can s-oo where the increased value of tho fleece top comes in.: Here wo"liovt the reason for Bradford topsniakers being able to work to n price, and to sonic extent it is this fact which lias helped this important branch of the wool trade to assume such .large dimensions. Spinners know full well which class of-toj gives the test results in tho spinning frame, the yarns'and the woven piece, but topmakers say ihey have been beaten down in -price until, through force of circumstaiicc-s, they have to produce a top to fit the trade. This is really the why so much blending is at the present time resorted to. MAZAMET SKIN WOOLS. One of tlie component parts of the cheapened top is llazomet skiu wool, and the reader would be surprised if lie knew the big quantities'which aro used every week in tho West. Hiding. I could name one firm already who this year have bought aud' sold 5000 packs. During the past. few years there has been a tremendous development in tho trade between. Mazamet and Bradfoi"!, and three 'or fotir'firms seem to 'havo specialised in the handling\oi, thisi staple. ;■ -It is certainly. peculiar-., why. Ihe pulling,,of .sheepskins .should' be -.so, largely 1 done; in- that particular town in-'franoe,' but 110 -doubt the plentiful supply -of ''ben utiful.• soft water,' togtthcr • with specialising ill /'the work, accounts largely, for the big business which is done. Wool growers in Australia, as well as South Africa,. aro under a debt of. giat'ituele to Jlazaniet pullers for being able to deal so successfully with tremendous'weights of colonial sheepskins,- but they •teem to be specially equipped with machinery,'as well,as tho most improved methods, to turn these to the best account possible. It-is 110 , uncommon filing for two or tlirco Bradford buyers ,to be' in Jlazmuct together, one competing -keenly against the other for big weights of pulled wools. During recent times more attention seems io'lwve lc?iv given to thesa. wools. Some: speak of the' skin wools being "doctored," but' 110 doubt many firms' , are <xport in getting a good colour,, ami slill retaining an amount of condition ill the wool, which is wonderful, considering' the colour and the handle. Ono needs to know one's trade to- become 1111 expert buyer of ilazaiuel, but ■ those in tho trade know them thoroughly and can value I hem'fully as well-as colonial greasy llcccc. . WOOL AND TOI'S STILL ACTIVB. .The market still maintains all its'recent vigour, ond busiiu'.isbeing done on a lairly large scale. . The greatest impetus continues to L-ome' from the raw mult-rial, and users everywhere are finding themselves carried lorward by a force which they camlol. resist. II is quite (rue that prices arc high, quite as high as some care to see them, but so lar as our vision will permit us to penetrate at present, there is 110 indication that values ivill depreciate to any material extent. It is some time since business was done on as sound a basis as during the past six- months or so. There has been less buying of the raw material . "in the dark," with the result that purchasers have kept coming out more on the right side, and this, along with the meagre-ness of supplies compared with prospective demand and the promise of good trade in the future, has done much to maintain tlie soundness of the ilulustry as a whole, ami place it in—if possible—a better position than it lias hitherto occupied. The demand for wool everywhere is unabated, and where values have been held to they have shown a decidedly hardening tendency.. This was the case at the mictions in Melbourne this week. Bradford

users are already lobbing forward to the coming sales in Coleman Street; which will commence on March i, and it is generally expected that values will show an advance. "" ■' ■ I For the tinio being merino tops are not 1 lending the way in the -matter of sales, GO s being in greater demand than G4|s. Sales of crossbred tops are still being made at increasing figure's., and (both low, prepared, and carded sorts have met with a ready market. A largo amount of crossbred wool has recently been sold, «nd prices have also gone lip. Clean scoured 'H)'s Buenos Ayrcs wool is being quoted at l-ljd. Crossbred spinners have coino into (ho ''market rnthcr -eagerly of' !ati>; with the result that top men havo found it easier lo make (heir prices, and good 40's colonial prepared lias made' I(i]d.-IGJd. without any difliculty whatever.