OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1799, 11 July 1913, Page 7

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

SOUTH AMERICAN WOOLS,

(From Our Special Correspondent.)

Bradford, May 30, 11)13. South Aiucrican wools aro always a topic of .interest aud importance to woolgrowers in Australia, Jiew Zealand, mid South Africa, for it is generally recognised that they compote keenly iri tho markets of the world, and play an importiiut part in determining the price, of the raw material. It is quite in order to say that wo hear far less about the wools of .S'outh America than wo do of those of Australasia, simply because the language of the country is Spanish, and it looks as if there is not the same extensive press organisation as there is in connection with tho colonial wool trade. AH the tame, tho fleeces of nearly eighty million sheep cannot I>3 ignored, lor one has only to remember the great number of sheep which are being depastured in Uruguay, the Jiiver Plate, and Patagonia, to see that they exerciss considerable influence on European markets iu deciding values. Perhaps Bradford is in as close touch with Buenos Aires—which still remains the premier market—as any other European manufacturing centre, although larger quantities of Seuth American wools ' are consumed in Belgium, France, and Germany than in Yorkshire. All the same, English users are becoming les3 prejudiced against River Plate wools, and to-day it can Lo taken for granted that there" is much less opposition against them than at any time in their history. The fact is, so long as West Riding users can tuni to good account the wools of tho Argentine, they will do so, and even among spinners and manufacturers they are. in better favour than at any previous date. No doubt this is directly traccable to the sensible which has been made in the wools, thanks largely to the introduction some years ago of English, mutton sires of tip-top character. These have exercised a very beneficial influence upon the market, and we are satisfied that so long as the pastoralists of i South America pay attention to the principles of Sheep-breeding and wool-growing, they will be able to grow wools of excellent character, and which are useful in the production of the leading lines of fabrics into which crossbred wools largely enter. Perhaps we cannot do better than set forth the number of sheep which aro being depastured to-day, the figures bemsr from the latest file:—Argentine, 77.303.51 y ; Uruguay, 20,280,290; Cliili, 4,221,266; Falkland Islands, 715.000; Colombia. 740,000; other States, 109,070; total, 109,051,079. Features of River Plate Wools. The bulk of the sheep being depastured in South America to-day are of the mutton breeds. The great development which lioh taken place m the export of frozen mutton has worked wonders in the flocks of the Argentine, and although fairly large numbers of merinos are found in Uruguay, the majority of tho sheep are orossbreds, and mostly the progeny of the Lincoln-Merino cross. We should say that more 30's and -10's quality wools are being exported from Buenos Ayres than from Now Zealand,, due to tho continued popularity of the Lincoln sire. In one sense there does not seem to be the same degree of intelligent management in producing the crossbred flocks of the River Plate that we find in New Zealand. Of course, the different methods of preparing and selling the wools have to some extent left their - mark upon the ilocks, the principal object of the estancia holder being to produce a big carcass of mutton and the heaviest fleece of wool that he possibly can. No doubt the presence of very powerful companies and their extensive operations have exercised an important influence in deciding the action of the Argentine pastornlist, and' we find that Lincoln bipod dominates tho Ilocks. The Lincoln is an excellent freezer of great size, being hardy and well-suited to the camps of the River Plate. No great quantity of half-bred or three-quar-ter-bred wool is sold by itself, and there is no doubt that selling tho clips without preparing them caiefully for market, and the absence of..systematic.breeding, as practised by tho best-regulated iUcks in New Zealand; are two of the chiei reasons why South American wools aro somewhat lacking in the niaiter of popularity. All the same, the wool is very useful* produces some good lustrous, coarse tops, andvis bought very extensively by those who tan use it. Uruguayan Wools.

The wools shipped from Monte Video have greatly improved during tho past dozen years, and some exceedingly &<od merino clips are being grown in that part of the world. -At the last series ot London sales a new brand of foll-inonger-ed crossbred slipes was disposed ot in Coienian Street, a clear indication that more'frozen mutton is being dispatched from tiiat centre. Tho introduction ot new merino blood from Australia hus bsnßutcci several noted docks, and with many firms Uruguayan merinos are thought highly of and serve useful purposes. They are often obtainable at a fraction less than corresponding* qualities of Austrnlifin merinos but ve certainly think that the pas-, toralists or. the Commonwealth have nothing to fear respecting the merinos grown in South America. It is a fnct that they never improve with working, whereas the merinos ol'- Australia always get better as they pass viirough the various processes of manufacture. Experience has taught that more cert ain wools are handled and worked upoft the worse the final results, but Ihe marines of the Commonwealth finish up in- bho pince with as much sortnestf of handle, bloom, and vitality as thev possessed ;\v)ieu llioy went tu the scouring bowl.

The WVjoI Shortage. During the past l six months we havo heard a good deal' about this question, it being generally thought that thero would be 300,000 bm'es decrease in the. Australian clip, whino a leading authority early in the season estimated the shrink-, ag in the Buenos AiVcs clip, at between 80,000 and 90,000 bales. 'We doubt if either estimate will be realis Cvl. All the same, thero will be less wool '.than last season, and probably the South American deficit will bo anywhere from i' 5,000 to 50,000 boles. Considerable discrcilt-t lias been put upon the decrease in the ; -io'irtli American clip, the firm ingestion Auving reduced their estimate to about 00,00 V bales. Even this weight of wool will m wn a serious shortage, and though we doiibt if it will lie realised, we think the i Bcreaso seen earlier in the season bids fair-'tfo bo wiped out. It will be remembered ti V-.t the current clip was disposed of in a '. VMord way, whereas the clip of 1911-12 was fnterfered with considerably owing to a ra ifway and dockers' strike, lienco the present 1 increase is a fast-diminishing one, and 1. Wow we show how the reported increase in : esjiorts of the South American clip is pann.'-rW out: October 1 to March 20, 107,265 batf.es in-crease;.-October 1 to March 27. .85,309 hales increase; October 1 to Apr! l -J. 7!l,!)()8 bales increase; October 1 to .4. pi*il 10. 74,014 bales increase ; October 1 to A j ir il 17, .">!),536 bales increase; October I', to April 21, 42,000 bales increase; Octobar 1 to May 1, 30,007 bales increase. v may be the final shortage, we are satisliM ; that the trade will l>o able to comfoi'ltnbly use all the wool being, grown. O.M that point thero can be no two opinions.. At the moment manufacturing centres are fairly well supplied with the raw material, but several month-: have yet to elapse before the new clip will bo available in either Now Zealand or South America; in fact, the end of the year will have to be reached before it comes to hand. Consumption is well maintained at the crossbred end of the trade, but there is no tendency for prices to harden. We are rather inclined to think Hint, in view of a further hundred thousand bales of New Zealand crossbred* being available nt the July series of Loudon sales, together with a new English clip, values will move at about to-day's level. Current prices cannot b? called cheap, and we think thnt steady rates will benefit the trade far more than higher prices, which always tend more or less to restrict crm•.mipfion. What the crossbred end ol' the trade requires to-day more than anything is the opening out of a new market like that, of the United State-.