YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2287, 22 October 1914, Page 9

YORKSHIRE LETTER

THREATS TO BOYCOTT LONDON .. SALES (Trom Our Own Correspondents > . Bradford, September 11. One hardly knowe at a time like the present what to say for the best regarding wool, for the war etill dominates the entire market. With 75 percent, of tho general wool anil textile trado of Europe at a standstill, the reader can easily understand, how little there is to say, and yet how important the present and future is to readers of this issue. We are told that Australian, Now Zealand, and South African wool growers. are gravely concerned about the future of their new clip wools, and well they might be. : Tho present' generation of woolmen havo nover known a time like the present. • The writer has the privilege of being in the company of an old.-woolman who has boon connected with the colonial end of the trade since the early 'fifties. Hβ is now fa6t nearing 80/ and can go back to the Crimean War of, 1856. What a time that was. *Ho tells me that in 1557 there -was a panic throughout Great Britain, with hundreds of failures, when wool and textiles, were in the bottom of the cart. Of course at that time the factory system in Yorkshire was only just beginning, the bulk of the operations of spinning and manufacturing being dono in the homes of the people. Hand oombing and. spinning were then general, while even the writer can remember the old hand looms being in tho houses of the people. It was no uncommon thing' for them to sleep in the same "chamber" where the "oEck click", of the shuttle was to be heard.in the early morning, and "waking." that is, weaving cloth with caudle light, was then, the order of tho day. Of course things have vastly changed since then. All the various operations of cloth v manufacture have left tho homes of the people for ever, but what we want to point out is that the present war has no parallel in the hietory of the world in wool circles, and wo nope never will have in the future. The Franco-Prus-sian times of 1870-1871 live t<j-day very vividly in the minds of many, and all alike speak with pleasure of the piping times which the West Riding of Yorkshire enjoyed 'after peace was signed. The boom culminated in 1872, and it was then that wool touched, very high prices in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Of course at that time power looms were practically unknown, and everybody who could spin and weave was at it early and jato. Many are • forecasting a repetition of those times when tho present European struggle terminates, but the writer will see that time repeated before_he believes it will bo experienced. Khaki Orders Still to the Front. The past week has produced nothing particularly outstanding. There' continues to be a fairly healthy inquiry in Coleman Street for . wool suitable-'., for khaki manufacturing purposes, 90 per cent', of the trade doing being after that order. A-s'far as ono can size up tho situation -to-day, this branch of .the trade shows signs of expansion. ( Of course, big weights of "blankets being, wanted dnring the past week, all means a more extende<l call for'low crossbred wools, and we can see hero a sensiblo demand for the next few weeks for anything'of 36Vto 44's quality. All short slipes will be wanted anfl even shorter classes of greasy crossbred should be sold.even etill more extensively. What interests our readers is tho demand for the medium and line crossbreds, including merinos, and it must bo said that--the two-latter, descriptions . axe bound to .be in limited demand, because they are not so suitable for the. rank and file of .khaki oloths. Let us inform readers straight away that'the bulk of the khaki oloths being made to-day are made'from-a 40's to 44's quality.top, .this being spun into a two-fold 24 s count and used as warp yarns> the- weft being made on the woollen principle,largely consisting of a combination of sliped lambs of 48\to 50,'s quality and khaki mungo, which all produce a very good article. These requirements are certainly saving prices from slumping. Considerable work is also being provided for mill hands, but we would,ten times rather have had .a normal trade, and' see the merino production.of Australia nnd South Africa continuing to he consumed, but at a time like the present one- , has to be thankful, for email mercies, and endeavour to go on and make the best of a bad job. Many-are looking forward to orders being received for army, oloths from Russia, as well es. France and Belgium, as we know that inquiries are being made from these countries among Yorkshire manufacturers, and it only needs on i or two victories to see the West Riding industry "buck-up" considerably.

Merinos Still Easing. \ Bradford, topmakers are still equeez.ablej- and are selling tops at the best price they can get bid. Wo think the full facts ought to be placed before readers, and we know that one of tho largest merino topmakors has this week accopted as low as 2s. 4d. for Kood standard 64's, guaranteed to bo made from Australian fleece wool. This means a decline of 4d. from tho highest point, and wo venture to say that if a man would bid 2s. 2d. for next January delivery, ,, the bid njould be taken readily. As far as we can see, for some months to come the sustaining power, if not the propelling force of France, and Germany in the wool trade will be_ wanting. Germany for the timo being is off tho map,' and woolgrowers under" will have to he uatriotio enough to take a sensibly less price for their wool without a murmur, being thankful to see tho suprenjaoy of Great Britain maintained. Business is naturally confined to supplying what is wanted for to-day, for .with there being so much uncertainty regarding the future of prices, it cannot be expectei that' any firm will buy largo weights in the hope of being able to use same. The opinion is gaining ground that merinos cannot but move to a sensibly lower level than they wero at last July. There are many prophets in the market who are forecasting ,G4's tops at 2s. before the end of the year; infaot, some say that whenever any weight of wool is put upon the market there cannot but be a marked decline in the prico of Hie raw material. • Things can alter n great deal before tho advent of the next series of London sales, but with Franco, Belgium, and Germany being to' a largo extent put out of action by the war, the homo and ■American trades will bo the only parties wanting the raw material. Of course, there will be tho financial situation to consider, and this will be an important item sooner cr later. London Wool Sales, .;, The decision of tho Importers' Committed to hold the next oeries of> London sales' on October 6 'has mot with very strong dissent in Bradford, notwithstanding that importers feel that there is a good deal to bo said from their standpoint. It is known that an important section of the trade is in want of certain classes of wool, nnd at the end of the month thoso wants iti ■ all probability will bo largely increased. At a time liko the present it is but natural that those wanting raw material should havo the .privilege of pur-, chasing some, hence the decision to hold the next auctions. What seems to have stung Bradford is that the representatives of the British Wool Buyers' Association should 'havo been to a large extent ignored, and if what we hoar is correct there is trfrublo ' ahead. Of course, talk is cheap, and at a time , like the present many people say things which under normal conditions thoy would nover think of uttering. Tho latest is that a meeting will be convened next week, probably,, next Thura-.

day, to discuss the report of Sir W. P. Raynor, tiho representative of the Bradford Wool Buyers' Association, who went to London to discuss the matter with tho Importers' Committee, and that action will.be taken upon that r.«fiorfc. Many people in Bradford go the eneth of saying that a series of sales will not take place on October 6, and a boycott of the leading flrme in Bradford ;is already seriouely mentioned. Bradford feels that importers will be seeking a land slide if they attempt to catalogue anything like tho weight of wool which will be available on October 6, but much can happen before then. Some seem' to think that owners are forcing the wool on to tho market, and Bradford mil not be able to lift it. Evidently an interesting situation presents itself.