OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2705, 26 February 1916, Page 8

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

CARBONISING WOOL

(From Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, January 13, 1916. Ino question of carbonising has been raised in a very practical manner with the announcement this week of another advance in carbonising charges, this bciim tho third increase since the outbreak (°£ war. It is certainly by no means a bad sum or the healthiness of the trade, when those interested meekly submit to the advance, but they have no other alternative. "hose who kick and fall foul have to pay the penalty of getting nothing done, and that at once means a direct loss of trade. As a matter of fact carbonised wools, iioita, and raw material of that nature, have this last twelve months

been at a premium, abnormal profits have lx>en made, notwithstanding tho sensible increase in carbonising, and if charew have advanced Id. to 2d. 'per lb. those haying the raw material to sell when finished have been able to more than compensate themselves for the increased scale which they have Juid to meat. This being so, tho latest advances will certainly bo acceded to, for everyone feels tnat they must cither pay or shut up shop. It io not generally known except among those who do carbonising that there is a combine among all the firms. This prevents undercutting, and it; simpiy re solves itself into a question of each firm competing- ono against tlie other as to which can do the best work. All firms alike are working day and night where hands are availablo, and the carbonising ;nde is enjoying a boom that has never been known before. Vegetable Matter In Woof. Every reads® of this issue is well awate that when wool is turned off the body of the sheep it usually contains more or less vegetable matter, much of the wool grown, particularly in Australia, being impregnated with burrs, seeds, shivs, etc. ?f- , 0 ' ' lavo J )e B°t rid of before it is fat for use. No machine has yet been made, and never will be that can utilise wool that has not been cleared of , vegetable matter, and if wool troubled with a small percentage of seed had to be t worked up it would appear in the finished article and give trouble to the wearer, _ particularly if the yarn iraa woven into hosiery fabrics to be worn next to the skin. But no manufacturer would ever attempt to work up wool that contained vegetable matter, because it would instantly clog or fill up the fine wire of the carding machine, one of the first processes of manufacture. Of course, wool is always scoured in the first instance, no matter how much it 19 troubled with burr, shiv, or seed, because carbonising can only be done when the raw material has been cleansed of grease or yolk. The chemicals used in carbonising which attack and eat away the vegetablo fibre, could never perform their work half so well if the wool was not fiTst scoured, but, of course, there is nothing here to injure tho operation, the wool simply passed through two or three bowls of liquid and then squeezed as it comes from the end of tho machine, when it is ready for carbonising. Buyers always show their appreciation of wool free from burr by paying a correspondingly better price, because there is less expense'in working up. and other things

' being equal, wool which dots not need carbnising as a rule {ims rather better working results. What Is Carbonising? The reader will already have realised how objectionable the presence of vegetable fibre is iu wool, and, therefore, measures must be taken to get rid of same. This is done by carbonising, which is simply a process through • which wool passes, nud in tho operations which are really too technical for a woolgrower to comprehend, whereas if he saw the operation he would realise in half an hour infinitely more than by a whole week's leading. Briefly, the wool is scoured as the first operation, this leaving the fibre anil othor matter free of yolk and dirt, which renders the material more fit for the action of the sulphuric acid. Then .comes the steeping operation. It is here where tho most effective work is done. This is not a mechanical process, although it can be done by the aid of a machine. Still in Verviers, where the best carbonising in tho world was done previous to the war, the old steeping method and working the wool by hand was largely adopted, and even firms in Bradford to-day, who six months ago did this by machinery, have got back to tho old hand system. 1 This may scein strange to the uninitfated in these times, when machinery is looked upon to do everything. In carbonising, a man's judgment is of maximum value. The reader can understand that some wool is more impregnated with seeds, burrs, and sliivs than others, consequent- ' ly it i# largely a rule of thumb, aidefi by experience, which determines the strength of tho carbonising bath, thus really being 1 , the reason why steeping and hand-working • in this single operation is to-day largely ■ practised. It is essentially a question i of experience, knowing the strength of tho [ sulphuric acid bath to be used. Aftor : the material' has been allowed to steep a certain length of time, it is then fork- | ed out by hand, allowed to drain, and , then after being put through a drying , machine, it is rescoured, again dried, partly willeved, it being hero where tho ! vegetable fibro falls Out in tho shape of dust. If the wool, after being put into the sulphuric acid, was not dried and then rescoured tho vegetable fibre , would never disappear, while the second i scouring _ rids the wool of the sulphuric i acid, which, if allowed to remain, would ■ soon eat away the wool fibro itself. Samples could, be shown the reader before and after carbonising, which would call forth considerable surprise, and to-day carbonising is being done which leaves the wool vastly improved, both in point of colour and cleanliness, and which is well suited to the requirements of manufacturers.

The New List of Charges, : The following is a new list of charges which -will come into operation on February 1: —Wool scouring, extracting, and cleaning: Producing up to 15 per cent., 6}d. per lb. on weight returned; over IS to 20 per cent., 20 to 30 per cent 3jd.; 30 to 40 per cent., 3Jd.; 40 to 55 per cent., 3d.; 55 to 70 per cent.. 23d.: 70 to 100 per cent., 2M. Noils: Noils extracted and cleaned, 2-id. per lb. on weight received. A Firm Market. There is really nothing new to say gaxding the wool situation. The market cannot be called active, but it is healthy with prices so sound. The general attitude of the trade is now to wait and see what takes placo in Coleman Street next week, and some are forecasting still higher values. Possibly crossbreds may appreciate, and even good combing merinos may further advance a trifle, but wo think that even importers will bo ready sellers a.t last sales' closing values for it is now an acknowledged fact that it is policy to shift all the raw material to the actual user with prices where they are to-day.. The most satisfactory feature of all is undoubtedly the large consumption. Business certainly is exceodli'gly good, and there is. sufficient proceed ing to give strength to the markot although we certainly .cannot see much'sign of any pronounced activity. The announcement of the embargo bcine renlatwl on wool in New Zealand naturally put the stopper on to American buying, at least for tho time, being it has stopped operations, and it now looks as if the London market will remain entirely in the hands of Homo trade and French buyers. Everybody expects a very successful series, although many cannot see the justification for merino values moving abovo last sales' very high levei However, there is great faith in the future, that being a very notent factor in deciding operations. Everybody will go to Coleman Street prepared to buy; in fact, one feels safe in prophesyin" that those who have already purchased hi* weights of wool in the colonies will con° tinue operations, because everything points to all supplies being wanted to meet the requirements of tlio world. Prices are firm for nil descriptions of tops.