YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2935, 22 November 1916, Page 10

YORKSHIRE LETTER

.'.. CONTROLLING THE COLONIAL CLIP

(From' Our Special Correspondent.) -.- , Bradford, October 5,; 1916. ■_lhe opening of a new season in Australia naturally directs attention to various matters connected with the marketing of a new clip. We are to-day face to tac.B -with, problems which' are taxiriz the brains of the best men both of 'the 'Ij ß i t!le Government, and Jiow to deal with the situation is a. matter "'!?* supreme concern to readers of this iissno. The abundance of rain which has ; fallen throughout the Commonwealth no 1 ?■?* *? •Maytoff shearing. Then,, too, 'the fact of the last wheat crop of Aus- , tralia being: particularly large also means | the . absorption of • considerable space in l shipping same, while to ship another new I clip to the centres of consumption is a . matter of supreme concern to botli wareliouse keepers and buyers who are anxi- .' ous to keep the wool moving. All these ■; are which are more or • less .'TOptnnm the expected action of the Imperial Government in regard to controlling somewhat the clips of Australia and New Zealand, and it would be as well if the trade knew what.is actually going to take place. The matter is ( . being looked at from every standpoint, ■ and whether to grant America, the privilege of purchasing as before, or limit her operations, is a matter which needs careful handling. Everybody knows the c important part that the United States ,is playing in providing this country with munitions of war, and - naturally there will have to be some degree of reciprocation in order to insure a continuous supply of the .very things which Great Britain and'her Allies.are wanting to-day. v" ■■' —v :■■." ' Control of Colonial Wool.' : • In the best informed circles it is. con- : lessed that something is going to be done but nobody knows exactly what. It Is the writer's firm conviction that a certain quantity of New Zealand crossbreds' .will be allowed to go to the United States, possibly the average of her pur-' i chases for three" or four years before the outbreak of war. That will not be a-big slice out of the New Zealand clip. In merinos the same principle no doubt ■will operate on a somewhat more liberal ■ scale, and there 6eems. to the writer to be no need to restrict" unduly American buying of' medium- and faulty merinos. These were "shaky" last week, both in Melbourne and Sydney, and at the.last London sales the same thing was seen. Apparently the Home trade is not yet in a position to deal effectively with thebig weights of faulty merinos, and a fair proportion can be allowed across the Atlantic without the Home trade suffering in the least. There is to-day no evidence of Germany being pushed out of Voryiors and Northern France in time for the .carbonising establishments in those districts to be of- much use in lifting colonial-,wools; but when. that' ma-chinery-Is available,' these, faulty wools ■will soon assume a very different/complexion: .The writer, lias 'more than once' emphasised the .fact.that- although' here in England something like. 15-20.new carbonising .'works are'being.established, when the wools are carbonised there is not ' the Lsucceeding machinery, with the wool, as is the eas"? in Belgium and France. The plea for installing this,' new:machinery in England is that these! nhort carbonising. wools are wanted fori flannel and shirting manufacturing pur-/ poses, but we have no-knowledge of there; heing any real scarcity, for it appears as 1 ' ■ ' '-"■'■■ i

if the present carbonising machinery is quite able to treat sufficient raw material to meet the demands of those mills engaged essentially in producing shirtings' and flannels Both I'rench and Belgian /'spinners utilised these short carbonising wools by producing mule spun yarns, or' which, very large quantities were sold to Leicester manufacturers for hosiery nurposeSj and French combs and routes irlve riot been installed in Great Britain simply because it requires the building of new nulls, which is impossible in these days when hands are very scarce indeed. Then, too, there is also a scarcity of machinery, it now taking eighteen months to two years before a firm can obtain, machinery which is ordered today. These are a few plain facts which cannot be ignored, and which consticute a good reason for saying that a proportion of these medium and faulty wools can be allowed to go to the United States without either Great Britain or her Allies suffering in the least.

Germany Buying in South America. The writer ha'd cable information a few days ago that' the 'Soiuu American clip was going to be late this season, on account of a considerable rainfall, shear"iig "feTng interfered with. Pas.toraiists will not object to a good week's, rain, particularly at the spring of the year, this be'iug the same obtains throughout Australia and New Zealand. What is of more vital interest still- is the statement that considerable buying on and American account is proceeding "at the camps, both these countries ■ evidently knowing what they can expect at the hands of Great Britain auu her coTonies. Germany seems to know that her doom is sealed so far as regards having free access to colonial clips, and the probability of her being aTTowed to do so in the 'future is very doubtful indeed. l\ : o matter what Germany threatens by way of an. industrial war when the present conflict terminates, she will be able to do little in the markets of the world unless she can obtain colonial supplies"on.The same terms as tier competitors, and that is most unlikely; The feeling generally favours thei view that a duty will be levied sufficient to counteract-her cheap labour,TSeciiuse the success, of German manufacturers in the past against English or French has always been due not to excellence of pattern or construction, but entirely to price per yard. Everybody of big markets to Great * main and her Allies, which to a large extent were monopolised ;by Germany, '.mere is Italy, Turkey, Rumania, anu more especially Busaia, anjd it is quite on the cards that Germany will have to conSne her interests to ' her own markets and those of her. Allies.- At the foundation of a successful - trade it is essential to have a big supply of raw material, and the past f two' years has demonstrated conclusively that the whole of the wool grov:u in ■'Great Britain and her colonies can be readily absorbed by those who have been ijgliting with, her in ; upholding the principles of civilisation. . The following faille: will • interest' colonial 'Teaders "as showing how, the last South' American .clip has been disposed ...of. .Shipments' [from ■■ Buenos Aires ; do'• not show much (failing off compared- with the,, season ! previous, "but the exports from Monte i Video are less. ' The figures 'show the Argentine and Uruguayan wool shipments from October I,' 1915, to August 31, 1916,, and ■ for the corresponding period of the previous season:—.'

/ „ ■ - •■-■ IMS-16. . 1911-15. I . Destination. ' Bales. Bales. 1 Dunkirk' '.-.'. / 1 ' lOfl benoa; .61,154 .' 91,216 JJnited Kingdom ...:..'•'32,572 '77,145 ■United States : - 1 160,032 117,573 "Bordeaux' A.......'..'. 14,997 33,108 Havre :...... 8,780 1,793 Marseilles. '. 6,903 11,601 Barcelona 6,904 8,169 Rotterdam 11,242 9,408 I Various ' .'. "-312,445 . 20,902 Totals 334,980 371,315 .1 Decrease, 36,335 bales. Market Conditions in Bradford. There is little change to report respecting conditions in the Bradford top market.. There is certainly some inquiry for nearly all qualities, but the interest displayed is not at the moment sufficient materially to affect prices, -which are ■ largely running on the basis current last week. The largest demand appears to be for merino qualities, in which fair sales appear to have been made since last market day. The great difficulty, here is in connection with delivery. Several firms are ito-day either refusing to quote for spot delivery or naming prices which carry-along with them no promise of delivery before the end of the year, or right into' January, 1917.- Where quotations are available they still range Tound 4s. Gd; to:ls. 7d., the latter'being the price of a good combing. The machinery problem is still paramount, and there is no' likelihood of topmakers being able to ■ overtake the demands which arc being -made upon them for a long time to come. ■Decreasing labour and'deterioration in w-hat is available are combining to place topmakers in an unfavourable position, • not only as regards the total quantity of output, but also the proportion of noil on top. There is no great activity in

crossbreds, holders all beiup nominallyfirm in their quotations, though there are indications of willingness to make some slight concession, if this is likely to result in any weight of tops being sold. ]?or small weights it is certainly possible to make prices fully equal to those paid during the week, which leaves .a Id's prepared around 27d., and 46's carded 27j(i. to 28d. In the medium and cai'ded sorts there lias not yet been anything like a decided move to a generally* lower selling ■ basis, and in the event of the development of further large business, the present partial ease would entirely disappear.