YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3042, 31 March 1917, Page 4

YORKSHIRE LETTER

AMERICA'S INFLUENCE ON THE WOOL TRADE

(From Our Special Correspondent.) _ Bradford, February 8. It is eomotimes necessary to loot at the political world and to consider the influence politics exercise on wool markets, and wo have a coso in point at present. Everybody sees to-day what events havo been taking place, and what is the real moaning of the latest diabolical outbreak. But wo shall hot deal hero \vitb the murderous proceedings of the foo, our'chief concern being ,the important part that wool is- playing on tho present huge conflict. Wo havo at last seen the real, attitude of.tho .United States* towards the wild tiger whioh is let loose in Central Europe, and tho majority would be heartily glad if our American cousins would join in freeing tho entire world from a foo whioh is threatening the vory vitals of civilisation. <It is high timo that tho madness of Germany' was done to death, and America's incoming would bo the signal to the rest of humanity to join in the conflict.- But it is wool that claims our attention, and never before has the Important part it. is playing in tho conducting of this great struggle been so greatly omphasised. We nave to faco tho fact that men cannot fight \without adequate protection for their bodies; and wool oertainly is playing a valuable part in supplying the clothing needs of the fighting forces. The value of tho ram material cannot be over-estimated. What has become of the recently boasted manufacturing; raw materials whioh were going- to obliterate wool and put sheep entirely into the background?; Wo refer to the seaweed collected off the coasts of South Australia, which a Yorkshire company was going to promote, and the excellence of whioh was proclaimed from the housetops some three or four years ago. Then other fibres such as wood pulp, nettles, ramie, were all ping to bo used, largely in mixing with wool, but somehow they nave fallen to tho position which we forecasted, and as. long as the world lasts we are convinced: that nothing will supercede tho fleece^of the sheep from which' to manufacture the clothing required by-the human raco. America's Purchases. A good many loose and ignorant remarks have been made, particularly by American writers, respecting Groat Britain's monopoly, of the aheop and wool trade of tho world. We say candidly that it is Great Britain's good fortune, to own practically 75 per oent. of the sheep stooks of tho <w.orld. Whatever measures have been adopted for supplying the requirements of the armies of tho British Empire and those of nor Allies, they have been dictated solely by war contingencies, and the writer is quite honest in saying' that no, feeling whatever of animosity has been behind the action of the Imperial Government in deciding to put an embargo op colonial wools going to tho United States. It must bo said to the credit of an American that he foresaw in December,, 1914, that the wool. production of tho British Empire would bo entirely \, absorbed .in providing for tho military needs of Great Britain and her Allies, that foreoast. at tho time being ridiculed as most extravagant. America has only been kept out, of tho field during the past six or eight months because of the great needs of Great Britain and her Allies, and the figures supplied by Messrs. Sohwartze, Buohanan and Co. are very signigeant,' showing-, what colonial wools Amerioa has purchased during recent years. ' The, figures are too significant to bo passed over without comment. Wa have compiled them from the annual returns of the firm mentioned, and w.e give the figures showing tho' imports into America direct from Australasia aid' South Africa:— ' America Direct Imports of Colonial ' .„_.."" • Wool..;.;;: , ... Aus- South 1 j- .'-■.:-tralasian. Africa. "T 'Year.' " "-Bales'. Bales. ■'-•. 1916- 490,605 227,557 1915 25U19 145,512 ' 1914 45.47-1 - — 191!) -.:... 7,078 — . - Tho above makes a rather significant showing, a proof that last year, with all Great Britain's deficiencies, our colonies supplied a larger weight/ of raw material than ever before in the history of tho textile industry of tho United States. After all tho British' Empire did not behave so very badly towards our American oousins. Everybody on this sido has regretted very much that during tho past fow months an embargo should navo boen enforced, but every practical American mill-owner knows the reason for this.

Australasian Versus American Wools. ■ It makes one ask tho question seriously why America Bhould bo so-keen to avail norse'lf of colonial iwools,, and tho reasons aro numerous. r In the first place there is the inadequacy of the American flocks -to satisfy tho .' requirements of ninety million people. Then again, thero iB the superiority of Australasian wools when compared with Amorican domestic wools. These two reasons no doubt are tho most-important, and they are worth more than passing' attention. In tho first instance, American sheep flocks huvo deteriorated very materially,, and they need not have done. The writer has said for tho past three years; that American sheep men, have pursued a wrong policy in letting their flocks go to tho dogs during a -tree wool regime, prices to-day under the present tariff being higher than over before, notwithstanding these also; aro days of free wool. Wo tako to-day a survey of the sheep flocks of the world, ,and thoy are diminishing. It is', to bo regrottod that even Australian flocks aro loss than they were in the 'ninoties, and it is high, time that at least twentyfivo million more sheep, were being depastured- throughout the' Commonwealth. There is also: a need for New-Zealand to depasture at least 36 million, instead of 21 million sheep, and tho United States ought to be carrying to-day at least 75 million sheep. .If sheep men throughout the world want an inoentivo for inaugurating a forward policy, surely the' present high standard of values and expanding world needs should stimulate cveryono to increase sheep flocks whoreover humanly possible.

American sheep men havo very much to learn in the art and science of sheep culture, although we hope that no man will bo offended at that statement. Tho writer knows whereof ho is speaking from ■ practical experience. Ho has seen American wool plaoed alongside even average Australian, and every, practical American mill man, if he will ho candid and spoak the truth, will endorse tho verdict given. There is room throughout the whole of the United States to raise the general character of the flocks, and ■there needs to bo a better system'of sheep culture with more regard paid to tho uniformity of type, breed and quality, both in sheep and wool. Tho long severe winters of the United States no doubt are an important factor in preventing sheep being kept on so uniform a basis as in Australia, and having to put sheep into barns during the severe nights all tends to produce somewhat wasty wool, but when all is said and done wool buyers can deal with somowhat heavy conditioned raw material, providing thero is a uniform staple as regards quality, length, and other sound manufacturing properties. It is a hugo mis-' tako on tho part of American sheepmen to keep ohanging about, every Australian pastoralist knowing that tho moro uniform his'flock tho bettor tho sheep whon marketed for mutton, and moro valuablo becomes his clip of wool.

World's Wool Otilook. It is no uso disguising the fact that thore is no country iu the world producing sufficient raw material to satisfy the present and prospecitve requirements of the world's manufacturers. Germany for the time being can bo ignored, because tho British Government has determined that in tho coining years manufacturers there are not to bo permitted t'o' avail themselves in the same free way of wools grown in tho British Empire as was seen previous to the war. Tho present measure of Government control has been to some extent dictated by Germany's war policy, and it will bo Great Britain and her Allies who will como in first and foremost for the raw inntorial grown in the British Empire. It is tho writer's firm coraiction that nothing would on-

linnce America's future well-being from a wool and textile standpoint eo much as her joining tho Allies. America ie rightly inalrinK a bid for a reasonable proportion of the world's textile trade in woollons and worsteds, and everybody If knows that nothing will so conduce to a successful obtaining of that business na boing able to avail one's self of reasonable and adequate supplies. Great Britain would welcome America joining in the hostilities against tho barbarous methods employed by Germany, and commercial war after the war will ba successfully won by those who can lay their hands upon the raw material, with'out whioh. no party can possibly succeed. Wo therefore say that America's future well-being is just as much wrapt up as a .textile manufacturing country in .. receiving adequate supplies of" raw material as tho manufacturers of tho- West Riding, France, or Russia. Conditions in Bradford. ' - Though it cannot be said that inquiry is quite dead in tho market, no great amount of business is being done, and it is not an easy matter to 6tate the actual position of values. . Some amount of irregularity still exists in all qualities of tops. Tho prices paid when tops are sold depends entirely upon the position of the owners and tho attitude they aro taking up with regard to futuro supplies. This question enters somewhat seriously into the situation at present, the confidence of. some linns being so strong that they are basing their assumption respecting maintained values very largely' on the idea that the supply of fine wools will be barely adequato to satisfy requirements, and- that therefore tho price of the combed article cannot be depreciated to any material extent below its present level. Another matter which provides scope for speculation is the extent to -which ordinary civilian •trado will be allowed to havo a free hand. Though recent developments have shown that the authorities do not perhaps intend to. keep such an extremely tight grip upon tho trade as a whole as was antiicipated, uncertainty still exisfs as to the scope which will be allowed to the ordinary civilian trade, and also as to the exact measures which will be adopted with' regard to export. The3o oirbumstances are tending to create a somewhat reserved feeling in almost every quarter, and as already said, business is lirdited and values irregular.