YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3149, 30 July 1917, Page 8

YORKSHIRE LETTER

WOOL CONGESTION IN AUSTRALIA , - PROBABLE (From Our Special Correspondent), rm, .. Bradford, June 7. vnrv ,kS re trade . SGOmB t0 bo fai;ed w''h Xnl re , nt w° tols from «'hat it has I- Sr ac °UStonied to before, and the new Z™ ~ InBS 1S nroduciug an experiS P \le llk « of which it is hoped will '11 ??• scen aßaln - The suppression of ail nubile aud urivate sales of colonial ™°!' is ° f ltsdf a " item o£ scrio " 3 COll- - !, , Growers' incomes have been curtailed'very considerably, for although Anairaiian pastoralists received paying prices tor their last clip, yet if that same wool Had been allowed to bo sold by publu •JunMon it would have brought an average 6d. per lb. more: Many oil this side are beginning to wonder if colonial pastornlists will make out a strong plea ami !o < i ma o n hi ßber nrices for their clip ot 1917-18, or whether they will be satisfied with last year's values. At this distance, no one can say with absolute certainty, put 55 -per cent, advance on 1914 prices is certainly a better bargain than 60 per cent, on washed English wools, received by our Home wool growers. We reed hardly point out that English wools are mostly river trashed which oau-cs fleeces to shrink in yield anywhere from 15 to '0 per cent. The reader will therefore see that, colonial pastoralists am faring somewhat better than their English competitors, but all the same no ono will be surprised, if they ask more money. ' Satisfactory Arrivals. It is now very many wj;eks since the weekly list of arrivals was published, and wo do not expect this useful compilation to be made public again until the war finishes. The writer was privileged last week to see figures which gave the arrivals of .colonial wools into this country since December 1, 1916, and they were eminently satisfactory. No doubt they are considered so by the officials of the Government; in fact, we know they are, for well nigh one million bales have arrived in this country during the reriod named. A still more satisfactory pjece of information is that only about 2 per cent, of wool cargoes have been lost at sea. a fine commentary upon the success of .the operations of the British Fleet. Of course, the German submarine menace has caused inconvenience to the British Empire, but -so far that campaign has made practically no inroad into our overseas wool supplies, and we do not expect it will do. In face of this satisfactory feature, it is indeed surprising that such drastio steps should have been taken as are now in operation, but the end of it all is the creation of adequate merves of raw material, and whereas 600,000 bales was freely mentioned a short t.-me aro as the limit that has now been raised to something Itkif 750,000 bales. Ihe opeiations and extent of the recent Army Council orders, putting mills on short time and restrictinc consumption, mtaus the creation of a big reserve, and wo are telling no secret when we say that at least one member of the Central Advisory Committee is of the opinion that Government control has gone already a little too far. At least that is his opinion in regard to curtailing consumption, his contention being that so long as supplies are adequate and the trade is there, mills sliould be allowed to run full time.

Still Shorter Hours Likely. Lost week-end the A'riny Council Order for mills to run 45 hours per weeks instead of 55J: came into operation. Primarily this affects the weaving department, and on June 11 spinning and combing come within the scope of tho order. Most mills in Bradford are going to stand all day on Monday, but in other districts mills will ruii full' time until Friday noon, when they shut down for tho reft of the week. Many ore of the opinion that this is only the beginning of things, and in the course of a few weeks a, 35 hours' ,week is very likely. We certainly think that is not altogether justified by present circumstances, unless- it be that the Admiralty has decided entirely to stop bringing wool from Australia and New Zealand. Of courso tho importation of Cape wool has almost stopped, for we doubt if the imports have averaged 500 hales • per week during the past two months. It has been mentioned in responsible quarters that having created considerable surplus stocks of colonial wool, for a. short time the shipments will entirely cease from Australasia. Writing, this 12,000 miles away.from the Commonwealth, it is hard to believe that such, a state, of affairs can really exist, bccauso in the course of two or three months there will be large accumulations of wool at all the selling centres in Australia, and hundreds, if not thousands, of nastoralists will have begun shearing or be about to begin when August dawns. However, the Central Advisory Cohimitteo will know all these facts, and no doubt will arrange a programme io harmonise with existing circumstances, but to many in the trade it looks as if fewer working hours will soon come into force, which will harmonise' with a lessened consumption of wool, and so relieve freight for the transport of food to this country. English New Clip Prices. It is always useful to know what the British Government is paying to English farmers for their new clip, and the time for marketing has just arrived. A good week ago they issued their new list of prices for well-washed lots of wool, and the list will appeal to every colonial pastoralist, even to those only keeping merino sheep. The 1916 clip was bought on a 35. per cent, advanco over 1914 prices, but. after strong representations on' the part of. farmers' associations, the Department decided to advance the orice fo*' tho current clip. 50 per cent. on. July, 1914, prices. Of course. England and Wales are divided into about 12 districts, ovci each of which a district executive officer presides. Wool merchants have been licensed to buy on behalf of the Government, and this year every buyer has to have a warchouso in the respective areas

where farmers can deliver their wool. The entire clip is handled on. a. commission basis, the various mero.ha.nts just being able to make ends meet and-that is all. Of course, nobody likes the scheme, but it is enabling merchants to keep their country businesses together, and so they are working: loyally. A careful study of the list given below -will show readers the great variety of wools grown in England, and Wales. The Irish clip is now also being marketed, and farmers paid .1 better price than last year. Hew again there is an infinite variety of wools, but be it sai-d to the credit of Irish farmers they wash their sheep splendidly, and in certain districts a. very good class of hosiery wool is grown. We give below a. list of values along with those for 1916, in parentheses, and the reader will see the advances which are being paid:—

England—Lincoln hogs and wethers, 18d. (16id.); Notts. Leicester, and Yorkshire hogs and wethers. 18Jd. (16Jd.); Border Leicestors. 18(1. (16Jd-); Lincolnshire and Yorkshire halfbreds, 19(1. (17Jd.): Notts, Yorkshire Wolds, and Leicester halfbreds, 20d. (18d.); Jforfolk halfbreds, 20d. (181): Staffordshire halfbreda, 20Jd. (lBJil.); Shropshire, Oxford, and Hants Downs, 21JU. (191 d.): Wilts, 22Jd. (20id.): Eastern Counties Downs, 23) d. (21d.); Kent tegs, 203 d. (18Jd.);. Kent owes and wethers. 18jd. (16jd.); Kent halfbreds,, 21d. (19d.); Kent Downs. 213 d. (19Jd.); Ootswold. Somerset, and Gloucester deep washed, 17Jd. (15Sd.); Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset strong greasy, 14Jd. (123 d.); Devon horns, 15Jd. (MJd.); Ohms and best Kerries. 19Jd. (17Jd.); fine Uadnors, 18d. (16Jd.); decn Radnors, 17d. (15Jd.); best Welsh fleeces. 16d. (Hid.): low Welsh fleeces, 14Jd. (123 d.); "Scotch washed, 14id. (12Jd.1; Scotch unwashed, 123 d. (UJd.); Massams. 15d. (13Sd.); North half bred hogs. 19d. (17Jd.); North wethers, 18Jd. (16! d.); Herdwick unwashed. 12Jd. UUd.); Wensleydale, 19d. (17Jd.); English Cheviots, washed, ISJd. (16id.). Wales.-Shropshire. 21Jd. (19id.); best Kerry and Olune Forest, 20Jd. (18Jd.); best Radnors, 183 d. (17d.); Kcmpy Radnors_ or crossbreds, 17d. (15Jd.); best WebSTi, 16d. (14Jd.); low Welsh, 14 jd. (13id.1; Turbary Welsh, 13d. (UJd.); Scotoh, UJd. (12d.); Shropshire sliorn lamb, 18d. (16Jd.); Kerry and Olune Forest shorn lamb, 163 d. (15d.); Radnor and crossbred shorn lamb, 15d. (lojd.); Welsh shorn lamb, 13d. (-). :. The above prices are. for well-washed l\wool in light, condition, except where otherwise stated.