YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3175, 28 August 1917, Page 8

YORKSHIRE LETTER

GERMAN OWNp WOOL IN SOUTH ■•■■■■ AMERICA "(From Our Special Correspondent.) _. • BEADFORD, .Tune 28. Tno trade is undoubtedly passing through an experience of no mean order, and wool-growers throughout the world ought to feel glad that their pathway is eo easy epmpa.re(l with .wool users at this end, Jo beeiu with there arc hundreds of firms whose business has been completely ruined, they have nothing whatever to do, and lusted. of pursuing their old-time operation oE buying and selling wool, iney are now completely out of trade with nothing more- to do than Bimply E it in tneir offices and smoke the pipo of discuiiiem. A.grower no' doubt has his Baily round and common task as of old, his wool when shorn only wails to be delivured, a.lO his broker will value same d'Ji-i .. baEl3 . oJ » ricoa eet forth in "The time, and in fourteen days or tuercaooute he will receive payment as usual. lie has neither to hope that hia clip will "ii? 1 , a gco 4 market or that somebody will look with special favour unon his combing or his locks, because the' Government will take it from him and pay prices agreed upon in the scheme of State purchase. At this end there are all kinds of serious restrictions, and the stage has now been reached when everyone wanting cither wool. tops, or yarns has to send in his 'requirements on a. form stating explicitly what he does want and the purpose for which it is intended. There are all kinds of grievous restrictions being imposed, but the priority scheme is expect- !;„' 6 ° , v« tbo difficult problems which apparently confront the powers that be Somo extraordinarily etropg things have wh?m sald f a r? d written - OTCr the whoJe scheme of Government control, but uo SW 1 ? will be served by any party emptying his soleen upon cither Government officials or the scheme itself. It has Been devised according to the wisdom of a good number, and the whole business ot the .trade is now to • accept same and finis* tho Jl? 1 of - thin S s ™«l tho war finishes. This priority scheme can bo summed was nothing more or less than rationing the industry, and although such a system is entirely foreign to all the preconceived ideas of Englishmen, yet passing through abnormal conditions as wo are, doing, it means that everyone must accept tho situation and be prepared to make the best of it.

Increased Shipments of South American ' ' Wool, rhere IE always a good deal of interest associated with the msposal of the South American clip, particularly in view of tho tact that it is to-day tho only open marnet in the world where crossbred wool can be,purchased. Of course, the entire clip is grown under neutral Governments and thcreforo the British authorities havo .no power over same unless some agreement could bo arrived at whoreby they could purchase the entire production at a. Inat wouli bo well nigh impossible, unless the Imperial, authorities were Drepared to. give South American growers although nothing whatever is known 'it the present time, yot no one would ho Gurpneed if such a thing had to become an■ accomplished fact. Tho writer knows that this matter was mentioned in responsible quarters in London a rear Mate ¥ £ ym » atllie s.of both the River nell smted .for • the production of miH. tary \requirements as the crossbrede Jrf f s °2S?f? w Zealand, and as there is no likelihood- of there being any but and croSEbred s. Great Britain and . s her\Alhes, inelnding- the Urijtei Shs°- B Se " Od of . tho P«vipus tWlvt ■'£^ u ™; v ..... ~ :»** :; ' uS'Kingdoii 32572 mm? united st/tes*„:::::: 2 ;?- j • ; . -Havre % 4347 C7n Marseilles. V-. £$35 s |i? " Barcelona ..V ft£ .5 M • Hotterdam ........ NfJS S'S! v »i°« ~.....,.:..:; _$g $g 322.80 V 247,60,1 Increase-75,000 bali*. For tie first time for several' , real's tho shii,ments from both the River Mate -ind Uruguay show a. marked advance. The reader will see that the United States figures very prominently in the list,' American buyers being driven to Buenos A'.res and Uonte Video because of-the closod mavfcets in Australia and New Zealand. It is very significant also that the ship- , ments to Italy show a, rather bharp fall compared with the previous season, due no doubt to. tho British Government undertaking to.supply the Italian Government with all the wool required, the latter now being the distributor to its manufacturers, irance lias also stepped to the front And taken more than double what she did tho year previous, and certainly there is eviaouce oi our Ally still retainins a firm Hold upon South American wools. Of course Germany does not figure in the list at all, but no one mu6t suppose that there is not a fair weight of wool- at present in South America' bought' by • German capital. Probably tho quantity held on German account is nearer 70,000. than 60,000. bales', and many on/this side' were hopiDE that tho Itiver. Plate would ioin with the Allies and so compel those holding wool in that country on German acoount to hand it over to the authorities. However, German-owned wool has been shipped to tho United States and sold at, a profit, but thero still .remains a fair! weight of wool both in Buenos .Aires and Ifonto Video awaiting shipment to Germany at the conclusion, of hostilities. More Khaki Orders. It is moro than rumoured that further largo Quantities of khaki orders arc to be given out at no distant date, providing both, workpeople and manufacturers with something to do during the months of September, October, Jfovoaber, and December. Of course, with the Government now having taken over everything and cvoryhody, they will naturally havo to provide for future requirements, particularly fn vic-y-of the fact.that mills aro now running only 45 hours per week, a reduction of ten hours weekly. It would form an interesting chapter if a. reliable estimate could be obtained as to what weight of wool is actually being employed cither weekly, monthly, or annually, in tho execution of the present, great war. Various estimates have been put forth as to the quantity of clean scoured wool it takes to clothe a, soldier, varying from 15 to 501b. per head. If we put it at either 20 or 251b. per head, and reckon thero ore to-day 15 to 20 million men fighting -under the British Flag it. shows what a colossal quantity of raw material is being wanted -weekly to meet all requirements. Tt was said months ago that the lost British clip had been entirely exhausted, bnl that is not correct, as thero aro firms in Bradford who lately have had to relinquish the sorting of Bri-tish-grown wools. Another now clip is now being marketed, but prospective supplies are none too gTcat, and all tho colonial and British wools will be wanted that aro availabJr. Last week thero was another appraisement, of wool in London to bo shipped to France and Italy, and as far as one can sec there is goini to bo no deviation from tho present lino of operation until the war finishes. Negotiations aro also taking plate with tho Canadian Government to make them the distributors of colonial and British wools to tho Canadian trade, and this is one feature which is meeting with keen opposition. hcca.uso it nirans cutting out entirely all export merchants, the very firms ■who havo been important factors m building up tho overseas trade of Great Britain and enabling the Empire to more or less control tho markets, of the world. Firms both in Bradford and London arc feeling the position -very acutely, and thero is no wonder at hard -words being said when important businesses of 50 years standing aro being ruthlessly wined off tho slate.