YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 152, 16 March 1918, Page 10

YORKSHIRE LETTER

-« LONDON DISTRIBUTION SALE A IAILURB (From Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, January 17, 1918. Last week-cud a distribution sale of Australian wools took place in Coleman Street when a catalogue comprising 8944 bales was Biibniitted to a, handful of buyers. This catalogue had lean got together bv the Department, with tha purpose of offering to manufacturers of civilian fabrics, hut,no one could operate without having permission so to do from tho Department. Briefly put, every linn owning machinery was granted, tho privilege of using so mucii clean scoured wool, the Department being the Bole source for obtaining supplies. Notwithstanding there were ucarlv 9COO bales catalogued the committee of the London Wool Brokers have sent the writer an official statement, in which they say: "The <temaud for civilian purposes would havu eagerly absorbed the whole quantity offered, had not the issue of rationing licenses been severely curtailed by the authorities, tinder these circumstantH.. the quantity taken l.y this section of tile trade amounted to 1600 bales." Tlub means to say that the talo was a fiasco, and unless thore is a very different attitude dis. played, we have seen the end of all distribution sales till tlic war finishes. On tho surface it looks a farce to put un 9000 bales, and tho trade to simply absorb 1600 bales. The question naturally arises: Did not the authorities know the quantity of wool which they had granted the trade the privilege of buying? Tho answer is in the affirmative. One could say a, great deal on the point, but perhaps silence is best. However, the moral is plain to those who know the pcFition of things to-day. There were some very good merinos catalogued alone with a lot of shabby carbonising wools, whilo the crossbreds which amounted to 20 jier cent of the offerings, were poor in the extreme. What wa? wanted was the broadening of the oasis ol competition, throwing open the doors and letting tho trade teompeto without lot or hindrance, when m-cry Vale would have been absorbed with the keenness of a hungry dog devouring a bone. It seems to many neople ridiculous to put up won! like this, and so ration the trade as to prevent them buying.

Tlic South African Clip. Evidently thii.gs are not moving so satisfactorily in South Africa, notwithstanding the Government has purchased threeeighths of the current- clip, amounting in all to 188,242 bales. The correspondent of tho "Cape Times," in a message published earlier in the week, states Uiat the controversy over the purchase of the South African clip by the Imperial Government threatens to break out anew in an acuto form. It seems that the leading organ of the Dutch in the Transvaal published an article on the evo assembling of Parliament urging General Botha to make representations to tho Imperial Government for the cancellation of the -wool contracts. Some twenty-eight per cent, of the wool farmers are concerned, and the Dutch paper states that comparing their contract with the current prices they will lose £BM,CCO. Tho "Cape Times" denounces tho suggestion of cancellation as an illomened symptom of tho the,iiicreasing activity of the vims of bad faith in tho South African body politic, and points out that the Union asked the Imperial Government to make the offer, which was freely accepted by the farmors who were concerned, after months of public discussion. ■

Wo entirely endorse the opinion expressed by the "Cape Times," and there cannot ho any cancellation of the contract. The Imperial Government, through tho Union Government of South Africa, has been hoii cat-it has put all its cards upon the table. South A Wean fanner* had .to decide ■whether they would accept the Imperial Government's offer regardless of shipment, or they preferred a free hand to sell or retain their clips upon their farms. The suggestion \of cancellation is untimely, unpatriotic, and certainly unbusiness-likc. Much as even Bradford buyers would have preferred a free market, they have loyally submitted to the programme of State control, notwithstanding the hardships which it has brought upon the entire industry. The war has brought about conditions involving much npsetment of trade, material losses, but these are being submitted to ii» a most commendable way, and. the suggestion of tho leading organ of tho Dutch in the Transvaal cannot bo agreed to in the least Of course,' the operations of the United Slates and Japan in Soutn Africa, are the cause of the present unrest among wool grower.',. and it* would perhaps have been as well if tap Imperial Government had commandeered the entiro clip as is the case in Austra'ia and New Zealand, at the samo time offering certain quantities to Japan and America as shipping facilities occurred. No doubt the present trouble is due to thoso growern who refused their clip making pence per lb. more than the Imperial Government is paying, but our authorities cannot possibly i-H-naso their margin, otherwise every grower in Australia would agitate to be put upon the samo basis, and. rightly so. As already indicated, the chief cause of the trouble lies in a fairly active market on behalf of tho two countries named, and so long as America and Japan are free buyers, and willing to purchase at sensibly higher prices than the Imperial Government is paying, there is hound to bo dissent unless export finishes and stocVs accumulate, / Production of Standard Cloth. We ue«uu a fitut uuui w-.y about the production of siuuuit.ru clouia ior civiliuu wear, and Llie uuui'is ol bir uuaricii byß.es lUirc-clor of Wool Textile rrouuuuou) arc Beginning to bear tood lruit. Already provision uus been rauue lor mo prouueuon oi about i,slio,iiuu yuras ol \vobiicu iwced, uuu.inu trade lias uceu tout that provision is aiso being made lor the production oi Biandiud woi'oieU serge, blankets and flannels. No uouut the general public will now realise Uiat the entiro textile trade is very much controlled, and is going to be. 'me standard woollen tweed iB to be sold at 6s. Oil. per yard, broad widin, and reauy-inade suits art. to be rotailed to the general public at b'ls. 6d. Those who have seen the cloth speak m good teruia regarding it. It will enable tho reader to form a reliable opinion ol same if we state the component parts of the blend from which the yarns are spun. The blend is made ofc- 60 per cent, pure virgin wool, 30 per cent, of crossbred nous, and 10 per cent, of rnungo or cot> ton. That, we say, is a good blend, and tho resultant cloth is bound to be satisfactory. Thousands of pieces have been, made throughout the West Riding in past years that did not contain 10 per cent, of pure wool, end the general populace purchased them in big quantities. Wo hope that the purchase, of such standard cloths will lead the general public to appreciate something good, and they should pave tho way for purchasiug correspondingly satisfactory cloths when the war finishes. Having successfully produced standard woollen tweeds it is not a big jump to the production of indigo worsted serge of a standard type; in fact, these have been made in larger volume as a' standard articlo than any other cloth every manufactured. What looks smarter either for men or women than a good blue ■serge? No one ever tires of seeing the shade, while it only needs to bo made in varying weights to suit either sex. The production of standard blankets will -bo a comparatively easy task so long as the Department provides the raw material. They arc to be made in four sizes and they should be ready in ample time for the winter of 1918-19. We are now told that still larger demands are being made, upon flannel manufacturers, and nulls m •Rochdale, as well .ib the West Ruling, will be fully occupied by the Government orders to the end of April, but now that details regarding the production of standard flannels have been arranged, these, too should be out in considerable weights for' next winter wear. The price to the manufacturers is to bo Is. sd. per yard, ■ the wholesale merchant is to be allowed 3d, and the retail trader 4d. per yard, at least these were the margins original y decided upon, though they are liable to some slight revision. The blend tor standard flannels wo understand will be 40 per cent, wool and 60 per cent, cotton.

An Important Change. Since writing the above a cablegram lias been received from iteuter's vjaue 'iown correspondent, which makes it very clear that the Imperial Government has given permission to those South African woolgrowcra who agreed to sell 'hem their clip, to withdraw if they so desire. It seems that a very awkward position has arisen, due entirely to unexpected fluent being available for the transport cf wool to Japan and America, an .-.olive, market still being witnessed. This is on altogether unexpected development, but snows clearly enough that the patriotism of South African wool-growers is entirely decided by their pockets. It is quite natural for them to make an effort to secure pence per lb more for their wool than they -.vculd receive under the Imperial Ooveram.'.nta olier but the most tantalising let tine of tlio 'position is that English buyers cannot touch a single bale, being completely at the mercy of the Shipping Controller in regard to obtaining freight. America and Japan can buy freely enough, whereas English buyers arc completely out of the running, because if they bought they know that they ennnot command freight, ■md the wool, when landed hero in England, would be automatically acquired by the Department at pence per lb. less than it cost. However, we think that the Imperial Government have acted wisely in yielding to the advice of General Botha, notwithstanding the proceeding seems untimely, unbusinesslike, and unpatriotic.