YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 188, 29 April 1918, Page 8

YORKSHIRE LETTER

MAKING MATERIALS PAY From Our Special Correspondent.) braiKoru, lUaivn v, 1918. The ovem of mo wtiuis in wool texulo circles is tlio puuiicuwu by Die Department, of a new list ut top prices, ovury Quality Buowing an advance of .id. peril). Uur readers have buou apprised or liiis already although m tho first inBlanco renaDlo tenons asserted mat the advauco for tho forthcoming rationing period which begins on April 1 would aiw both wool and tops on a higher level. Why the advance should not include wool is only known to tho officials of tho Government, for there appears to U3 just as much justification for putting up wool values as tops, because* after all, tops aro simply combed wool, and tho Department miglit us well go in for getlinjr more money on wool ae lop& A thought strikes tho writer why has not been advanced like tops, it being di-iMiictly slated that (ho prosent range of wool and top values is to continue for the next eight months, the longest period of any which has elapsed without prices being tampered with. The Department is evidently determined to make every section of tho trado pay handsomely, although the reason giveu for tho advance in tops is ihat with poorer wool having to be i:ec(l for combing, the coet will bo considerably increased. Of course it will. We understand that there is already a movement 0,l foot for incroasinsr combing charges, but if poorer wonl is used for combing it will necessarily mean a, greater noilage, that is the "tear" will not bo as large as if good ctaplwi wool was used, the larger tho production of noils, the greater the cost of the combing operation as well as the res/iltMit tori. However, the- trade is now in possession of an item which it, has long been desirous of knowing and to tho. majority the reason given for tho advance is.regarded as very paltry indeed. Hew Scalo of Prices, The War Otlice (Wool Kection) has prefaced the new list, of valuej by making the following statement:— "The recent developments in the shipping position inako it necessary, if employment in tho combing and worsted industries is to he maintained on or near tho present scale, to produce tops to some extent from wool of less desirable descriptions than heretofore. Tho conversation- costs in manipulating euoh wools will seriously affect the ultimate cost of tops, and in these circumstances the Director 'of Eaw Materials announced that on and after April 1, 1918, the issue prices of all qualities of tops for civilian consumption will be advanced -3d. por lb., as shown in the annexed schedule; those prices arc to hold good for eight months from April 1:— Quality. Pricpi Quality Prices. Tops. d. Tops. 'I, 36's prepared ... 16 Sl'i M "Ill's prepared ... il do's 7Z 44's prepared ... 39 (iO's super '3 44's carded 40 64' a ordinary ... io 46's carded 42 64's warp 77 48's 45 70's ordinary ... 77 oO's 51 70's warp 80 J6'3 £3 'Ihe grades nave no reference to what r.ro known as spinner's tops. All prices are net casn in fourteen (lays. Tiio schedule of issue prices lor wool now in force will reindiu unaltered lor a similar period.

Why Should Prices be Advanced? It uuu bo laiten fur granted liiat colonia.l paßiuraims are wiping u. vbry waiehlul eye- upon tio uciiun of Uio lm»eniii autnoriuea, and will note tlin lw- , - tiiar advance ivnicii tuey are uimrgiug iae trade for lopa. Do i-lio ulhcuus think that woolgrowere, either Ikitisfl or colonial, -will be hoodwinked by supposing that it wool lias not been advanced, tlieii there will be no nee.l to pay more ior tlio forthcoming clips? Already overtures have been mado to the Imperial authorities by British formers for an advance for their approaching new clip of 75 per cent, above pre-war level, and one can see that as a result of the recent boutli African fiasco, Australasian woolgrowers will have a mighty lever in demanding more money for their nuxt clip. »i" our authorities go to colonial pastoraljsta and use the present circumstances as an argument against paying more, simply because they havo not furthei advanced wool values? The fact no doubt is true, but it tioes not alter the ciroumtanco that the bulk of the colonia dip can bo and is combed and so long us tops havo l*scn advanced, every sensible woolgrowcr kuows thai an upward movement in tops is always, enmva ent, to hieher wool values. It is a fact than wool bought in Sydney the same -.■celt that the Australian clip was purchased by tho Imperial Government has been article. Sur.ely under the old scale, the Department had profit enough, but, ev 1Sr they know that they can obtain more" money and are therefore going to havo it T,vliilo tho opportunity soncs.

Poorer Wool Produces Poorer Tops. It will bo observed from tno übovo olii■eiol anaounciffliom. that Hie. ™a 3 on given lor advancing top values is that they will bo made from lcs desirable descriptions aud as "tiio conversion costs :n Sputating such wools wiD, .erurufly affect, tho ultimate coet of tops, »i coa havo been advanced a further W. per It Ono TBgreta very much tnat the anno mceinent has been necessary, because every mau knows that poor wool produces "oorex tops, and of ooqno imjtet the present system ol vools aro put into certain grades and valued accord ng to their quality, length, am oraditlon. Everybody realises that it toW "ro to spin well, then good wool must bo used, otherwise tho whole- business will be largoly p. failure. During« \\e ast two months many couiplamts ha o been'hca.nl of tho bad spins, all duo to noorer tope. Tha trade need not have C put to this hardship if commonn B woof, particularly merinos, was nol, nclne shipped from Australia, and the fa "seems to have been totaUy ignorcil that into tho warehouses in Austria hir nuantitlen of combing wool lw.o SSteftn^tTtteaS Sav is suffering in coueequcw, MMJ^ directly affects woolgrowers both at Homo wol fo? it is impossibh to Produce excell nt tops out of ptaes and bellies, which apparently abound to-day.

Conditions of Trade. Jhoquantity of wool tbat ib going tobe available, whether "?»«* n »S| n v "" S! ruunins or otherwise. Tho traclo was infomed last week that no more orders for military fabrics are to bo placed durn E the next four months, only ttao stanlard military yarns, namely grey Met-l-ind and blanket yarne are to be hpun. NatuiX, spinners and manufacture conclude that more wool and tops will therefore bo available for civilian purTinmi and it 'is exactly bow much, upon wMch the crux of the whole question ipslß Under the charter.of the Board of Control there is a fundamental principle "aid down that wool not wanted fn? VllUtT purposoß shall bo available for rte civilian trade, and around that o.diiion a battle royal is Th° rnnrowntatiyea directly elected by tno ri4t to serve on r.ny contajttee. AH that the members of the lratie u i i* y foT>^ Iho ar" Tnnnhir combs. BDinfllee. ami da similar to tlmi nc«n in 1M I»a----by linli nana out wlmt raw material , available than icsort- v> manshifts of thSe order. j =i.L_