IMPERIAL WOOL PURCHASE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 12, 9 October 1918, Page 6

IMPERIAL WOOL PURCHASE

Sir,—ln your issue of to-day Mr. H. D. Lysnar is reported as stating that old stockings and rags were selling in England for more than double what New Zealand clean wool was fetching. I submit that the statement is "camouflage." Mr. Lysnar does not Bay what he means by clean New Zealand wool, but as the highest price quoted in England for the very best old v'hito .berliii wool stockings is 2s. 6d. per 'Ib., he is evidently meaning' greasy wool of about 40's quality, LincolnRomney cross, many thousand bales of which have been valued in New Zealand durins the past two seasons at 15d. to 15Jd. As most of us know, thia wool has to be carried to Bradford, sorted, scoured, oombed, made into tops and yarn before it reaches the stage of wool composing old stockings. In any wool text book of notej Mr. Lysnar will find a formula for arriving at the cost in top form of 40's quality greasy wool. If he takes a B grade 40's quality at 15Jd- New Zealand Government price, allowing a yield of 68 per cent., and a tear of 9 to 1 (that is, lib. of voil in every 101b. of wool), ndd the cost of freight, etc., 6}d. (this latter is Mr. Lysnar's own estimate), and cost of combing at ljd. on'the clean, scoured weight, he will find that this class of wool at lSid- iro the grease costs the Government 34 pence (33.88) in the top Bradford, or 4d. more per lb. than the very best quotation for old stockings. It is worth noting also that this is for very coarse New Zealand wool, whilst the best berlin wool is made out of wool of 46's to 50's quality, which is worth .Very much more per lb. under the 'Government schedule, and has a lower yield.—l am, etc.,

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