YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 174, 17 April 1919, Page 10

YORKSHIRE LETTER

STATISTICAL POSITION REVIEWED

SUPPLIES OP CROSSBRED WOOLS

(From Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, March 6. The Wool Statistical Committee has again practically demonstrated tho important part which wool stocks are playin" in the textile industry of Great Britain at the present time. Since last writing a very important document showing how things stand in this matter, lias been published. There is often more in figures than appears on the. surface, and the value of wool statistics is being emphasised more and more as weeks go by. To the uninitiated they may appear cold- and uninteresting, biit to tho .men wlio understands his business, whether ho be grower, merchant, spinner, or manufacturer, they mean a great deal. The writer has made a special study of wool statistics' for many years. It is amazing how figures have been used since the war began to compare the position of the wool textile trade with that of previous years. In the case of machinery, the Department have hunted in every possible source for figures giving the spindlago in enemy countries, and nothing has been ignored iliat was likely to throw light • upon the position of things. Germany's purchases cf raw materials in pre-war years have also been analysed most Critically, and it goes without saying that they .will prove valuable in deciding what Germany will be allowed to have when peace is signed. Of course for nearly three years no fig,ures have been allowed to be published', but at last tlte Department have agreed to issue all statistics, and eu.ch" as have appeared are bping examined ill every detail as wool figures never were before.

■ Government Stocks. One hears oven'to-day .considerable wild talk regarding the stocks of wool owned, f1.000.000 to G. 000,000 bales being mentioned ns the property of the Imperial authorities. The writer lias contended ihat such an estimate was entirely wrong, a clear indication of an absence of practical knowledge of the output of Australia aiio. New Zealand in pre-war years. Stocks undoubtedly are big in the colonies, and they will be up to .Tune 30, 1020, but shipping is bound to be'nugnnnted, in which case exports from Australia and New Zealand should keep abreast, with production. However, the following is an estimate of Government-owned wool afloat or in- the-colonies at December ill, ' Australia. . Bales. ' ■Awaiting shipment. 1918-13 clip (Wi.Wlfl \waiting shipment, 1917-18 clip n<5.000 Afloat MS.QM . . A 1,505,000 New Zealand. ■Awaiting shipment 438,000 Afloat • . ; 17 - OOU 485,000 Grand total 1.M0.M0 Home Stocks.

It has bean well-known for a long time that the stocks of raw wool in this country are nothing like so heavy as m the United States, and the census taken last 'December 31 gives conclusive proof of this. Tho writer is greatly in favour of this annual stocktaking, and although, a census of stocks has been taken durin" the last two years at the end of June and December, it is hoped that tho Department will continue to take a' census at the end of ?ach year, because by so doing the value of wool statistics will be greatly enhanced as years go by. The figures regarding the stocks of wool on December 31, 1918, 6uow a reduction since the census taken on .Tune 30, 1918, of 42,793,9781b. in the stocks of crossbred, merino, East Indian, end other wools, representing 32,474,85211). in clean scoured weights. The changes in the various classes of wools are as follow. In clean scoured terms (000's omitted) :-

Stock on December 31, 1918. Increase * or decreaset ■ ■ in six monthsForeign & colonial— lb. ■ lb. Merino 44,355 9,428f Merino woolled skins 2,684 320f Crossbred 43,793 46,805t Crossbred woolled skins 1,745 636* Total foreign and colonial 92,777 ■ 55,915f ' British -84,491 18,986" East Indian, etc ... 38,531 4,451*

Total 195,802 32,475t The outstanding feature of the above is the decline in stocks, which is mainly due to the falling off in our imports of colonial crossbreds. That decline is counterbalanced by an increase in the stocks of British wool, but even that fact does riot appeal to a large number of spinners and manufacturers, as would the presence of New Zealand crossbreds.

Stocks of Tops, Etc. We now come to deal with the position of tops and their products, which as every reader knows need to be reckoned as important raw materiale. Tops are the combed wool, without which it is impossible for spinners to produce worsted yarns. It is noteworthy that compared with the previous stock-taking of last June 30, stocks at the. end of December in merino qualities show a slight increase, but there is a very sensible decrease in the stock of crossbred tops, and that has been a serious matter all along. As a matter of fact, for months its has been impossible to obtain to OS's tops from the Department, and it is not expected that there will be any improvement until. London sales open. The figures would certainly have been all the more valuable if one could have compared them with the stocfs hsld in pre-war daye, but that it is impossible, as no census was then taken. However, we we today that stocks of tops are anything but large, particularly in merino and crossbred qualities, while lovings, which are simply a stitge advanced towards the spun thread, are also very low. Stocks of noils are considerable, there being in the aggregate nearly .14,000,0001b. of merinos and crossbreds. The mystery to the trade is that noils are not released. The following' are the details of the stocks taken last December 31. Tho figures at the stocktaking on June 30, 1918, are given by way of comparison:— Inc.*

/ Dec. 31, Jimo3o, or ' 1913. 1918. Dec.t Tnns— I'). 'b. lb. Merino ~.. 14,186,289 12,972,352 #1,213,987 ■ Croßebred .. 31,711,318 44,021,295 112306,975 "dtan'et* 1n "7,383,640 7,0T,496 *304,144 Total tops 53,281,247 64,071,141 10,786,894 Merino"* 8 " WW» 3,235;168 1598,299 foosßbrod .. 7,641,930 8,041,144 t399,214 "cuX'etc 1, " 2,332,163 1181 Tl.rovinge 12,828,071 13,225,765 1997,694 jIK~ 7,846.725 6,720,237 *1>126.488 o'^sS 8, :.. %Wt V,045,549 11,109,867 M , ".: *S uam w.™ Oamel hair 353.E47 321,094 "-32,773 Alpaca, etc 1,610,962 1,131,613 *479,349 Tl. uoils ... 16,644,577 16,543,687 *100,800