YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 207, 27 May 1919, Page 8

YORKSHIRE LETTER

TRADE WAITING FOR LONDON SALES VERDICT . (From Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, March 27. It is perhaps in order to say that there is a lull in the trade previous to the storm. Nest week will see the opening of tho first series of London sales, Some havo "got the wind up," others think things will go Hat, and that before tho British Government have got rid of their huge colonial stocks they will have burnt their fingers. Sufficient unto tho day is tho evil thereof. lam not greatly concerned about looking too far ahead, but the next fortnight will be a tiiiie of real test to the entire industry. New conditions will confront the trade, the like of which have not been 6een for two years, it being April, 1917 when Coleman Street closed, its ddor against the trndo in so far as free were concerned. r lho Government havo held two distribution sales which were not successful, but April 1 marks the opening of a new chapter, and henceforth everybody will be able to buy m Coleman Street what they like and how much they like. It will only be a question of price, that being the crux of the whole question. As already said, some are going with feelings of temerity. Others, particularly spinners and manufacturers. will set out with very different feelings, and it is already a foregone conclusion that spinner-combers and manufacturers will occupy tho front seats. Unless the writer is "greatly mistaken, lopmakers will havo to stand on one side until their competitors with machinery havo had their fill.

Wool Council Topics. Sinco writing last tho fifth meeting of tho Wool Council has been held m London, the official report being decidedly less voluminous than expected. As a matter of fact, only ono topic seemed to come up for serious consideration, namely, tho delay in exports. Imports of raw wool from Australia and ISew Zealand have fallen below expectations, becauso no fewer than twenty-one cargoes have'had to bo landed or transhipped on the voyage, this involving, as a genoral rule, a considerable prolongation ot tho passage, all of which means delay in gettin" tho wool to London ready for the sales. There is little likelihood of there being 110,000 bales available-for' tho May auctions, tho quantity anticipated to bo catalogued. However, the trade has got by this time fairly werl a««nstomed to ' something going wrong, and takes this announcement philosophically. Whenever the State interferes thoro is usually a muddle, The trade has _ now como to understand clearly that if it wants plane, straight sailing, private enterprise and not .Government Departments must bo at the holm.

Export of Semi-Manufactured Goods, Tho most important question discussed was that of export. Between the fourth and fifth meetings of the AVool Council the Export Advisory Committee met to talk over the question of export, and decided to recommend to the Wool Council that tho following products should be sent out as freely as possible faced. hazlock, low Welsh wool, carbonising and carbonised wool, merino Scotch and low foreign i:oils, prepared tops of 40's, and below, and also Persian tops, yarns spun from prepared tops, card waste, and burrs."

Tho above is a very nice list, but nothing can 'bo exported without war trade licenses, and tlieso are not readily forthcoming. As a matter of fact, tho whole question of export has been pointedly touched upon by Sir Charles Sykes (late Director of Wool Textile Production) and Colonel Pickering (Supervisor of Standard Cloth Production) raising the question in the British House of Commons. Both gentlemen waxed eloquent (or forgot themselves) in condemning tho dilatoriness that is shown in tho granting of facilities for the export of the fully manufactured article. Both emphasised the prospects of ruination to the British textile industry, and both called upon the various departments to relinquish State control and allow free exports of raw materials. It is understood • hat noils, which interest the trade by far tho most, are going to be released entirely at the beginning of May, and in the i>meantimq tho Department is •juito prepared to sell noils providing a buyer obtains a French recommendation, when a War Trade Department iicenso will be forthcoming. But this .method of business does not in the least interest the trade, it being a common thing for u firm linving sold a lot of stuff to wait a month before a War Trade license is granted. All .ire sick of tho circumlocution which has to bo encountered before a license is obtained., It may 'be, and no doubt is, part of the blockade, but now (five months after the signing of tbe armistice) tho entire, trade is of the opinion that more freedom should lie allowed in the export of raw materials, and particularly semi and fully-manufactured articles'. Tho thanks of the trade are due to the three Yorkshire members ot Parliament for raising the question as they lwve done, and no redress can bo oxpcctcd unless they koep "worrying the officials to scrap State control for ever.

Transport Problems. It has been intimated from London that the railway companies will not bo able to deal successfully with the transport of all London-bought wool, lhe opinion is held that it will only be possible to handle 75 per cent, of tiie wools catalogued, 25 per cent, having to go_ to Yorkshire and Lancashire by coasting steamer from the Thames. Thw will not go down at all well with users, lhe railway freight from London to Bradford is 325. 6:1. per ton, Irom London via Hull to Bradford, it is sbs. i>er ton, whereas in pro-war days the freight was. about ss. under tho railway rate. Howevor, ss. per ton will not cause* much stoppage of trade, particularly on the part of ■ those wanting the wool,' and while it takes longer by sea route, this little inconvenience will have to lie borne if by so doing wool can be got home at all. It can now be taken for granted that there is no likelihood of there being n railway or coal strike, and this should 'help towards a free movement of business. AVhat troubles most people is the steadily increasing costs. Shorter horn's have lod to combers putting up the prico of combing, it is now more than double that of pre-war times, and being faced with steadily increasing chargcs there 13 not much prospect of working -expenses comiii" down from to-day s high level. 1 Any ease in price of either tops, yarns or pieces will have to be brought about by tho raw material dropping, }>ut tho stabilisation of prices till next November | will in tho meantime enable everyone to see how things move and what is likely to tako place. . I Tradina Conditions,

There is certainly more business passing in merinos, notwithstanding the nigh, prices for tops, yarns, aiul pieces. It is vory significant that yarns have fallen sensibly. Last November 248*s ihit of 'a 70'« top were actually sold at 13s. 6d., nnd to-day can bo bought at 10s. 3d., and we hear of dress goods manufacturers who' have reduced their prices in the neighbourhood of 2s. Cd. per yard. There seems to bo a tendency to consider any reasonable offer. The absence of facilities to export orosßbred yarns spun out of qualities from 36's to 4C's is causing sorious dislocation, and everything indicates organised short time if thero is not a speedy alteration. The fact is significant th.it woollen manufacturers are far busier than worsted manufacturers. Of course, the yams used by the former can be adapted more easily for purposes for which they were hot originally intonded than solid worsted yarns. We hear this week of anywherb from 18s. to 22a. being asked for 18 to 20oz. worsted' serges-a price that is practically prohibitive for tho rank and file. These cloths were readily obtainable at ss. Gd. to 6s. per yard in pro-war times, but to-day they are selling at 18s. per yard, from which the reader will understand why wholesale fabric buyers "jib" at paying such figures. It practically means Is. per oz., and this is beyond a joke. One must see prices move reasonable before a boom can bo expected.

"Gcrnionia," one of the statues 'before tho United Stntes Customs House at New York, is being remodelled into "Belgium."" Mr. Albert Jaegers, tho sculptor of the original, is a nativo of Germany, and refused to do the remodelling which is proceeding under the direction of Mr. Paul Wayland Bartlett, president of the National Sculpture Society.