Getting up Wool.

Feilding Star, Volume XIX, Issue 150, 22 December 1897, Page 2

Getting up Wool.

As this is the season for sheep-sht aring and wool sales, it may be well to call attention to the following matters in connoefcon with the getting up of wool, as published by the Bradford Chamber of Commerce : — Tying of fleeces — Very frequently fleeces are found to be tied up with string of a very low quality. The stcatvds of such string being lcosely twisted together, fibres of hemp become detached and get mixed with the wool. These fibres are hardly preceptible when the wool is bting manipulated, and many of them become incorporated witi the wool during the process of manufacture, and cause considerable damage an i loss because these fibres will not take thodyes used for wool, and, therefore, seriously depreciate the value of the finished a-ticlo. The Chamber is strongly of opinion that then; is no necessity what ever for the use of string, and if the practice continues then; is no doubt that it will affect the price of wool. So many complaints have been made on tbe subject tbat at tbe Liverpool sales of Month American wool it is now quite common to find whole pages of the catal >g»es headed 'No string has been uftcd in tying these fleeces, buyers, naturally give such lots preference. False Winding. —Many cases have recently occurred of sand, rashes, and other foreign substances bein^ inserted in tbe fleeces. In this country this is illegal, aid in several instances damages for such practices have been recovered it tbe courts of justice. It is a clear ca»e ot fraud on the part of tho grower, as be gets paid for a greater weight of wool than he actually delivered. The Chamber ventures to hope tbat, in tbe mutual interests of buyer and seller, all efforts will be made to put a step to tbeso objectionable practices .'• It it alleged that & practice has grown up in the United States of sheep-far tners tyinp tbe fleeces with six strings. Tbe result is that tbe wool -buyer in determining tbe valne of tbe wool hiM to make an allowance for tbe stringUsing so much string is regarded by manufacturers as a great disadvantage. In Australia many of tbe clips are nowpacked without using any string od tbe the fleeces.