OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 11 August 1909, Page 7

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

(Fbom Ors Special Cobbespondent.) BRADFORD, June 24, 1909. THE CLASS OF WOOL AMERICA BUYS. r The American factor is to-day paramount in the wool trade, the influence of American buying taking the whole world l>y storm since the last May series- of London sal-os. It ie now mere history to say that its special needs can only be met by the best wools grown, and owing to certain conditions of tariff arrangements only the best classes of merino and crossbred are imported. The onslaught at the May series was remarkable, and so far at the English fairs they have knocked everyone to. the wall in their great eagerness to secure good halfbreds and fine Down descriptions. The question is well worth asking what special descriptions of colonial wools are purchased by America, and the subject deserves a chapter. The fact is very remarkable that America is a larger buyer of Australasiangrown wools- than it has ever been, and this notwithstanding a big import duty of 11 cents per lb on greasy wool. At tie time

the Dingley tariff was enacted we were told by United States sheep enthusiasts that, given an adequate duty, and sufficient wool could be grown in America to meet manufacturer's demands. Such a statement thp writer never believed, and if the import duty was doubled to-morrow no less quantity of Australian merino and New Zealand crossbred would be imported. It's a question to-day of American mills requiring < colonial wool, and they, cannot do without it, no matter what the cost. Australasian wools produce fabrics which, in tha natural order of things, are the very best, and it is a fact that the more their manufacturing properties are known, the more they are appreciated.. Those using Australasiar wools and giving them a fair trial never again throw them overboard, and as the American woollen and worsted* industries develop, so will there be a larger consumption of colonial wools in th« United States. BUYING ALL QUALITIES. American buyers purchase all qualities and descriptions of wool — that is, so far a< the combing is concerned Operators from across the Atlantic very seldom go beyonq. purchasing the combing lots, the exigencies of their tariff compelling them tc keep t« the lightest shrinkage parcels. Here v»e setf the wisdom of growers making the most o* their coxnbiiig wools, and the benefits aris- " jng from skirting are seen wher Americans buyers give their bupport to the wool. 11l has to be an exceptionally good lot of clothing, broken or pieces, that command! American support, and I do not know that I ever saw United States operators purchase necks or pieces. Why should they when there is sufficient combing to" meet all theii needs-? On the other hand, it is a pity that they cannot buy the second and third descriptions of a clip as can th© Home or Continental trades. In this respect I am certain that the American tariff is at fault, for if United States importers could l lift good second combing, clothing, broke™ and pieces, some excellent raw material ' for the woollen industry would bo secured. , These remarks apply just the same to crossbreds as merinos. At the last series of Ljindor sales we saw American support given more freely to shabbier crossbreco than we ever did, and this ought to be a general thing and not am unusual occurrence. There is any amount of good - medium merinos and orossbreds %v,hich would do admirably ?or both combing and carding purposes if they could be imported} at a reasonable price, but so long as there is a settled duty on wool buyers will bo compelled to purchase only the lightest; conditioned parcels. It seems a thousand pities, both in the interests of American manufacturers as well as growers, that the same competition is not forthcoming for these wools, for :t: t would guarantee to the < American wearing public a much better garment than what is being worn in very many cases, for at their very best so-called 1 "cotton worsteds" cannot possibly give satisfaction. THE MERINOS PURCHASED. j As already said, the fundamental prini ciple to be observed in buying- wool for i America is that of weight which the rawmaterial will bring when clean 6coured. In other words, it is the old story over again of shrinkage and the "clean yield" - it will bring. Now very little wool i* bought for the United States that will nof give half-weight— that is 50 per cent.,— andl the nearer it will give 55 per cent, clean yield the more likely it i» to command .American support. As a rule, Victorian wools, and particularly tho.;s grown in West Victoria, also the wools grown '.n the district' known, as the Lower North of South Australia, the best Riverina wools, and a few of the lightest Queensland clips, with an occasional lot or two from West; Australia and Tasmania, are also bought for th© United States. It is hard to say what quantity of the Australian clip will give a clean yield of 50 to 55 per cent. Ifc has been estimated that of the wools grown 40 per cent, of medium merinos will give a clean yield of 48 to 52 per cent., but I should question if that estimate i<? reliable. < Merino wool yielding, say, half-weight la considered very light and good, and more >■ like 25 to 30 pc- cent, of the Australian clip would, to my mind, be nearer the mark. Another 15/ per cent, would give fron* 52 to 55, and the remainder would yield anywhere from 35 to 45, with the exception- of the heavy stained pieces 1 , bellies, and locks. I am certain that American buyers are beginning to appreciate more the opportunity of pui chafing Australian merinos, and they know better ' thar was the case some four or five years back when the best clips will be offered. As fame passes there is bound to be considerably more buying done at the vari- a ous Australian selling centres than there ** used to be, and there is every appearance- 5| of a larger number coming to London. The J majority are not expecting -very mudhll change in the wool duties at the presenfc *| revision, but 1 am certain that many years ,' cannot elapse before more favourable term* % will be given to importing heavier shrink- : age wools than . in the past. The class -of merinos that America like* '

Storrie's Bidder is the only one with patent hillside attachment and facilities for packing drills where the land is dry.— Nimmo and Blair.

$• perhaps the most is the broad, ehafty, deep J stapled wools, an<* Adelaide descriptions are prune favourites. I have often seen in . London when two or three American buyers have taken every lot of combing, for 1 tlhey know just as weU as Yorkshire topxaakers that these wools have plenty of - " tear " about them This is perhaps what ' makes them so popular along with the best Hiverina clips. These wools will carry through less desirable parcels, ant 1 they will stand " mixing " very largely with their own domesth fleeces if users so elect In the case of West "Victorian wools, these • eerve an admirable purpose. They are very well liked by every section of the trade, ent* it is a thousand pities that West Victoria is not a larger wool-growing State. • A few Xew Zealand merinos find their way • across the Atlantic, but as a rule they are ifcoo^neavy and fatty for that quarter, and th« same can be said *or the wools of South Africa. Of course, estimates can vary anywhere up to 5 per cent, respect- - ing the yield of wool, and I have known ' so-called experts be as much as 8 to 10 , per cent, out in estimating the yield of a j :■ lot of wool. At the same time American , ; buyers know what they want, and having ! ' found what suits their purpose they can- j not easily be shaken off. If South African | - wools were in lighter condition they, too, j • would sell in good quantities, but so long as j • six months' shearing is 6o general and the j - .wools are so badly prepared for market • America will not touch them. A few I ~ special clips from the Western Province j . and Kaffraria are taken, but I should say I ' .that not more than 5 per cent, of South I African wools are suited for American requirements. CROSSBREDS FOR AMERICA. New Zealand are prime favourites with j % lAjnerican buyers, and here we see a large i quantity being annually shipped. Many j f lots were purchased last series in London J , that would give fully 75 per cent, clean j yield, and some handsome prices — up to - 16£ d— were frequently paid. These light - yielding fleeces are, however, the excep- ... xion. The bulk of the wools of a cross- > bred character which are shipped across 1 1 the Atlantic will not give a clean yield I :<■ of more than 65 to 70 per cent.— in fact. '• ' it is in order to cay that crossbred fleeces z for the United States should not shrink !■ more than from 25 to 35 per cent. •- Then the quality of crossbreds is an im- ~- portant consideration. Lately they have shown more disposition to take up the < i. stronger-fibred wools, say 40's quality, but r the last few years their purchases have mostly centred around wools from 46's to !. 56's. Good halfbreds have been prime [ " favourites, and so have wools of medium ( , quality. Of course, the class of goods , ' -which are fashionable determine* to a large • ' extent what is doing, and on all hands ' k quality decides -what is going to sell the • best according to the special nerd of the f trade. America seems to be fairly well j - fitted from a climatic standpoint for the j ", (spinning of croesbreda, for no complaints j I .have ever bsen Taised as to the difficulty i gj of combing and spinning these wools the ; \ same as one has heard from the Continent. ! % -Even in English wools the same Hne of, £ demarcation obtains as is found in colonial , l_ jsorte. At tLe country fairs, which are at J | present absorbing great interest, the strong^ -' I est demanr' has run for well-washed fleeces j P of a medium to fine quality, the strong I wools being comparatively neglected. To ; Bum the matter up, condition and quality j | are the two leading essentials in all Amerifc can wools, and where a man gets that there j t; is usually the other sound characteristics r to be found. South American wools, in- • eluding those of the River Plate and Punta Arenas, are also commanding the support ■ of American buyers, and will continue to i t <lo 60. L» the latter, condition is of first I importance. Their manufacturing proper- • ties ac good hosiery wools have been r- o«oognised by United States manufacturers, - and these are certain to be more largely f (bought in the future. The fact is very . significant that even Scotch black-face, f which is about the coarsest wool that is grown, finds large support at the hands of | - American carpet manufacturers, and there j is no batter wool in any part of the world | - for this purpose.