WOOL SUPPLY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 7, Issue 357, 20 August 1863, Page 4

WOOL SUPPLY.

( To the Editor of the Wanganui Chronicle.) Rangitikei, August 3, 1803. Sir, —Some time since I wrote to the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, enclosing samples of wool from many of the flock masters hereabouts, and thinking the answer, coining from so high an authority in the matter, may bo interesting to some of your readers, I send it for publication. S. M. Curl, M.D. Chamber of Commerce, Bradford, May 12, 1863. Sir, —The Wool Supply Committee of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce beg to acknowledge your valuable letter dated December, 1802, an I to express their thanks for your exceedingly lucid and satisfactory statement regarding the intentions of the New Zealand flock masters, and the efforts they are making in order to improve the character and breed of their wool, and they will be most willing to afford any information at their command that may seem likely to pi'omote the object which the flockmasters have in view. The Wool Supply Committee are not unacquainted with the varieties and properties of New Zealand wool, but have long held it in high esteem, and believe the colony of New Zealand to, promise, more than any other, a future large supply of long-stapled fleeces of a medium quality and length between the fine merinoes of Australia and the long grown Leicester of this country. It is their opinion that if the sheep farmers of New Zeahmd could make any useful change in the cultivation of their flocks it would be in aiming less at producing fineness pf hair and more at obtaining length of staple, and by a less liberal introduction of Merino blood on occasions where the blood of some of the deep stapled slieep of England might secure a more valuable stock, and produce a fleece better adapted to meet the growing wants of the manufacturers of this country. The Committee are unable to affix an exact price to any specimen of wool comprised only of a few staples, and it is impossible for them to give any accurate or reliable bpinion regarding the value of the various fleeces represented by samples so small as those which you have laid before them. But if it were otherwise, it is respectfully suggested that it falls more especially within the province of a Chamber of Commerce to point out the general wants of the trade, rather than to give a special opinion regarding the value of any commodity which is continuously offered for sale, and the price, of which

fluctuates in the market under the operation of those laws which extend to wool in common with all the existing merchandise of-the world. One or two facts will probably convey all the information which, under this head you require. For years past the relative values of longstapled coarse wools and short-stapled fine wool have been undergoing a,change in favour of the former. For example, the long-stapled wool grown in Yorkshire, Leicestershire, and other English counties, is now. selling at a higher price by 50 per cent, than it realised: five years ago, while the fine Merino wool of Aus tralia is not more than 5 per cent, dearer than it was at, that period. And unless some change speedily occur in the market, it will soon be found that while the finest wools of your own colony sell at a lower price in 1863 than in 1862, the longstapled coarse wool, possessing good combing properties (namely, long, sound, and free in the staple, i.e. the hairs easily separable) will be eagerly sought after at improved rates. While it is not denied that changes in taste and the caprice of fashion hare possibly contributed in. some manner to produce these results, it is nevertheless maintained that there are causes in operation which tend permanently to insure a more profitable market for wool of a good combing length than for any of the shorter stapled wools of the pure Merino breed. While the consumption of all classes of wool has for years past gradually increased, the production of longstapled wool has increased only to an inappreciable extent, if indeed it can be said to have increased at all. All the new sources of supply, Australia, Yan Diemen’s Land, South Africa, New Zealand, furnish fine, soft, useful, shortstapled wool. Great Britain, with its limited area, continues to retain the production of deep-grown wool almost entirely to itself. Practically it may be said to have no competitor. It cannot expand its surface, and is never likely to increase its numbers of sheep rapidly. On the other hand the demand for longgrown wool increases year by year, and any country which possesses facilities for the production of a wool endowed with qualities which are peculiar to wool of English growth, seems far more likely to insure a profitable market for its commodity, than it can do by adhering to wool of a shorter and finer type. To practical men it would be superfluous to urge the greater weight of wool grown by each individual sheep as an additional reason for aiming at length of staple and good combing properties, in preference to fineness and softness of hair.

The Wool Supply Committee are aware of the difficulties which the colonist has had to encounter in striving to establish valuable improvements such as the gentlemen named in your letter are seeking to attain, and feel that it is beyond their province to give advice in the matter. Nearly all that the Committee can do is to lay before wool growers a knowledge of the wants of commerce, and leave each man to determine how far he can supply those wants, and at the same time oxer cise a due regard to his own profit and advantage. Whether the improvements suggested be attainable in the character of New Zealand wool or not the wool producer must judge, and if they be attainable he must also exercise his own discretion in the adoption of the necessary processes for the fulfilment of his wishes.

The Committee learn with great satisfaction that the area of cultivated grass land is on the increase, as upon that they believe depends to a large extent thesupply of nutritive provender necessary for the support of long-woolled sheep-—the herbage in such case being available without the risk of exhausting the animal by its being compelled to range over a great extent of country in order to obtain a sufficient supply of food. An improvement may be made in the classification of some flocks of the New Zealand wool, and if greater care were exercised in having the combing and i loth in g fleeces packed in separate bales, and especially in keeping greasy or unwashed wool entirely to itselt, it would save much trouble here and be of ad van t age to the colonist. The frudulent practice of packing two or three or even more unwashed fleeces in the centre of a bale of clean or washed wool has sometimes been productive of considerable loss to those whose wool has been honestly packed. When the tide of suspicion once sets in it is easy to understand that it may run. into excess, and the reputation for petty frauds in packing which are sometimes discoverable in wool from New Zealand, has undoubtedly been a disadvantage to the entire colony. It is possible that dealers and shippers are more at fault in this matter than the growers are, but in any case the frauds themselves, on every ground, merit the condemnation of all honest men.

The samples of wool you have sent all possess some properties which the Wool Supply Committee appi’ove, and in pointing out those which are most in request in this market they wish it to be understood that their observations imply no censure of the remainder. No. 11, No. 1, No. 5, the half-bred ewe wool No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 8, are the orders in which the Committee would place the wools if required to select them for pre sent usefulness. No. 7 is a beautiful sample of wool so far as breed and fineness are taken into account, but length and freeuess of staple—that is, the hairs being easily separable from each other, so that the wool may be adapted for combing purposes—are greatly heeded at preseet. All the specimens you have sent will do for combing, but though the shortest as a rule are the fiuest, the longest would be preferred-

It is for the colonists to determine what use to make of the hints the Committee have given. Taking the various styles of wool at present imported as their criterion, the Wool Supply Committee venture to repeat their opinion, that New Zealand is better adapted than any other colony to produce a wool that will rival some of the most approved British flocks in the production of a certain class of combing wool, and believe that it will •be to the interest of the colonial flockmasters to develope this capability of their country. I remain, sir, Your faithful servant, (Signed) John Darlington, Secretary Bradford Chamber of Commerce. To S. M. Curl, M.D., J.P.