OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2177, 29 April 1908, Page 3

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

PRONOUNCED DEPRESSION. (By Our Special Correspondent.) BRADFORD, Alnrch 13. (By our Special Correspondent.) The slight improvement reported two weeks ago melted like snow before a hot sun, and the feeling of depression more or Jess in evidence this year has deepened. It is very difficult indeed to find a single bright spot and prices are inevitably drooping. The past week hastieen characterised by very few sales, and prices are not even steady in merinos, while crossbreds are still very depressed and irregular. Many firms of top-makers have this week been willing sellers at lid lor 40’s, and this figure has been more frequently taken. Even a lower price is named, but I cannot confirm this statement. However, medium and coarse crossbreds are in the gutter, and the present state of -the market I call worse and the feeling of depression is more pronounced than at any time since 1900. As the'.hour before the dawn is considered to be the darkest, so it is to be hoped that we are mot far off the break of day, for words, cannot adequately convey a-.'true conception of the stagnation that prevails. Top-makers say they can sell “nowt,” -and spinners are i'll the same boat. No better accounts come from Germany, and no fresh orders are coming through at all. There are less second-hand yarais •knocking about, but even low prices Jo not tempt other shippers or Continental manufacturers, the reply being the same nearly in all- cases: “We want nothing, at any price.” There is nothing now to do but to wait developments; and in. the meantime to hope for the best. It looks to-day as if crossbreds must fall next Tuesday a good penny to 1-id per_ lb to bring 36’s to 40’s wool into line with Bradford prices to-day. Alerinos are no firmer than they should be, -amd it is possible *to buy from every top-maker but one at id less than last week. It is hard to say what it all means. Some seem to think that importers aro selling at tho best price they can make, but I still think that good shafty, long, fine wools are worth quite as much ns they were last series. Hero new business is very conspicuous by its absence, and it is not too. much to say that unless there is an alteration, quotations must be lower. A good super 80’s top is not -worth more than 25d except in the case of ono firm who are heavily sold forward, and they aro not disposed to take less until they see wool 'lower either in London ,or Australia. Alohair is only marking time, and there is little selling except a few odd lots of Turkey. Trade generally is very quiet, and a different altogether prevails to what obtained a year ago.