OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2202, 28 May 1908, Page 1

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

VEGETABLE FIBRES IN WOOL

NEAV BALES RECOMMENDED

(From our Special Correspondent)

BRADFORD, April 10.

Tho wool world during the. past twolvo months' lias hoard a great deal about tho voxod question of vegetable matter in wool, and I don’t think the last word has been spoken by any means. Tho subject is as yet in its infancy, and as lar as one can see we are likely to have tho matter on the carpots for some time to come. Manufacturers in - Yorkshire as well as on the Continont are to-day suffering severely through jute fibres getting mixed up with the wool, and it will never dio until that is prevented and a radical euro obtained. No doubt carelessness on the part of Calcutta juto manufacturers, station hands, warehouso hands, and even wookorters, is largely the cause of vegetable matter getting mixed up with the wool, but at the same time the halos thomselves are a fruitful source of contamination, and tho committee handling tho subject is determined to find a remedy. Regular readers of this paper will remember that a meeting of the full committee ’met at Dalgoty’s office in London during the course of the last Nov.-Dec. series, and I was present last.week at another full meeting, the day before the recent sales finished. I am glad to say that growers’ interests wero represented-by Mr. IT. F. do Little, of Caramut, AVest Victoria, and Mr. W. Murray, of Sanderson, Murray and Co, London, who is also interested in a well-known Australian station.

Since the last meeting, a great amount of correspondence has been done with juto manufacturers in India and Dundee, and the subject is more difficult than appears on tho surface. _ It is all right enough for growers to think that anything will do, but such is not the case. If the many thousand-pounds which" aro spent annually by manufacturers an burling can be saved, together with much trouble and annoyance, then the committee is determined to make th attempt. It is a pity to have to say, ! but tho fact nevertheless remains, that juto manufacturers in many cases have utterly failed to comprehend the real needs of-the case, for in all their attempts to produce a better bag : tho loose, fluffy inside has shown no improvement whatever. It is this that wants abolishing, and at last the committee can seo “daylight through the whole job.” ... The committee last week met really to see if a bale could bo recommended for use in ‘place of the usual wool pack at present in use. The-samples sent in have been great, but seemingly a London firm is the one that: has grasped tho- situation, and. they; have risen to the occasion. • Tho com-: mitteo decided upon three woohbales, to test these thoroughly, and if satisfactory, to suggest their use by wool growers throughout the world. Let me briefly describe -them, and show their special characteristics. ■ As already said the object of the committee is to entirely do away with the short, fluffy, juto fibres frorii the inside, of the tare getting into the wool, and anything that falls short of that will be a failure. A very good bale was shown that -was lined with an “all-wool” fabric commonly known as astockingetto. This wool lined balo met , with the unanimous approval of everyone, and if it can be handled easily and made at a'.reasonable price, then it will‘entirely dispense with the “beard” of the bale getting; into the wool. The lining is verysimilar to the thin wool under vests... that are at present worn by everyone, ' and that will give the reader a very good conception of wliat' the inside lining is like. This, at present is made, by T. -and J. Tinker, Mytholmbradgo Mills, Thongsbridge, Huddersfield, who are well-known makers of stockingette fabrics. The all wool lining Sis simply made into a bale, and fast|cned inside by the two tops being sewn together.' This then prevents the inside from slipping down into : the bottom. Being somewhat thin and pliable I think there will be a 'danger of it giving way in ‘pressing, but that .remains to be seen. I The idea is undoubtedly an excellent one if it can be made to work. T he price, no doubt, is the all important one to the wool grower, but this need not duly alarm anyone. The reader can see at -once that if the ordinaly 2s juto tar is used, and there is only, the ■ inside lining to contend with, and the manufacturers say that tins can be produced at Is 6d per bale. This certainly is a trifle in advance ot what is now usually paid, but as regards the superiority of all this all wool lined bale there can be no ques- • Then a paper lined bale made by Wm. Ritchie -and Son, 3 East India Avenue, London; E.C., struck ine very forcibly, and to be candid, I liked it fully as well, as the all wool lined tare, while I am certain those baling wool on the situation will have lets difficulty in handling it. This was to my mind a superior wool pack. The inside lining had been put on in a very masterly way, and it showed both care and ingenuity. The outside was a jute bale which I will describe later, this paper pulp being very, firmly fastened on to ono side ot tho ]uto fabric, which could not be removed without a good deal of effort, lho surface of the inside of this paper fined tare was not as smooth as one expected, and it was all the better tor boin" somewhat raised, nii-Kled, or eligibly corrugated; This means that when crane hoojis pierce the sides of the tare, the paper will not peel olt but rather crack. I don t think from the sample seen that the | in siu© paper will leave tho body of tho cloth •at- all. Olio member of the committee seemed to think that when the papei got thoroughly saturated with very volley wools., that it would peel off, but it will liave to be something very special in tho way of grease to affect the paper so as to make it leave the bale. The price for tins bale is os ou, and it is a really first class article. The next bale is one that will he hoard more about ill the near future, and unless I am greatly mistaken Wool, growers will generally _ adopt it, it ■ is simply tho ordinary Rite wool tare, but made of superior spun yarns, and having many features tq recommend it. From the first I have said that ordinary jute tares would do if spinesof jute yarns would put more twist into them, uml so bind the loose fibers more firmly together. i Tins is also Ritchie’s bale, and that is exactly what has been done. The inside is as smooth as -a linen table-cloth, and while it handled, a little papery, still if it can be made strong enough, it will be the bale of the future, the price is 2s lid. I saw a sample of this jute fabric in Bradford some time a„o, and then said that it was the riclit article if it were strong enough. The manufacturers here have been apprised of this fact, and although the first test in Bradford saw the bag rip

open when hauled up and down at a linn of wool combers, still that lias boon remedied, and a stouter pack made. Tho noxt movement is to test thoroughly thoso three new bales. This cannot be dono in Bradford dr in any part of England, so about 200 sample bales are to be got ready and shipped out to Australia, and thoroughly tested next season. Both Messrs. Little and Murray offered to take about 50 bales each, treat them in exactly the same way as they do tho ordinary jute b iles, send them Home, and in that way test the suitability of these packs for the future. It is only in this way that their real worth can be seen, and on opening down in Loudon it will show their suitability or otherwise for the work. The committee then decided to rficcommond for sewing purposes all wool string in place of the present hemp sowing twine which is used. A samplo of this was handed round, and very good it was. It is three fold, and on. being tested at tho Bradford Conditioning House proved to be much stronger Than what is at present used. , Everybody was unanimous in declaring that by the use of this string the evil will be considerably lessened. It was, therefore, decided to strongly recommend its use for the sewing of seams by jute manufacturers, and to ask squatters, warehouse keepers both in the colonies and in London, to use the same when sewing all openings. I liked tho idea very' much. In the past tho large quantity of loose hemp string that has teen found in bale bottoms, and which has got on to tho wool when seams have been cut open on the wool Icing shown, lias been a very fruitful source of disaster, for if a strand of hi mp string failed to bo picked out and got through the scouring bowl, it caused endless trouble and expense. The price of this all woolstring is ls--6d per lb., of 450 yards to the pound, compared with 9 per lb., of 320 yards to tho pound for the ordinary liemp. string. With the. fall iii crossbred wool the maker says that ibis all wool string can now be produced at Is 3d per lb. It’s adoption on wool stations throughout the world means- a big new outlet for crossbred wool, end this is well worth considering bv every wool grower. .There is much to recommend its use. and woolgrowers might as-well use their own product in the shape of wool string as consume temp which interests them not a particle.