OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3241, 10 June 1911, Page 3

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

SUBSTITUTES FOR WOOL

IFuUM OUK SPECIAL COEItESPONDENT.] BRADFORD, April 28.

There is r>o doubt that we live in days when every bmng of a nature is receiving the attention of those engaged in all trades, and what 25 years ago .was looked upon as only fit for the scrap heap, is tu-oay 'being ucinseu. B'ome assert that in the natural order of things there is no waste, nature taking everything and converting it into something useful to meet the needs of mankind. This common' law operates m the wool world as elsewhere, and it would surprise many a man with only a superficial knowledge of the. trade to see to what use the various bye-products are being put. Every fibre of wool grown upon a sheep can be utilised, hue the day was when very heavy locks for instance were allowed to rot inion the ! dung hill, being too short to be used. If one goes back 25 years to' the time of hand combing wool, then length of staple was an absolute necessity, and everything on the short side was turned down to< be used, only in the manufacture of woollens. Things have changed, and even to-day short six months Cape wools with a staple of 1 inch to 1\ inches are being utilised. We cannot say that such merinos are at all welcome, but with buyers having no say at the producing end of the trade, they must perforce take the wool as it stands and make the best use of it. At the same time we have always been strong advocates of growers producing an ordinary length, of staple, for without that characteristic one half the manufacturing properties of the raw material are lost. It sounds to sense that shorter the wool and more the waste, whereas if growers will supply spinners and manufacturers with something of a. useful length, then they can obtain from the wool the maximum amount' of manufacturing properties. These remarks are being prompted today by the repeated news that manufacturers in the West Riding have found a substitute for wool—a by no means new announcement. Some months ago a company was floated, at least an attempt was made to float a company, for the purpose of handling seaweed which was said to possess manufacturing properties, and which could be used in conjunction with wool in the production of good saleable fabrics. The writer has seen blankets which contained a certain percentage of this material, and while to outward appearance the goods seemed right, yet put alongside a. bit of genuine stuff, the sea-weed-cum-'wool fabric was altogether 3ut of the running. For years we have aeen accustomed to seeing vegetable fabrics used in conjunction with wool :n the art of manufacture. For instance cotton is largely’ used every day, nit here we have a nice length of staple, t is. sound, whereas seaweed is short, md snaps like grass. If the writer’s lead never aches until this fibre is generally’ used by woollen manufacturers, ken it will not lie yet that that sickress obtains.

It appears that something: like 20.000 acres of this marine fibre are at present known to- exist along the foreshore of Kangaroo Island, South Australia. There may be a million acres available for what anybody knows, it being difficult to make an exploration of the bed of the ocean. We learn that the promoters expect to be able to ship 20,000 tons of this fibre per annum at a cost of £5 10s per ton c.i.f in London. The value is said to be 2d to 3d per lb., or £lB 13s 4d t0.,£28 per ton. This material is said to be suitable for the production of matting, low carpets, blankets, bagging, Hessian, backing of floorcloths and linoleums, bedding, and upholstery works. That certainly is marvellous, and possibly to- some extent designed to attract an investing public. We must ray that we are exceedingly sceptical as to the- results, and preferour garments to be made out of a bit of real good wool grown upon the sheep’s back. But then, we live- in an age of cheapness, and manufacturers under the stress of competition and the demands of wholesale buyers have to-day to produce something tasty and good at little money. Somehow we have little fear about the success of this marine fibre, for we cannot yet see how a lifeless, dead article like seaweed can be utilised in the .process of cloth manufacture. We have had a life-long experience in the manufacturing trade, and seen almost every known substitute used in conjunction with wool; but up to the present we have seen nothing that can be said to meet the needs of machinery like the fleece of the sheep. Of course, substitutes like cotton and-- mungo will always be used, but these articles possess staple, and a certain amount of strength. Oftentimes mungo and shoddy are spoken of in very disparaging terms by those who know practically nothing of the articles, but mungo and shoddy, partake of the nature of wool, simply because both are produced from rags, which are put through a grinding ma-. chine, which disintegrates the woven fabi’ic, this then making it possible to re-manufacture 'the product which is usually blended with wool for cheapening purposes. What the manufacturing world will need to the end of all time will' Le raw material possessing life, vitality and elasticity, and if these characteristics are absent, it will be impossible to produce that which users require. We therefore say that no party need he alarmed at the so-called substitutes which are being brought to the front in order to're place wool. MERINOS FIRM ANTD STEADY.

Dealing directly with the wool market, we are glad to he aible to say that all the sound features hitherto, noticed remain intact. The past week has been quieter than we have recently seen, and a good deal of the excitement has passed, but for all' that values are as firm as ever. We are now within, measurable distance of the . May London sales, and as far as one can see there is little likelihood of any change till then. Most people are talking about a further advance, and some go to the length of saying that we shall see an improvement of as much as 10 per cent. That seems to us a little too large, and vve think that 5 per cent will he nearer the mark. Last series some very “long” prices were paid for merinos as the end drew near, and notwithstanding the pehny advance which has been obtained for the combed article in Bradford, yet the cost of tops. out of last series is above current prices in Worstedopolis. Many lots of wool were sold last series that will eost in the top anywhere tip to 2s sd, and yet to-day 2s 3-kl will secure some very good lines o fstandard 64’s. Wo are certain that in many oases last series the ‘clean yield was over-estimated, and.- eyen if there is no rise, wool will be quite dear enough for the markets of Bradford' and the Continent. The 'most •significant- feature of the wool situation to-day is the full maintenance of consumption, and the raw material is being: shifted with the same degree of alacrity as we have hitherto seen. If we, said nothing more in this letter than reported. a continuance of briskness at the mills, it would be worth chronicling, for we have here the key to the whole situation. It is really painful to hoar spinners complain of their inability to meet

the demands of their customers, and instead of being able to give quick delivery, many assert that they are bored to death. We are glad to be able to say that on all sides assumption is well maintained, prices are as firm as ever, and the whole trade is looking forward with interest and pleasure to the aporcaching May series in Coleman Street.

CROSSBREDS UNCHANGED

There is no less interest manifest in crossbreds, .although tilings are quieter. What else could anybody expect? Yarn spinners and shipping houses • cannot go on buying for ever, and therefore it is* but natural to see a less active market than we have recently witnessed. But that does not alter the fact that prices are any different; in fact, topmakers are as difficult to deal with as ever, and as far as one can see there is little change to note in this -direction. Our exports continue on a very satisfactory scale, and with the two branches of consumption remaining in tact, everything is very healthy. There is room to-day in Bradford for' at leess 100 more sorters; in fact, two or three firms alone would easily absorb those if they were available. Just at the moment supplies are on the top of combs, and will be for some . months to come. Every available combing machine is running, and I do not know of a single firm engaged in this operation but what is working day and night. This shows what is the actual condition of trade. Wo shall soon be witnessing once more the clash of arms and the sound of many voices, but although something like" another 100,000 bales of New Zealand crossbreds will be available at the May sales, which begin in about ten days, yet no one is expecting any less prices'. We can easily see an advance of another 5 per cent., for everyone knows that after the present supplies are disposed of. there can be no weight of crossbred wool available till next January in London. It appears as if all the New Zealand clip is going to, be .available at the beginning of the year, and a shortage at the finish. However, topmakers seem at present disposed to buy and so make preparation for the future. Yarn spinners keep unusually busy, and the only difficulty which is confronting them is that they cannot give deliverv on new contracts.