The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-06-20
~ WOOL QuRlRIOH


salion with a. Eastern Man,
Several buyeu Of wool have been in the
city Of late. Nj. Mstcalte, who repre-
Hsats the famous Middlssex mills At
Lowell, Mahs, ia here now. HshHs been
Q buyer Of wool for the last sixteen years
and ia well known to the growers OF this
region. He Is we'll posted on the state Of
the market and therefore what he has to
say will be read with interest.
A reporter Of the I~STEILIsENcER met
Mr.. Metcalfs ct the Mcclure House last
evening and the following conversation
enaued.
"What ia the reason, Mr.. Mstcalfs, that
wool opened this time last year q / 40 cents
and this year ct So, The mills through.
ont the country run full time did they
not, and the clip this year was mot
unusually heavy was it,
"The reason Is simply this; The price OF
wool was up 90 high by holders in
October and November that manufacturers
could import foreign wool as cheaply,p
"ForeiEn wool Isn't 90 good as domestic
wool 10 II, Mr.. Mstcali2n
4Ee' australian Wuul ~ 10 kuuu uus
washedi shrinks as little as the washed
wool we buy in this country"
"Now, candidly, Mr.. MetcalI, don't you
think when wool opens ct such o low
price % buyers have now fixed upon it.
IS cents-that II you we're q wool grower
wouldn't you hold for q higher figure
at the present timer Don't you think, as
o rule, taking one thing with another, that
the farmer who holds for higher fig.
ures when the price opens low and sells at
. moderate advance gains, while the ones
who holds for excessive rates generally
lose"
Correct enough. But I think now that
the price ruling Ia q very fair one, aud net
likely TO advance much, II any, You see
that manufacturers oil wooden goods, oW-
Ing to the break in prices oil wool during
the early part Of the year were able to
reduce prices on their manufactures. It Ia
not likely that on the figures q ed they
will be able to mike any advance and Tor
these reasons; In the hands oil dealers In
the East, who hoped for come advance on
late purchases, are quite large etocks oil
wool, And producers even hold quite
largely uuder the same feeling, For In
stRnCd, M in Washington county alone
there are OF least one million pounds OF
last years clip; In Harrison and Guernsey
county quite half that amount. This could
have been sold for iorty.ive cents. now
they cannot get neal that figure and be.
sides will losethe interest on their money"
"You think prices won't go as high sa
last year,"
"No; with q few cents advance on the
present price wool can DO imported. Man
utsCturers cannot afford to wait on the
within OF sellers In this country, and the
moment they can buy to advantage they
will do 3d."
"You offer So cents. You buy small lots
at that price. Have holders Of blanket
lots named any price they would take ?"
"Yes; q number say that they will sell
Of 40 cents. But II we were to offer 10 buy
II would be natural Tor them TO Rsk more.
tell you that no matter what we might
offer, holders would ask q few cents ad.
vance. l don't blame them for this, but
l question is wisdom most decidedly"
slow much wool, Mr., Matcalt, has been
purchased In this State this season at
thirty.iva centsP"
swell, l know oil IL, 900 lbs that we're pur.
chased by ono man In Brooke county. !
suppose 10000 lbs would be about the cor.
rect figure, The season 10 early and hold
ers haven't exactly made up their minds
Just exactly what they will do"
"How does West Virginia wool compare
with that from other sections?"
West Virginia wool has az good, II not
a better, reputation than any In the coun.
try. There Is no better wool grown than
that Of Brooke county. There is very fine
wool In Washington and Greene counties
10 Pennsylvania, but 1t does not surpRss
West Virginia wool.
Mr.. Metcalf discussed, from q statistical
standpoint, the importations Of wool last
year, the general condition OF the country
and the wool crop, and demonstrated, To
bis own satisfaction, OF least, that the soon.
or wool growers dispose oil their clips at
a reasonable price the better they will be
of.
We have now to hear from the other
side.