Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-04-25
v.-WooL.

| w WI Is O1C VI the lllOSL uUCiCtll uTll-
| cleS of international commerce. III the
middle ages it was by far the most
valuable of the exports of England, and
1t still constitutes the principal aSri-
cultural export OF Great Britain. 1t Is,
| indeed. an article of production in every
civilized country of the world and also
in many countries which are only par
TALLY civilized. for wherever pasturlng
is pursued, sheep are kept The sheep
OF the world are many more in number
| than all cattle, horses, hogs and goats
put together.
Unlike cotton wool wherever it is
produced, is an article OF Internal ional
commerce. Many countries in which
modern manufacturing methods are un-
known and in which even domestic
manufactures are but crude and scaniy
nevertheless raise wool and use it as Il
means of obtaining goods produced by
the more advanced countries OF the
| world.
The wool which enters into modern
methods of manufacturc--that is to say.
practically the wool supply of the mod
ern commercial worlds about a.650,-
| 100000 pounds annually. AS the cotton
which enters modern methods Of manu-
facture (takinG an average Of several
years. is about G.500000. 600 pounds an
| nually, the total wool production OF the
world may be taken rs being about two
hfthS of the total cotton production OF
the world. But beyond this bare state
inent OF aggregate production il is
hardly possible to make any COMPARE
son. Woos because of their variety in
quality and also because OF their Varia-
ton in cleanness, vary greatly in value.
In statements Of production the differ
ent sorts of wool are very rarely dis
criminated and therefore comparisons
as 10 values are almost impossible. But
an approximate estimate of the COM
Darative values of the worlds annual
WOOL and cotton crops may be obtained
as follows: Great Britain is the largest
purchaser of foreign cotton i'll the
world. During the last three years
(lS96. 1897, 1889 the average value of the
wool imported by Great Britain has
been 16.6 cents per pound During the
same time the average value of the cot
ton imported by Great Britain has been
cents per pound. Estimating the
worlds annual product of commercial
WOOL 2,650. 100000 pounds) at 1876 cents
per pound, we have the worlds wool
crop as worth over $40, 900. 900 Estimat-
ing the worlds annual product of COM
mercial cotton (6.50o.000,000 pounds) at
cents per pound. we have the worlds
cotton crop worth $3.50, 100000. That is
to say, the worlds wool crop is in value
little over three fourthS of the worlds
cotton crop.
This valuation is perhaps favorable
TO wool, for Great Britain's imports are
largely of the finer sorts of wool On
the other hand. owing to the enormous
magnitude of the cotton crops of the
United States during the last two years
and the consequent depreciation in the
worlds price of cotton. the valuation is
probably favorable to cotton.
But the Importance Of wool In the
worlds industries can be better seen
by consideration OF the position which
wooden manufactures hold in the sum
tnfo al nf hn Co.
tisticians tell us that the consumption
of wooden fabrics by the civilized peo-
pies of the world exceeds the consump-
| ton of cotton fabrics in the Tarfo or -
to 90. The figures are rs follows:
Consumption by civilized
peoples of the world Value
| Woolens. annually .........S1. 275. 900 900
Cottons. annually ......... 1,1G2. 500, 900
If figures for production are taken.
cottons are eighty in excess. although
| not very much So The reason for this
discrepancy between production and
| consumption is that Il large quantity
| OF cotton goods (and also of wooden
| goods is sold to unciviiZed and TO
| half-civilized peoples of the world. from
! whom 1t is impossible to obtain statis-
tics of consumption. The figures for
| production are as follows:
Production by manufacture
| ing nations of the world Value.
Woolens, annually .........$f, 3525 500 600
| Cottons, annually .......... ,437 500 600
| The total value OF the manufactures
| OF the world, including textiles of all
| sorts, hardware, leather. food. clothing
and sundries of all sorts. is SOS. 900. 000,-
| 900. It IS thus seen that the WOODEN
| manufactures of the world are a little
less than n twentieth of the total man
| nfacturc, and the cotton manufactures
4 l.
| tieth.
The great wool-consuming countries
| OF the world are the United States,
| Great Britain, France, Germany, Bel
| GUM and Russia. The United States
| has for many years depended mainly
upon it's own supply of raw wool, but
| our use of foreign wool is increasing.
| end has been Gin 1S9C-'97) more than 80
per cent. of our total use. though ii is
| not proba BILE that such 4 percentage as
| this will be maintained. Great Britain
depends very largely upon her own
{ home grown wool. but she now depends
| still more largely upon foreign wool.
especially upon the wool furnished her
| by her own colonies. But Great Britain
! imports wool in greater or less Quanti-
| ty from every quarter OF the world.
She is also large trader in wool, and
her raw wool exports go to every man.
| ufacturing nation in the world. France,
too. depends to a great extent on her
own home-grow wool. but she de
| pcnds to far greater extent on her
Importation OF foreign wool. France
net import of wool, indeed. at times
exceeds that Of Great Britain. Ger
many, once large exporter OF wool. is
now a large importer, her production OF
wool being now much inferior to her
needs for her own manufacture. Her
imports OF wool also sometimes exceed
those OF Great Britain. Belgium de.
ponds almost entirely upon imported