The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-12-05
AS WOOL SITUATION APPEARS
AT BOSTON.
STIFF PRICES FOR MONTANA
Product from This State Leads All
Other Territories Both in Value
and Sales. n

The sales of wool on the Boston
market for the week ending November
q aggregated 4,S61,O 900 pounds, in
Guiding $780, 900 pounds territory at
from Is to 20 cents.
There is a continued, steady, healthy
demand for wool and the market is in
"a sound, healthy condition, a y the
American Wool and Cotton Reporter.
The volume of business is fully up to
it was a month ago. There is no rush
on, but there is a good normal trade
in progress, and the tone of the mar
ket continues very firm. One or two
of the larger concerns have been in
the market and have taken on some
good wool, but the larger mills, as a
The smaller or medium sized mills
have been pretty well represented in
the market and have taken on a fair
supply of stock. The market is con-
sidered in splendid shape, but as we
are o getting toward the close of
the year, which is the cleaning up
period with and the time
for taking stock, the trade would not
be at all surprised if there should be
a quiet spell for a time, which, how
ever, is not expected to last long, and
a good business is looked for imme-
diately after the beginning of the
year.
There has been some buying among
the dealers, not for speculation, but
for filling in here and there where
stocks have become depleted, espe-
cially where dealers come across any
thing that looks attractive as to
price. Supplies of wool are beco1n-
ing reduced all the time, and Of some
kinds, notably secured woods, the
market has seldom been SO bare of
goods lots as at the present time. The
demand is still quite general and ex-
tends to about every kind and variety
of WOOL. Fine stock, medium stock
and low stock is called for, and some
of the highest priced woods have sold
about as readily as the ~low-priced
woods, the clean cost Of such woods as
have been taken ranging all the way
froc soc for a defective California up
to nearly zoe for a fine Ohio delaine.
Firm Tone of the Market.
Holders of svool are very firm and
more stock could have been sold ii
they had been willing to make even
a little concession in asking prices.
Manufacturers naturally are protest
ing against what they consider are
the exorbitant prices asked by some
holders of domestic woods, and yet
when they come to look over the mar
kets of the world, the small available
supplies offered in foreign markets
and the relatively high prices asked
in those markets for anything desir-
able, they realize that current prices
for wool in the domestic markets are
not on such a high level after all. The
members of the trade are confidently
expecting to see them on a higher level,
as stocks become more and more de-
pleted between now and clip time,
which is still about five months off,
and as consumption continues at its
present rapid rate, as there is every
indication that it will do so, in view
of the excellent condition of the goods
market and the favorable outlook for
a successful heavyweight season al
ter the turn of the new year.
A Bad Failure.
The only u%nfavorbale development
of the past week, which affects the sit
uation on the other side more than on
this side Of the water has
been the announcement of the
failure of the Yorkshire Wool Comb
ers' association for $4,000 600. The
unfavorable financial condition of this
combine was alluded to in the col
umns of this publication months ago,
and it's failure is no surprise to those
who had been closely following the
course of it's affairs. The constituent
companies comprising this association
had been taken into the combine at an
inflated valuation, and the concern
had been unable to pay divideds for
some time, but it's shares had become
pretty widely distributed, and wool
dealers on the other side were among
some of the large owner of it's stock.
To what extent this event will affect
the wool situation on the other side
it is of course impossible to say. Full
err details in regard to the failure of