The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-06-27
LARGER BUSINESS DOING
Strength Of Situation Abroad Very
Pronounced-New Wool
Now Moving.

So |.@.. o.
A larger business has been trans
acted in territories. Both the large
mills and small mills have been buy
ing, although the combine has not as
yet operated to any great extent.
Some good-sized lines have been tax
en-, the grades running from fine down
to medium, and the range of prices
being from 40 to SOC, and ever higher
for dead fine stock and selected fine
staple. Both local and Philadelphia
mills have been represented in the
market. Some large blocks are under
consideration at this time. The sales
include both old and new wools-
largely the former, which have been
moved at the following prices: Fine
medium clothing, A@46c dead fine,
48@50c; fine staple woods, 50@52c.
Some staple Montana has been taken
at soc. Medium territory has sold at
40c. One sale of something over a
million pounds, both old and new
wool, is reported to- have been made
at current prices-the grade being
fine and fine medium. Consumers are
not as yet, however, free buyers of
the new woods at the advanced quota
tions, and it has been only the early
purchased wools which have thus far
been moved. There is quite an in
quiry for carload lots and ~refusals on
woods are wanted by consumers, who
are evidently apprehensive that the
price on woods may jump up before
they get ready to operate. This is es-
pecially true of yarn spinners. In
the grease prices have ranged from
IA to 18c, and included in the bust
ness of the week were some good
sized lines of Idaho, Wyoming, Mon
tana, Utah and Nevada.
Sales for the week, at Boston, g.
$4,000 pounds.
The wool market has improved.
There has been much more looking
around the past week and more bus
mess has been put through, including
some good-sized lines of territories
and foreign woods. The tone of the
market is firmer, also, and in some
cases slight advances have been es-
tablished, especially on medium
f~1eeces, dead fine territories and sta
pie selections.
Some of the new woods have been
sold, and have commanded pretty fair
prices. These included woods bought
early in the season in the interior,
when prices there were on a some
what lower level than those current
today in the territories. Many of the
new woods are held at prices which
are far. above the views of buyers,
who will resist paying such advances
until they feel sure that the light
weight season warrants them in so
doing. But the owners of these woods
cannot very we'll let them go for less,
as they cost them so much. The con-
sumner, however, says that he is not
to blame for that. From his point of
view the merchants who have bought
woods so freely in the territories at
prices relatively so much higher than
those ruling at the 'seaboard, have
pursued a very rash and unwise pol
icy, and he does not propose to assist
them in moving their load of dearly
bought wool unless the condition of
the goods market warrants it.
There is no doubt as to the strength
of the wool situation, however. This.
strength has been so pronunced on
the part Of some holders as to inter
fere in many cases with business. If
holders had been willing to come down
a trife, if they had been willing to
grant a concession of h1@1c, even, a
larger business would have been done.
But no concessions are being granted
on amy sizeable lines, and a firm and
confident feeling prevails throughout
the trade, and the tone of the market
is certainly distinctly better.
Ter. .-H
A great deal, of course, depends
upon the goods market, as before
pointed out in these columns AS the
time draws near for the opening. of
the lightweight season, the feeling
is apparently increasing in the wool
trade that the opening will be at
strictly higher prices than those of
a year ago; but there are some manu-
facturers who do not see their way
clear to obtaining higher prices for
fabrics, being apprehensive that an
advance in the price of goods would
result in a curtailment of the de
mand, as the general public r still
anxious to buy on as low a level OF
3 ~ = -