The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-10-28
GOOD DEMAND
FOR WESTERN
TERRITORY WOOL VERY STRONG
ON BOSTON MARKET.
BRINGS BIG PRICE
Fifty-five Cents Said to Have Been
Paid for Some Choicest
Clean.

The weeks sales of wool on the
Boston market totaled 6,27O, 900
pounds.
Another week of activity has been
experienced in the wool market. Some
ct the big mills outside of the COM
bine have been buying, as we'll as a
number of the smaller concerns, and
there has been also continued pur.
chasing for the account of certain
Philadelphia mills, whose wants must
by this time be pretty we'll supplied
for the immediate future al any rate,
a y the American Wool and Cotton
Reporter.
The Buying.
The worsted spinners and weavers,
also the wooden mills, have p~artici-
pated in the buying. The knitters
have not been in the market, and are
not likely to be Immediately, as their
new season does not open until close
to January /. With the exception of
the knitters, however, all classes of
consumers have been represented in
the market end the demand has con
tinued to extend to about every class
and grade of stock. There has been
a good inquiry for fine fleeces and ter
ritories, for fine medium woods, for
three-eighths and quarter-bloods, and
low woods, for secured stock and for
carpet stock. The business has not
been very we'll distributed among the
members of the trade, however, o
has it been confined to the largest
houses. Indeed n or two of the
largest houses report a comparatively
| quiet market. On the other hand,
one large house reports an excellent
business; in fact, this house is re-
ported to have sold about n mil
! lion pounds of wool, including terri
tories and Oregons; of Oregons, it is
said to have sold about 600, 900 pounds
to a large worsted concern at full mar
ket rates. Fer territories, both for
clips in original bags and graded
woods, thereshas been a good demand
at prices ranging all the way from
16 to zoe, according to grade, char
acter and shrinkage. 1t has been a
good, healthy business and it has had
none of the speculative element in it,
the woods taken being practically all
for consumers, who expect to use ev-
cry pound which they have taken
AS supplies become reduced, it would
not be surprising if a speculative
tendency should develop-possibly
there would have been considerable
speculation before this, if it had not
been for the tightness in the money
market. Certainly there is great
temptation to speculate, with the
markets abroad moving upward, with
importations very limited, with sup
plies here being steadily reduced anc
with the new clip still some si1
months off. The conservative mem
bers of the trade are not encourag
ing any speculative movement, how
ever, being content to let the course
of the market be governed wholly by
the natural operation of the law o
supply and demand.
The mills are running full, many O.
them night and day, on orders which
they are anxious to fill. These or
ders are of a character that will stay
and cancellations are not looked for
The clothing trade are in want of thu
goods, many of the orders which the.
have placed being of an urgent char
acter which is reflected in an almos
unexampled activity among mill mel
and in an unusually large deman'
for mill help. In fact there is no
enough mill help to go around, AM
new operatives are being pressed int
service. The duplicate lightweight
business is likely to be a very salts
factory one and to lap far over int
the next heavyweight season, as wa
the case a year ago, and with ever,
indication that the next heavyweight
season will be marked by a large vo
ume of business, it is not surprisin
.
that many manufacturers are lookln