The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-11-17
FINE TERRITORIAL WOODS SHOW
NO DECLINE.
MOUNTAINS REMAIN FIRM
Choice Lots from This State Continue
to Bring Top Prices-Trade
Is Still Quiet.

Sales Of wool on the Boston market
for the week ending Thursday, No
vember II, were 2,152,0 900 pounds. In
this were LOTS, 900 pounds of terri
tory, which sold at 15@20h cents a
pound.
The demand for wool continues
quiet.
Two or three Philadelphia mills
have been represented in the market
the past week, as we'll as a large
dress goods mill, and they have taken
some wool, but no very large amounts.
Aside from this business, there has
been very little doing in wool, the
trading during much of the time be-
ing practically 1ifeless, says the Amer
lean Wool and Cotton Reporter.
Territories Holding Up.
Notwithstanding the quietness
which has prevailed, sales of choice
fine territorial woods have been made
at prices which certainly do not show
any material easing off. But the mar
ket for average woods is certainly no
stronger, and, if anything, it is easier
where merchants do any business.
The price depends to a considerable
extent on whether or not the wool is
forced upon the consumer. The latter,
if he really desires the wool, does
not succeed in making much of an
impress on prices. 1t is felt that on
certain grades of wool, at any rate,
including qu~arter-bloods and low
woods, prices cannot decline much,
with supplies so limited in volume.
The demand is still more for the
quarter-blood and low woods than for
other grades, and except for the high
ideas of some holders of quarter-blood
stock, who are asking prices which are
considerably above the present level
of the market, more business would
have been put through the past week
than has been actually accomplished.
Depend on Foreign Wool.
Consumers, however, r mindful OF
the fact that, while the demand for
quarter-blood and low woods is equal
to any immediate supply, there will
be large quantities of the lower grades
available from South America before
long in the European markets, and
with the new clip of Australian woods
coming upon the market, they are slow
in coming up to the ideas of some
holders of quarter-blood stock. Many
of those who have foreign connections
state that the tendency, the world
over, seems to be toward slightly
easier prices. 1.
Easier at Melbourne.
The latest advices from Melbourne
are that the market there is a tribe
easier, and that merino woods from
that market can be landed at prices
ranging all the way from u to 78c,
clean, a good Gas combing costing
about 75c, which, to the average con-
sumer, does not look high as contrast
ed with Ohio delaine at SEC in the
grease and Ohio Xxx at 34c in the
grease. w
In London the market continues
quiet, and prices of tops have not
responded to the prices ruling for
wool at the close OF the last auctions,
and there is more or less uncertainty
as to whether prices of crossbreds
will give way slightly at the next auc-
tons (Which, by the way, open Nov
ember 24), or whether users will be
compelled to come in and buy them
and pay a higher price than they
would otherwise have to. The con-
sensus of opinion at this writing in
the trade is, that London will open at
prices about equal to those ruling at
the close of the last series. It is
quite likely that the available guam
tity will not exceed $4,000 bales, as
against 104, 900 bales at the CORE
spending sales of last year.
Hand to Mouth Buying.
Domestic consumers continue to buy
only from hand to mouth.
Reports from the goods market in
dictate some improvement in the re-
order demand for light weights, but
it is not yet sufficient to induce con-
sumers to take hold OF wool in a gen
erous way. They are not afraid to
buy wool when they see a use for it,
and for choice stock they have in a
few instances paid very good prices;
thus a few fair-sized lines of fine Mon