The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-01-23
WEEKS RESUME OF THE Bos.
TON WOOL MARKET.
LIMITED TO SMALL LOTS
Sales Reported Comparatively Few
Owing to Doubts Regarding
Demand for Goods.

Sales Of wool for the week on the
Boston market aggregated 1856, OOC
pounds, Of which 100000 was terri
tory at from Ia to 20 cents a pound
The tone of the market, says the
American Wool and Cotton Reporter
as a whole is quiet, although a few
stable lines of territories have been
sold the past week, mostly by two
or three houses, the principal tran
saction being a sale Of between 300,
900 and 400, 900 pounds of territories
to Philadelphia parties, for which the
sellers claim to have received full
prices. Otherwise, while some wool
has been selling all the time, the
business of the week has been made
up principally of small or moderate
sized lots. The market cannot be
called stagnant, therefore, although
generally there is but little snap tC
the demand. Stocks of wool are toe
limited to permit of any weakness,
and prices are we'll sustained all along
the line.
The goods market, however, is slow
in opening and consumers of wool
having bought quite heavily in the
last few months of 1902 are disinclin.
ed to buy any more until they have
made sales of goods and know how
much and what kinds of wool they
will be likely to be in need of. II
they do not get sufficient advance
on goods to pay for the advance in
woods, they will be obliged to use sub.
stitutes, which means of coure a
lessened demand for wool. If goods
sell freely at the advance, a resump-
ton of an active and strong market
may be looked for. At present the
mills are running full. They have
been running full for many months,
but, SO far as can be learned, there
has been no overproduction, which
ICSCluOo W LAC Aull1lCAoC SOAoulA1lIl6
capacity of the people in spite of all
the talk INDUCED in regarding the
curtailment of the purchasing power
of the masses as the result of the
advance in all the necessities of life.
A Mooted Question:
The question now u.s., will the mills
secure orders enough to keep their
machinery running full? Until this is
more definitely settled, a quiet or a
moderate demand at the best is *
pected by most members of the wool
trade. Some of the mills which have
succeeded in selling some goods have
bought woods, but the business in
wool has to be drummed up more
than formerly, although we hear of
no concessions being made in prices.
Indeed, some wool merchants report
week at as high prices as have been
received at any time during the past
year. The tenor of advices from
abroad has tended to impart consider
able strength to the market. The
Melbourne market reOpened on Mon
day of this week 5 per cent higher
on merinos, and the South American
market is very strong. About 10000
bales are reported to have been
1,o,x oht Sa t1o an AurNr ~ J1ynf
thus far for this country. or about
10000, 900 pounds. !
Strong In London.
In London the situation looks very
and some advance is looked
for at the next London auctions,
which begin next Tuesday, especially
on ~crossbreds, according to private
London under date of December 81,
which are to the effect that cross
breds are very high and that some are |
looking for a 10 per cent advance
thereon at the opening, the result
of the Liverpool sales of River Plata
l
woods having been to put up prices
in the London market, 4Os tops having
advanced from I'D. to Tod. Merinos
are not expected to advance as much
crossbreds. At the sales of woods
in Liverpool referred to prices show
ed an advance of 20@25 per cen on
merinos, 5000 per cent on fine cross
breds and 3Q@40 per cent on Lincolns
as compared with a year ago.
The Domestic Situation.
All of this of course has tended to
strengthen the situation here, and
it not for the general quietness
prevailing, there is little doubt that
should. nv thic tinn hovo SOON n |