The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-07-28
OLD STOCKS WORKED OFF
Manufacturers Make Active Inquiry
for staple-Medium Grades
Mostly in Demand.

pounds. In this were included 2,O2O,-
900 pounds of territories at from Is
to 20 cents a pound. +
A good business has been done in
the wool market during the past week,
but it has been very irregularly dis.
tributed, says the American Wool and
Cotton Reporter. Thus, while some
houses report good sized sales, others
state that they have transacted but
very little business. Houses which
have large and varied selections gen
orally report a good trade, although
sales are not individually as large as
they were during the previous weeg.
But, taking the weeks transactions
as a whole, it may be said that there
is more than an average business be.
ing done.
All Glasses Of Mills Buying.
All classes of mills have been rep
resented in the market, both large and
small, and there has been a good deal
OF looking around and testing of the
situation by those who have not yet
bought. All kinds of manufacturers
seem to be interested in wool, al
though makers of the medium classes
of fabrics have been the most con
spicuous purchasers, both in mems
on6 wnrnnn'c yunor. Tho h,yiJ> oF tho
demand has been for woods grading
from a half-blood down.
Medium and Low Woods in Demand.
Some large business has been put
through on stock of three-eighths and
half-blood grade, and a very good in
quiry is in evidence all the time tor
braid and low woods. This applies
with equal truth to both domestic and
foreign woods. A better inquiry lor
staple woods is also noticeable, but
mostly for medium stock. The goods
which are selling with the most free
dom are those in which the lower
grades of wool are used, including
low-grade wOrsteds, and dress goods,
cheviots, homespuns, crashes, etc.
Fine staple woods have been in com
paratively small request, although
some business in this elias of stock is
reported here and there. One large
worsted mill is reported to have
bought quite freely of fine de.aine
f1eeces as we'll as territories. For
secured woods, mostly on the medium
order, an excellent steady demand is
reported. Secured wools costing
from SO to as cents, clean, have sold
we'll, the makers of cheviots and me-
dunn grades of cassimeres taking them
freely. The mills are not buying in
a speculative way. They are taking
only such woods as they see an actual
use for. Some of the large mills have
determined that they will buy wools
this year only after they receive their
orders rather than before they re-
ceive them, as in previous years, and
are holding off until they are in a
position to gauge the character and
extent of such orders.
Tone Of Market Firm.
The tone of the market continues
firm, especially on the medium grades
OF woods. The Strengthening tendency
sisted to some extent by the hardening
tendency abroad. At the London sales
crossbreds have advanced 5 per cent
since the opening. Merinos, on the
other hand, have failed to appreciate
in value, and Withdrawals of merinos
from the sales are reported as unusual
ly large in view of the amount which
has been offering. The chief demand,
the world over seems to be for the
medium and low woods, rather than the
fine, and it is perfectly natural that
these should rule the strongest in
price. The sales of such woods, which
have been made the past week, have
been at the topmost prices so far
quoted this season.
The Goods Market.
The opening of the American Wool
EN- company's clay worsteds, cheviots,
serges, etc., failed to meet the expec-
tations of a number of wool merchants,
as far as prices are concerned, al.
though it has been realized for some
time past that standard worsteds have
been slow sellers, but the effect of the
opening Of these goods on the wool
market has not at this writing been
noticeable, although it certainly can
not be regarded as a bull factor in the
situation. Those who are optimisti
cally inclined are disposed to believe
that the goods market will show more
1870 49, ~ - lfl lost Wow