The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-07-14
WOOL MARKET AT BOSTON
SHOWS MORE LIFE
The DEMAND IS GENERAL
Lower and Medium Grades Continue
to Receive More Attention
Situation in General.

0dlOS OI WOOL OH JQ0 bOSLOO mar
ket for the week aggregated 4,S6O,OO
pounds. In this WAS included $685..
600 pounds Of territory at from Is to
20 cents a pound.
A very fair volume of business
rather more than the averages in
progress in the wool market. Quite a
number of buyers have been in, and
although their takings individually do
not, with few exceptions, figure up
very large amounts, the aggregate
makes a very respectable total, says
the American Wool and Cotton Re
porter. The demand has been for
nearly everything, although the me
dunn and lower grades still receive
the greater amount of attention. The
finer woods are, however, sharing to
a slightly greater extent in the de.
mand than they were. The inquiry
for fine staple wool has been a trile
better than it On the other hand,
oil uOl10l i . lCpol CCu vi
low woods, for domestic common and
braid, for English and Irish and low
Australian crossbred woods. In COM
mon and braid woods there would
have been a much larger business,
without any doubt, if available stocks
here had been larger.
A Strong Market.
The market is strong throughout
and prices are showing a hardening
tendency. 1t is difficult to operate in
the west at figures which will show
any profit to buyers who intend to re-
sell at today's market on the sea-
board. but there is a confident feeling
in the trade that prices will be better
later on. On the other hand, the
mills are not buying freely. The goods
market has not thus far developed
satisfactorily. Some of the lower
grade lightweight goods which have
been opened, have been sold at last
years prices, with an occasional in
stance of slightly peter prices being
obtained, but the bulk of the goods
thus far offered may be said to be
practically on last years level, but it
cannot be said that they are selling
very freely, as buyers of goods are
pursuing a very conservative policy.
The lightweight business will prob
ably not get into full swing much be-
fore the end of the month, and in the
meantime manufacturers are deter
mined to move cautiously. Represen-
tatives of some of the largest mills
who come into the market state that
they will not carry big lines of wool.
One treasurer of a very large mill
said that he would not carry large
lines Of wool this year, and would buy
woods only as he needed them, and
that he would not pay over soc, clean,
for territorial woods.
Manufacturer Is Cautious.
The mills. as a rule, are not heavily
stocked with wool, and when they re-
ceive their orders on light weights,
the trade believe that they will show
much more willingness to buy wool
and will purchase more freely, il
prices are not marked up too much for
them. 1t will be necessary for them
to be marked up considerably. how
ever, in order to let the dealers out
at a profit on many of their new woods
in view of the prices which they paid
for them in the interior. Whether
the demand for goods will be such
as to enable manufacturers to pay the
prices at which many of the new
woods will be held, is a matter for the
future alone to determine. The aver
age manufacturer is apparently will
ing to let the future take care of it.
self as far as his supply of wool is
concerned. He does not hesitate to
buy when he needs stock, but, az has
UCCu POlACCu OuC, uC ID LOL dlIlClpdl-
ing his future wants very freely. He
knows that there will be better and
larger selections of wool here by and
by, and he is therefore in no hurry
about making his purchases. He feels
somewhat uncertain as to how goods
are going to sell, and he is conserva-
tive. This is particularly true of the
wOrsted manufacturer. The wooden
manufacturer is doing a fairly sat
~isfactOry business, and that he is in
good financial condition is shown oy
an increased willingness on his part
to discount his bills for wool pur-
chased.