The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-01-23

requirements will be and what they
can pay for woods, and that then there
will be a more active business. In
the meantime, me brisk weather will
be apt to help business in tXhe goods
market, and with an easier money
market, the future of the wool mar
ket is looked forward to by most wool
merchants with hope and confidence.
The business done has been in quite
a variety Of stock, although territories
pulled woods and secured woods have
monopolized most of the trading. More
business would have been done in
f1eeces if they had been more open
and available. Prices on the latter,
however, have ruled firm as they
have on every other class of stock.
The purchasing has been done chiefly
not by the larger mills, but by mills
OF moderate size, the mills running
from six to IL sets being fairly well
represented in the market.
The latter have been after clothing
woods chiefly, mostly fine and fine
medium. territories. In fine secured
woods there has been a fair trade; and
anything in the line of fine secured
is pretty well taken. Good fine med
ium has sold at 50Ncents. Last Mon
day there was quite an inquiry for
this class of stock, but the business
done was mostly of moderate pro-
| portions.
Attempts to Contract.
Further attempts to contract for
next seasons wool are reported to
have been made in certain localities
in the west, but nothing has resulted
therefrom. Generally the prices nam
by the owners are too high. As a
rule merchants are disposed to move
co~nservatively in contracting for next
seasons clip, the net results of con-
tracts made in previous years not
being altogether of such a gratifying
nature as to warrant repetition on
a large scale.
Texas, California and Oregon.
Texas woods are inactive. The de-
mand is small, and the supply is
small, and some of the woods here are
held at such high figures as to pre-
rent business. Some business is re-
ported to have been effected in nice,
L. months Texas at a clean cost of
SIC, although one dealer claims that
he is offering average II months wool
at 56@57c, clean. In the grease bust
ness has been done at 10000. Fall
woods are selling in very limited
amounts at 16@17c in the grease, or
at a clean cost of 45@47c. Eight
months stock commands 52@53c
California woods also are quiet, but
they are very firm and what little
business has been put through has
been at practically the same prices as
those previously given. The inquiry
such as it is, extends from choice
northern stock down to defective, the
former bringing about 55c, clean, for
the best and the latter about a third
of a dollar. Some interest is shown
in fail woods, which have sold at 43@
45c. Stocks are depleted and the
trade will enter upon the new season
with supplies very small.
In Oregon woods there has been
nothing doing. The few lots which
rsmain here, are held firm, however,
at unchanged prices. The best staple
woods are held at 1S@19c in the
grease, and average eastern Oregon
at about Ice. No. 1 and No. 2 Valley
are held at 2O@21c.
Territories.
There has been a fair, steady call
for territories, but, with few eXcep-I
tons, the demand has not been for
especially large lots. Some wool has
been moving steadily all the time,
however, and the aggregate of the1
business done is close to 2,O00,O 900
pounds. In a few instances some
good-sized lines, both of staple and
clothing woods, have been moved, one
house disposing of between 300, 900
and 100000 pounds, as before stated,
to Philadelphia consumers. Prices
are generally strong at top quotations.
woods have sold as high as 21c.
for Montana, although this is an ex-
ceptional quotation, most of the bust
in Montana being done within
woods have cost clean, 55@58c.
Fine and fine medium Wyoming has
sold at 15@16hc, costing, clean,