The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-01-26
DEMAND ON BOSTON MARKET
LESS ACTIVE. /
ARE FAIRLY STEADY
Strong Statistical Position Of Staple
and Good Opening Of London
Sales Favor Holders.

SAFES OF wool on the Boston market
for tire week aggregated 4,155,0O0
pounds. Of this amount 100000
pounds was territory wool, which
sold at 14@20 cents a pound.
The demand for wool, as a whole,
has been somewhat quieter the past
| week.
The radical reductions made in the
| opening prices on the new heavy
weights by certain manufacturing
concerns, and the quietness of the
demand for goods, even at the reduced
quotations., compared with what was
anticipated, have naturally exercised
a somewhat depressing influence on
the trade, although this has been off
set to some extent by the strong char
acter of the opening London sales on
Tuesday of this week, says the Ameri-
cam Wool and Cotton Reporter.
Good With Some.
One or two housese in the trade re-
port a very fair business. They state
that they have moved some very size
able lines of wool, including terrific
ries, Oregons and feeces, but this
condition of things is not at all gen.
eraa..
From two or three manufacturing
concerns the demand has been fairly
good, but the inquiry for wool is not
at all urgent. and the anticipated large
buying by the combine has as yet not
materialized, although that concern
has purchased to some extent, taking
on several hundred thousand pounds,
mostly territories. But no large
blocks a~ggregating a million pounds
or more have been moved, and GER
tain large consumers, whose advent
into the market had been expected
long before this, state that when
goods begin to sell mor freely, they
will buy more freely, but not until
then. In short, their purchases will
depend altogether on the extent of the
| demand for goods, which demand has
thus far failed to conn up to expecta-
tions.
Are Still Hopeful.
AS far as the weather is concerned,
it has certainly been cold enough to
stimulate a demand for heavy
weights, if the weather was to be the
determining factor in the matter, but
it is believed by many that the pres
ent quiet state of the goods market
can be traceable to a reduced pur-
chasing power On the part of the
masses. ~
However much truth there may be
in this view of the situation, manu-
facturers are determined to pursue a
conservative course in the matter OF
purchasing wool. But there is still
a belief entertained by certain mem
bers of the trade that the largest
consumers will very shortly be in the
market for larger quantities of wool,
as the result of an improvement in
the volume of goods which will be
called for.
In the meantime certain buyers OF
wool who had been anticipating com
ing into the market have been natur
ally rendered somewhat timid by the
u in the prices of the new heavy
weights, which they regard as indica
tive of IN anxiety to sell goods ane
a disbelief on the part of large buy
ers in any advance in the price O.
wool.
Favorable Factors.
There are favorable factors in thu
situation, however, as viewed from
the wool merchants standpoint. Their
is the strong statistical position o
wool in the markets of the world a!
a whole. There is the more pacific
aspect which the eastern situation
presents. There is the strong openin.
of the London wool sales this week
the advancing tendency in South Am
erica and the active competition TO
desirable woods in Australia. Their,
is the very small stock of foreigl
woods in domestic markets on whicl
consumers a draw between NOV
and clip time, and there is also to b,
taken into account the fact that sup
plies of wool in the hands of manufac
turers are small.
The Consumers View.
The consumer, however, points t.
the comparatively good sized stock
of territorial woods in this market
and the fact that the time when th,
! new American clip will begin to NOV