The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-09-02
A TRICK OF The DEALERS
Clips from Wyoming Are Sold as
Having Been Grown in
This State.

ment in the Montana wool clip this
year as compared with last year and
the one before. Not only is the wool
cleaner, therefore lighter, but the bulk
also seems to be better bred and stron-
! ger, running to staple than in
preceding seasons. This causes Mon
tana woods to be in greater demand
with the manufacturers of worsteds,
who are buying with unusual liber-
ality.
AS showing their lightness in the
matter of shrinkage it may be stated
that some of the clips which last year
shrank about So per cent, this year
have been found to run as low as
So per cent, while some of those that
last season shrank 63@64 per cent are
found to shrink only so per cent this
year. Woods from all sections of the
state are of lighter shrinkage, those
of northern Montana especially so.
Those from eastern Montana are very
light also and exceptionally we'll
grown. The southern Montana arti-
Gle is Tighter than heretofore, but
proportionately not SO much lighter,
as a rule, as those from the other
sections of the state.
Because of the item Of 1essened
shrinkage Montana woods would have
| hnor u,ortb ~ h1r mana thic
year than last, even if there had been
no general advance in the market.
Taking into consideration the higher
actual market value of wool, on a
clean basis, and it will be seer why
the dealers have been willing to pay
so much more in the grease this year
than last. mis- also explains why
wool that last season was quoted at
Boston at 2O@21 cents in the grease
is now held as high as 23@25 cents
a pound. II
Selling in Clip Lots.
A Boston publ1cation commenting
On the market says that more of the
business transacted between wool
merchants and manufacturers of terri
torial woods has been done this year
in clip lots than ever before in the
history of the trade. This is account
ed for partly by the urgency of the
situation and the feeling OF a probable
ity of an advancing market. With
a feverish condition of the foreign
markets and the curtailment of sup
plies at home, the mill men felt that
they could not buy selections as
cheaply as they could round lots in
the original bags. Then, too, some
of the larger concerns, especially
those in the combine, make such a
diversity of products, with a lively
demand at the same time for a greater
variety of fabrics, that they have not
found themselves constrained to buy
so closely to grade. For this reason
they have been quite willing to take
clip lots, especially when it bec4me
known that in many instances the
wools were of much lighter shrink
age than last year.
Means Increased Profits.
An unusually large amount of wool
was sold at Boston to arrive, and
many of the clips were not even put
into the warehouse, being taken by
the consumers at the dock as soon
as they reached the seaboard. This
has been of great advantage to the
wool merchant, as it has lessened the
expense of handling the woods. 1t
has also saved packing and carriage,
: and has enabled the seller to work of
a lot of stuff that otherwise he might
have been obliged to dispose of as
rejects"
This feature of the seasons trade
has added materially to the profits OF
e the dealer because of the lessened
:, expense of handling his wares.
s Sold Under False P~retenses.
The old saw in reference to tricks
in trade is exemplified to a really as
tonishing degree this year. Because
of the great improvement owe pas
seasons noticeable in many clips, deal
ers not overburdened with conscien
tious scruples are selling them a.
woods from states other than thos,
n in which they were actually grown
Thus a considerable quantity of Wash
ington wool has been shipped ant
sold as Oregon. One lot in excess o
100000 pounds was thus disposed Of
as it showed good staple and possess
n ed all the other characteristics o
l. Oregon wool.
II In the same way a large portion
of the northern Wyoming wool ha