, 1904-12-28
WOOkSTOCKS ARE
LOWEST IN YEARS
FOREIGN PURCHASES MADE RE
GENTLY BEGINNING TO AR
RIVE At BOSTON.
Estimated That Over Fifty Million
Pounds Will Arrive Prior to First
of May-NearIy Million Pounds Of
Territory Staple Bought in Last
Few Days-Further Contracting.

boston, 2S.-StOckS of wool IN
Boston are at the lowest for the sea
son. Recent purchases in foreign mar
kets are beginning to arrive, and al
though much of the importations have
been bought on manufacturers &C,
count and will go at once to the mills,
the buying from Boston lofts has fall.
en- to SO low a weekly total hat re-
ceipts ought to very nearly, if not
quite, match the outgo from this time
on. During the past week some 2,SUO,.
900 pounds have been landed here,
against sales for the week of probably
not over $500, 900 pounds.
Conservative dealers estimate the
quantity likely to arrive here from all
quarters prior to May /, as over So.
000, 900 pounds. This is in the neigh
borhood of 1900, 900 pounds a week.
Sales for two or three weeks past
have fallen below that figure. nj as
the wants of small and medium sized
mills are to be the main market fac.
tor during the winter and these mills
are all hesitating at present prices OF
the staple, failing to see any profit in
operating, the question is naturally
pertinent if dealers are wise in holding
the remnant of supplies here at prices
which buyers cannot meet.
Very high prices have been paid fol-
most Of the foreign woods. Some OF
the choicest Australian will have to
be sold at so cents a pound or over
to yield any profit as they will S
landed in the grease from AS to As
cents. In short, Americans by bidding
against each other have paid for
their Australian woods than the Eng
fish or Continental buyers, and late ad-
vices report prices slightly lower
there, because of a cessation of Ameri.
can buyers. before the market closed
for the holidays.
Sales here during the week have
been far below the inquiries. There
has been a vigorous search for salts
factory lots of medium graded terri
tories, fine territories, original clips
running to medium and medium for
eign woods. In many cases this has
been a vain quest.
For such woods as have been taken
the highest quotations of the season
have been paid. particularly on some
lines of medium stock, fine secured
medium territory having sold as high
as 6S cents, with nothing worth having
to be got below 60 cents. In lots OF
$4,000 and $4,000 pounds each, a total
Of $50, 900 pounds of territories has
been bought, comprising Montana,
Utahs, Colorados, Nevadas, Idahos and
some heavy %shrinkage Wyomings, at
the. following clean prices: Quarter
blood, IS and 60 cents; th~ree-eighths-
blood, 60 and 81 cents; half-blood, 60
and Ga cents: fine medium clothing,
So and Ga cents; strictly fine, 65 and
20 cents. Among the odd sales were:
60, 900 pounds of Montana in original
bags at rs cents, or 81 cents clean,
grading three-eighths and half-blood
with some fine medium and 80 per
cent staple; 6 10000 pounds of fine med
ium Utah clothing at Is cents, or 60
cents clean.
All fine light woods in territories are
practically cleaned up and what is left
mostly wyoming, is heavy shrinkage.
Further contracting for next seasons
wool is reported this week in Colo
RADIO, California, Nevada, New Mexico,
Montana, Utah, wyoming, Washington
and even Iowa.