Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1907-05-01
sAYs WOOL BUYERS WERE n
 COMBINE.
lrrom Wednesdnx,s Dailyl

market the first of the present year, that there is a constantly growing de. mand for wool, and that the prices of. fsred this year by tte wool buyers from eastern markets are from two to three eents lower than last yssr, 1t certainly appears that there is n com. bination, or trust, existing betwcP the representatives of the large wool eoncerns," said E. II. Hooking, of tho Arm of Hooking ( Duell, to . Journal. Miner representative Monday, before leaving for New Mexico.
 "1 noticed" he said, "that the sesled bids offered for the purchase of large lots of wool submitted by the Boston wool buyers at the different shearins camps in Maricopa and Yav. apai counties were in almost all cases invariably the same. That Is to say, three or four of the buyers would sub. nit the same prices in their bids, and one would be from one.half to three.
 
 for other lots would be submitted the successful one of the previous bidders would be among tho low, and one of the others would submit the high bid, thus securing tho lot, providing the wool grower sold.
 "This state of affairs has continued through the season, until all of the buyers succeeded in making purchases. A number of the wool growers, how. ever, refused to sell under the circum. stances, and shipped their clip to the eastern market, where they were given from two to three cents more for the shipment than they could secure from the wool buyers on the ground. Wool which buyers bid i7 and IS cents for here nctted 2l cents on the Boston market.
 "In my opini,n," continued Mir. Hooking, "wool is bound to advance in price, for the reason that the popula. tion of tho country is increasing at n rapid rate, thus increasing the demand for woolcn goods, while on the other hand the number of sheep on the ranges is not increasing either in this country or Australia. Under these cir. cumstances, it is reasonable to expect that the demand for wool is growing greater annually, despite the fact that the Boston wool buyers who were here this year offered smaller prices than last year."
 Speaking of sheep shearing and the introduction of power shearing ma chimes, Mir. Hooking said:
 Better results are obtained by shearing with machines than by the old hand method. The fleece averages from E 10 20 ounces more for the reason that the power machine does cleaner and better work. The sheep owners prefer machine shearing. as the sheep look smoother and better than when clipped by hand and command n higher price in the Kansas City markets. Hand shcaring has been abandoned al- most entirely in the east and many eastern wool growers put their focks through . sweating process before clip. ping, as they claim the shearing is made easier this way on account of the softening of the wool by the sweat It costs two and one.half cents more to shear a sheep with machine than by hand, but this counterbalanccd many times by the increase In the weight of the fleece. Another advant. ego Is that machine shesring is, on the average, nearly 30 per cent faster than hand shearing, when the Aocks are in fair condition. The hide of the sheep h not injured by the machines when reasonable care is exercised by the operator"
 Hooking ( DuclI have n 20-shcar ma chine plant and shed in Peoria, Mari copa county, and s similar plant at Cordes, this county, both of which they intend to incrense to 30 shears next season. MT. Hooking has gone to Ros. we'll, N. M, where he says he will start . shearing plant, in spite of the fact that the New Mexicans are very much opposed to shearing by the new method. He believs that he will convince the New Mexico wool growers that ma. chine shearing is cheaper and better In every way than the old method, and that he will establish a good business for his firm in the sister Territory. He also stated that he intended to return here early in the fall for the reason that number of the wool growers of this Territory intended to introduce fall shearing, believing that better results can be obtained by shearing