The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1910-06-22
WEDNESDAY,, JUNE ", 1910.
WOOL MARKET coN0it,oNs.

WOOL MARKET CONDITIONS.
A circular letter issued by an east
ern wool commission firm ssys:
''Those merchants in the wool trade
With the widest experience confess to
complete bewildermeut with the pres.
eut wool situation. In the United
States prices for wool have been
steadily declining, while In foreign
markets they have been ADVANCING"
These bewilderiuR conditions must
have been brought about by causes
that deserve investigation, but un-
forum ately there is no uuprejudiced
and confidential agency through which
such an inquiry could be made. It
has been announced and demonstrat ed
so often 70 to be accepted as incon-
frovertible, that London wool prices
determine the stu alton in the Ameri.
can market, but at the present time
there seems to be no relation whatever
between them. Prices since the fret
of the year have remained firm or
have advanced at the London wool
auctions, while in the Boston and
other domestic markets there has been
q decline of a. much as 20 per cent. in
certain grades the past five months.
On January l the Boston market price
for territory fine clothing secured was
70072 cents, while the present quota
ton for the same grade is 5000 cents.
Montana wool growers with the
widest experience" Of the resourceful.
ness andlpeculiar ways of eastern wool
dealers andlmsnufacturers are not ex.
actly %bewildered over the present cit.
uation. During the past thirty years
they have been brought into contact
with mysterious movements in the
wool trade that could only be *.
planned as the result OF manipulation
Of the market by powerful interests
that desired to profit from;auctua atoms
in wool prices. e. They are inclined to
suspect that the present peculiar con.
ditions can be traced to the same
agencies by (which the market al
controlled on other occasions, and
are not disposed to surrender until
their resourcesl of defense are u.
hausted.
A feature of the situation that has
caused comment and suspicion among
Montana wool growers is the abso.
lutte IN animity with which the eastern
wool dealers are conducting their
campaign. q Without exception, they
are all working along the same lines,
and apparently have a complete IN.
Outstanding IS to plans for keeping
the price of domestic wool away below
the level OF the competing foreign
product. 1t is the belief of western
wool growers that manufacturers are
cooperating with the wool dealers in
this effort to depress prices, the prom.
ice Of cheaplwool lbeing sufficient In
ducement to{ attrac their support.
That is the conclusion reached by
local sheepmen lwho have spent the
best part of q lifetime in the business,
and who have reason-from past ex.
perience-to watch out when their wool
dealer friends come around. The lat
ter. OF course, propose to buy at al
low q price as they can, and are sell
dom at q loss for q plausible stor!
reg arding conditions that point Il
cheaper wool.
There is q disposition on the par
of many wool growers in Montana
and other western states to store thei
clips and hold them under their ow|
control until different conditions OF
tain. The mills cannot run indefinite
~ on their present supply of wool
and large quantities Of the produe
must soon be purchased at a pric
which it 10 within the power of tn
grower, to q limited extent, to deter
mine. With foreign markets at
level that is relatively much highe
than that of Boston and other domesti
wool centers, no legitima ate reason ca
be suggested for a prolonged contil
uance of such abnormal conditions.