The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-12-24
OUTLOOK FOR WOOL
National Wool Grower.

sumo to advise men when to sell their
wool. We feel though that it is our
duty to place before sheepmen all the
information we have covering the
wool situation. g
First let us look at the year just
closing: While the worlds clip of
1914 was somewhat greater than that
OF 1913, it was still below the clip OF
1912. AS a rule wool is grown one
year and used the next, at least that
was the case up until about 1909.
Since that time consumption has been
catching up with demand, and it is
said no wool has been carried over in
the Boston market since 1912. What
is true here also applies to the sit
uatiOn abroad.
Reports from Atlantic Coast mar
kets indicate that there is less wool
on hand than ever before at this sea-
SON.. This shortage Is accounted for
by the decline in production last year
and the fact that the country for
some months has been exporting
more wool than it imported.
AS to the future. The 1915 clip
will be less than last years by at
least 20, 000,0 900 pounds. In Austral-
ia a serious drouth is prevailing that
will reduce that country's clip by
around 100, 100000 pounds. In the
nations at war there are some H.
100000 sheep. Sheep lend them
selves most readily as a meat supply
in time of war. They can be trans
ported easily and live on the refuse
that other animals do not eat. They
are now driven in great focks behind
these armies as a source of fresh
meat. Under these conditions it is
only reasonable to assume that So
5000 sheep that were shorn in
Europe last year will have become
victims of the war before another
shearing season rolls around. This
should mean 800, 900, 600 pounds less
wool in that quarter. Aside from
the wool war found all the armies ex-
cept those of France and Germany
very short Of wooden clothing. That
deficiency must be made up and the
attempt to do so accounts for the
advance in the price of wool abroad
during the last two months. Enor-
nous army orders are still being
filled in foreign mills.
Another factor to consider is the
wool embargo. Early in the fight
Great Britain prohibited the exporta-
ton of any wool grown in Australia,
South Africa or her own country to
any countries except those Of the AL
lied powers. The United States. is
not a member of that charmed circle
even though our wool manufacturers
have asked to be admitted. The
countries upon which the embargo
rests produce about 1000, 600, 900
pounds of wool or about one-half
the worlds supply of clothing wool.
To this supply on manufacturers
have previously had access and have
bought a little less than ten per cent.
Now they are shut out, and we hope
they will continue to be until after
our wool has been marketed. All the
clothing wool used in the United Sta
ties as well as that used in all the
neutral countries must now come 5
from North and South America land {
such insignificant quantities from the {
neutral European nations.) ]
AS was to be expected the National 6
Association Of Wool Manufacturers
has appealed to our State Department G
to ask England to raise this embargo t
on wool so far as the United States is a
concerned. However, Great Britain !
knows that Il manufacturers have t
been selling and will continue to sell t
wool and wooden goods to Germany t
any other country that will pay the b
highest price. OF course our manu- t
facturers have offered to give a guar a
that none of this imported wool t
its products would reach Germany, 6
)ut such a guarantee is not worth the t
PAPER 1t is written on and England s
Knows it. So far Great Britain has
to raise the embargo and has "
given no indication that she would do n
20 in the near future. 1t is simply d
speculation to say that the embargo tt
will or will not be raised. After the q
irst Of the year it might be raised so fl
ar as very fine Merinos are con- a
We have no fear of it being G.
aised at all in case of c%rossbreds. In II
connection with this WI must remem- a
'er that even without the embargo W
he cost of importing wool has ad- 81
'anced about two cents per pound T
yer last year, and also there is a fl
,reat scarcity of ships in which to j
it. When the war was first 81
declared, the wool trade of Australia it
the growers to hold their #
WOOL on their ranches and not to ship n
t to the market centers for there was n
LANCER of its being destroyed. Even Ell
.fter shipping opens up it will take ii
ONE time to get all this wool where il
t will be available. We are also ad- Ii
ised that a large part of the New tc
clip has already been con- m
for on the sleeps back at m
II advance of about Is per cent over tt
lst year. al
Word from South America is to the cy
fleet that buyers from England and
are competing for the clip
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