The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1917-02-23
WAR AND WOOL.

The all controlling influence of war
continues. The inevitable, of course.
happened. The attempt to subtrac.
three from two in the wool supply OF
the world has brought it's answer in
minus one.
The wool clip of 1916 sold for 60
TO 90 cents per secured pound but
the fleece on the sheep now running
around in the snow of our wool
growing States has been sold to deal.
ers under contract for delivery next
June on the secured basis of S1.OO per
pounds or more.
The United States uses 6,000,O0O 900
pounds of wool per annum. The clip
of the United States has decreased
in five years from 325,OOO,OOO t.
2S,O0O,000 pounds. The clips of Aus
tralia, Argentine and New Zealand
have decreased, the clip of all the
countries at war has almost disap-
peared; twenty million men at war
use five to ten times as much as
usual, and can't exist without it. And
there is no substitute.
If the war continues even for one
more year, if will not be question of
price, but of wool at any price, and
there is always the possibility of this
country being forced TO actual pre-
paredness, which would necessitate
taking for the army such wool as is
now III the mills for their general
trade
England has an embargo on wool
from home and all her colonies. We
are dependent on South America for
more than half our supply, and mus
bid against the necessities of war for
every pound we get.
So long as the war continues. cloth.
ing must climb in price by leaps ana
bounds, and what seems outrageously
high this season, appears a lost OPP
portunity next season.
The question naturally arises: Sup
pose the war should end? We know
it must end sometime, and God grant
that it may be soon, but whenever i.
ends the following facts must prevail:
LIST. The world will have no re-
serve supply Ol WOOL.
2nd. All the world Except posi-
bly, the United States) will have bare
counters
Bird. The countries now at war will
begin their renaissance.
4th. A large part of twenty million
men must discard their tattered, ve-.
min infested uniforms for civilians !
clothes.
5th. England, France, Germany. |
Australia and Belgium will leap a. !
each others threats in the greatest |
war Of history to recover |
the markets of the world and the gold |
that has been drained from them. !
9Th. The demand for raw wool AM !
cotton will be Unsuitable, because il !
takes nearly as much raw stock to ,
start Up a mill as it normally buys !
in six months.
eth. After an armistice is agreed .
upon, it will take surely two months |
to appoint the Peace Commissioners J
from all the countries at war and get
them to central meeting place. AZ
ter they meet, six months would be ,
a short time in which to agree upor !
the details involved in the boundaries
of all the countries at war. to say
OF indemnities and guaran-
tees of future peace.
Sth. No man can return to the fac
tory until everything is definitely
settled. but every factory owner will
seek raw materials at any price.
Our deductions from the foregoing
are:
1st That no matter how high wool
and cotton sell during the war, they
will sell much higher during the year
an armistice.
End That it will be more than six
months after fighting ceases before
quantities of cloth could be landed