509 



the uses of manufacturers in North America and Europe the wool 

 world is much indebted to Helmuth Schwarze & Co., wool brokers, 

 London. Mr. Sauerbeck of that firm is a practical economist of the 

 first order, whose statistical labors are universally esteemed. He 

 deals in the statistics which follow with the amount of wool pro- 

 duced in North America and Europe (excluding the Balcan Penin- 

 sula) and with the wool imported into the same two continents, 

 the United Kingdom included. Out of consideration of space the 

 table relating to grease wool is omitted. Let it suffice to say that 

 in estimating yields, shrinkages have been allowed for approximately 

 as follows: 



British wools 25 / 



Continental 33 



North American 66 



Plate and Australian 50 



Other wools, mohair, etc 35 



During 1909 imports into the two continents will of course show 

 a large increase but as the table stands, Europe and America had 

 in the one set of six years an average of i 220000000 pounds of 

 clean wool at their service and in the next six an annual average 

 of i 258 ooo ooo pounds. How does this work out per head of 

 population in the countries of the two continents concerned ? 

 Helmuth Schwarze & Co. present these figures. 



Clean wool at disposal, per capita : 



1861-870 Ibs. 2,26 



1871-880 2,43 increase 7 l / 2 / 



1881-890 2,57 6 



1891-900 2,76 7 ! / 2 * 



1901-908 > 2,62 decrease 5 



The same authorities give estimates year by year of the pro- 

 portion of merino to crossbred in the Colonial and River Plate clips. 

 These estimates may help to explain why with a rising population 

 the quantity of wool per head of people is as well maintained. 

 The calculation is that in 1895 the proportion of scoured cross- 

 bred wool was 31.7 per cent, it was 50.7 by 1900, 48.1 in 1902 

 and 51.8 in 1904. The proportion fell until 1907 when 45 per cent 

 was indicated; it rose to 46.7 per cent in 1908. It is the con- 

 vinction of those men who know the colonial markets best that 

 crossbred will increase relatively to merino. It cannot be said that 



