190 
The Organisation of the Wool Industry. 
As a result of the propagandist work of the Agricultural 
Organization Society sheep farmers in two districts, namely 
Carnarvonshire and the Brandsby and Malton districts in York- 
shire, decided to deal with their clips for 1913 on co-operative 
lines. In each of these experiments, however, there is a slight 
variation from the procedure outlined above. It will be seen 
in this scheme that the preliminary division of the wool should 
be made at the farm of a member of the society sending in the 
wool, but it was thought advisable to carry out all the classing 
of the wool at the depot hired for the purpose, although the 
cost is slightly more, at any rate for the first year, to ensure that 
the classing should be carried out with the utmost care and in 
order to give the experiment every chance of success. In the 
Brandsby and Malton districts of Yorkshire the work was 
undertaken by the Brandsby Agricultural Trading Society. 
Several meetings were held under the auspices of this society, 
aud the members decided that they would adopt the co- 
operative scheme, and promised that the fleeces from about 
7,000 sheep would be forthcoming for the experiment. A wool 
committee was formed amongst the members to carry out the 
scheme, a depot was hired at Malton (Yorkshire), estimates 
were obtained as to railway rates, sea freights, insurance, cost 
of bales, and cost of wool presses ; an expert classer was 
employed to visit the depot, when all the wool was sent in, to 
divide it into its proper lots in order that it should meet market 
requirements. It is interesting to note that the committee 
decided, in view of the fact that the wool was to be sold on 
the London Wool Exchange, to have it baled similar to the 
colonial wool which is sold on the Exchange, so that the buyers 
should be able to purchase it in a form to which they were 
accustomed. 
By the middle of June, 1913, over 7,000 fleeces had been 
received at the depot, and as each farmer’s wool came in it was 
weighed, and a receipt given him by the Secretary of the 
Society. Each farmer's wool was classed separately by an 
expert classer, and the amount of each class which should be 
credited to each member was noted. The time taken to 
complete the classing was about eleven days, and at the end of 
this time 197 bales of classed wool were consigned to London 
for sale at the London Wool Exchange. This was the first 
occasion on which English wool has been sold at the London 
and Colonial wool sales, and it is satisfactory to know that the 
competition for this wool was good. The Times for July 12th 
says : — 
“ The 200 bales of English wool from the East Riding commanded par- 
ticular attention from all sections of the trade, and met with spirited 
competition, very full prices being paid.’ 
