A 'wool-stapler' is a dealer in
wool. The wool-stapler buys wool from the producer, sorts and grades it, and sells it on to manufacturers.
The expression is now antiquated. The word '
staple' in this context means 'a place appointed by royal authority, in which a body of merchants had exclusive right of purchase of certain goods destined for export'.
References
★ ''Oxford English Dictionary'' entries for 'wool-stapler' and 'staple'.