RAW HIDES.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 1208, 19 November 1919, Page 7

RAW HIDES.

HIGH PRICES RULE AT AUCTION IN DUNEDIN. HOW THE GOVERNMENT FIXED PRICE WORKS IN PRACTICE. Everybody Who wears boots is interested in the price of hides; therefore all arc concerned as to the doings on Monday afternoon (says the 'Star') at the first auction of hides :ir Otago for the last three mouths. It was held by Waters, Ritchie and Co., under the new Government regulations, whereby tanners arc allowed to take 50 per cent, of each grade offered ;, t fixed | prices. We 'giv© one line as au example. Mr Ritchie put up a parcel of 90 ox hides averaging 731b; the tanners ! took 50 per cent, of the parcel at the Used price of 14d r per lb; the balance we.ro bought in open competition at 21d. Taking the sale as a whole, the prices realised for all that went to Auction were Gd per lb above the prices that the tanners secured their hides for. Hides that previous to the war would not have brought more than 14d per lb now averaged (with the Government fixed.price) I'd per lb. Values ruled higher than ever before in this market. In reply to a question as to how the various selling •wn'crs' prices would ne sorted out of the various grades, we arc informed that they Trill be averaged,, and the average price taken as the Government fixed price calculated in with the price actually realised for the balanco of the lino.