WOOL SALES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 298, 23 December 1897, Page 3

WOOL SALES.

On Dec. lstatthe Wool Exchange, Queenstreet, the first wool sale of the season was held under the auspices of the Auckland YVoolbrokers' Association. There was a good attendance. Messrs Alfred Buckland and Son's lot of 1.670 bales was first submitted, Mr Alfred Buckland, sen., acting as auctioneer. Out of the lot 160 bales were passed. The prices realised all round showed a drop compared with last year. For longwool the top price realised was G./d and the average price o|d. For cross-bred, prices ranged from ofd to 7|d. The average was 6id. Half-bred brought up to 7d. Compared with last year longwool showed a drop of an average of id to i'd, and in some cases Id. For cross-bred there waa a drop of from .]d to _|d. The fine half-bred and cross-bred from Freshlield Estate, Taupiil, was passed at 7d. The principal buyers were Messrs Murgatroyd, Price and Lee from the South, and Messrs Campbell (Waipu), Slater, Parker, Warnock, C. Wood, Sutherland and Chas. Hesketh. The largest clip submitted was that of Mr A. Buckland, 100 bales. Mr Wm. Aitken, of Kereone, Morrinsville, had 85 bales cataloged. Messrs Hunter and Nolan submitted 1,219 bales, Mr J. P. A. Philson acting as auctioneer. Long-wool realised from sid to 6id, and crossbred from svd to 7d. Messrs Ford and party, of Mauiigaturoto, submitted the largest clip, 45 bales. Messrs Jas. Oliver (Papakura Valley), E. Wills, and Anderson (Mangere), Fitz Bros, and Houston also had lots catalogued. The principal buyers were Messrs Price, Murgattoyd, Chas. Hesketh, Parker, and C. Wood". The 30 bales of longwool of Ford and party brought 7d, which is Jd more than last year. The wool sale did not conclude until nearly live p.m. Messrs G. Binney and Sons offered SO I bales and sold 735. They obtained top price with Captain Kennedy's Waiheke Island Fssliii brand clip (54 bales), which sold attkl. The bid was received with applause, for the figure is equal to the highest obtained in Canterbury. Mr Parker was the purchaser. The average price the wool of Messrs Binney and Sons realised is as follows :—Fine crossbreds, 7£d ; coarse crossbreds, 7d : Lincolns (Bright), CJd ; medium mixed crossbreds and longwools, GAd ; inferior, s|d. Mr Kingswell made an efficient auctioneer.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency offered 1,100 bales in 326 lots, the bulk of which were sold under tbe hammer. In some instances owners' reserves prohibited business, but several of the passedin lots have been sold since the auction at reserves. Fine lustrous halfbred wools maintained last year's level of values, and were in keen demand, but coarse and inferior wools exhibited a decline of £d to -Jd

per lb. Fine halfbred was sold at 7:} d ; Lincoln, 6}d to 6jd ; coarse crossbred, Od to 6Ad ; inferior and colted, sid to s|d; pieces, 4^d to sid.