WOOL.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 209, 5 September 1927, Page 4

WOOL.

THE SEASON'S PROSPECTS. A HOPEFUL VIEW. Prospects for. the eheepfarmere next season are distinctly good; that is so far as the sale of fleece is concerned. Disposal of the carcase is another matter for the dead weight of apparently unlimited supplies of Argentine beef still oppresses the market for most classes of meat in London.

To a "Star" representative, a leading Auckland broker expressed a distinctly hopeful view. "It is true," he said, "we have had a lot of wet weather in July and August, which will tend td lessen the grease and lighten the weight of the fleece. At the same time what is lost in weight is partly made up by the higher price given when the yoke ie light. "The clip generally," he added, "promisee well because there was really no winter till the end of June, and stock were then in splendid heart and able to stand the wet weather which has followed. All we want now is a few fine eunny weeks to put "the sheep into perfect shearing condition."

As to the price, the augurs are all in favour of prices being, at least up to those ruling last year. The last London wool sales closed firmly, and the Sydney sales just commenced have been similar in tone.

Prospects are for a widespread competition at the coming season's Australian and New Zealand sales. American operatore, who were more or less diffident purchasers last season, appear likely to prove more vigorous competitors. Business is by no means booming, but consumption of wool in the United States during this year has advanced on 1926, and use of woollen fabrics appears to be on the up grade. Over the 1926-27 season, American competition did not attain its usual strength in the marketing of fine, light, free Merino wools. Recent developments encourage the belief that it will be a stronger factor in the sale of those lines this selling year.

Raw Material Wanted. Dalgety and Company, reporting from London on July 25, stated that results of the sales then closed might be considered satisfactory, because there had been no violent fluctuations in prices, but a steady den and throughout. "For some time it has been seen that the raw material dominates the situation, and English topmakers have had to put up their prices for tops, which still, however, brings them on a relatively lower level than the cost of the raw wool. Spinners and manufacturers say there is not sufficient business to justify them putting -up their prices, and the result is that business is very much of a hand-to-mouth character. It looks, however, as if there were not going to be any superabundance of wool in the coming season, and, therefore, it appears to us that the position of the staple is sound, and that the present level of prices is not likely to alter much."