WOOL TRADE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 292, 10 December 1936, Page 4

WOOL TRADE.

SALE IN WELLINGTON. LATE ADVANCES MAINTAINED. JAPAN DOMINATES THE MARKET. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Growers who sold their clips to-day have every reason to be fully satisfied with the results of the first Wellington wool sale of the 1936-37 season. Prices were easily the highest recorded in Wellington since the 1928-29 season, when an average level of over £21 a bale or 14.88 d a lb was reached. As was the case at Auckland and Napier, the Wellington market to-day was dominated by Japanese buying, and prices were generally from 60 to 70 per ccnt in advance of those recorded twelve months ago. In many cases the advance was even greater, and some growers received twice as_ much ' for their wool as ill December, 1935. The toj) price of the sale was 24% d. paid for two lines of the well-known "Spur" brand clip from Terawhiti station. One comprised seven bales of A lialfbred wether, and the other eight bales of A lialfbred hogget wool. Excellent Clearance. An excellent clearance of a total offering of 30,000 bales was made, passings at the auction, being only six per cent. There was an unusually large bench of buyers, representative of every section of the trade, the Japanese being prominent. From first to last the market was dominated by Japan, with strong support from the Continent and the United States. Bradford appeared to be operating with great reserve throughout the sale. A remarkable feature of the sale was its dragging nature, considering the strong , demand for wool and the high prices ruling. A slow sale is usually associated with a weak market. To-day's sale started punctually at 9 o'clock, but was not finished until after 6 o'clock. There was keen public interest in the sale, the galleries being well filled all day. The offering was a very representaj tive one for the first sale. Crossbrcds preI dominated, and there was a fair quantity lof lialfbred, but Merino and lamb wool | were in short supply. There were few ! super halfbreds. Review of Prices. Average halfbreds made from 18d to 21V»d. Crossbreds made 14Vid to 18M:d for finest sorts. 14% d to 19d for medium qualities, 14% d to 17% d for coarse, and to 16'/4d for low sorts. Super, hogget anade as high as 22d, but medium sorts were rather disappointing. Lamb wool made g<>ojl prices, most of it going at from 16d to 18d, while bellies and pieces sold at from 10% d to 14% d. Crutellings made good prices. One broker estimated the rise in prices, I compared with those of last season, as I follows:—Halfbred, 7d to 8d; crossbred, j6d to 8d; hogget wool, 5d to 7d; lamb I wool, 5d to 5V6d; bellies, pieces and locks, I3d to 4d. Taking the quality into account the market to-day was generally firm on j the Napier sale. I High prices were paid for the lower grade lines in many clips. Many of the IB and C grades sold better than A lines, jln one well-known clip nine bales of B I ewe Wool made 17d, and 27 bales of A ewe 10d. Many Notable Advances. The following is the range of prices lat to-day's sale, compared with those realised at the sale in April this year: —

FIRM IN SYDNEY. SYDNEY, December 9. At the wool sales to-day 12,120 bales were offered and 8900 were sold, and 2,344 were disposed of privately. Best descriptions realised full lato rates, but the irregularity of medium and inferior sorts continued. Greasy Merino made 30Vzd per Sales of wool in Sydney from July 1 to the close of the November auctions totalled 538,883 bales. Japan has been absent, but apart from that missing factor, competition has been more widely distributed than for a long time. Years have elapsed since the Continent and America have bought so freely. Last season the strength of the market practically depended on Yorkshire and Japan. The more widespread demand experienced from France, Germany, Italy and the United States, and sustained English bidding this season has actually provided a less risky market than last year, when Bradford and Japanese buyers were dominant. The major question, writes Winclicombe, C'arson, in a recent review, is the extent to which prices can rise without checking trade. It is not in the interests of sheepowners for the cost of wool to stimulate the use of staple fibre and other substitute materials. The cost of these fibres does not vary to any degree. They are factory produced and output of them can more or less be .increased pr decreased as occasion demands. Whilst wool prices have been rising, the cost of rayon and staple fibre has been stationary.

| April, 1030. To-day. I Merino — d. (...oVa Super — —11 to —13 ! Average 13 to 14 to J1 I Inferior Hi 1-2 to | Fine lialfbrcd — Super 123 to 151 21 to 241 Average 103 to 121 IS to 20J Inferior 81 to 02 15 to 1<3 Medium lialfbred — Super 1-3 to 141 201 to 23 Average 102 to 1-i 10l to JO Inferior & to i 01 13 to 101 Kxtra line crossbred — Super 10J to 113 1 * 1 to IS! Average 8J to 101 131 to 17 Inferior 71 to Si 13 to 15 Fine crossbred — Super 91 to 10i 131 to 19 Average 81 to 0 14 to 101 Inferior 7 to S 12 to 14 Medium crossbred —- Super 8? to 91 151 to 19 Average 73 to 81 141 to 10 Inferior 01 to 71 12 to 13 Coarse crossbred— Super S3 to 91 151 to 18 Average 73 to Si 14 to 101 Inferior 01 to 71 123 to 101 Low crossbred— Super S3 10 to 101 Average 73 to SI 141 to 151 Inferior to 71 13 to 15 Hoggets— 52-34 - s — to 201 4S-50's 73 to 12 13 to IS 40-48's 8 to 103 13 to 101 44-40's S to 91 13 to 10 40-44 Y? 7 to 83 — 30-40's 7 to SI _ — Lambs— Down 71 to 133 131 to 10 Fine 71 to 111 13 to 18 Medium 7 to 9 12 toll Seedy anil inferior 41 to 71 11 to 133 Bellies and pieces— Merino : Good to super . . 91 to lCcj — Low lo medium . to 71 — llalfbred : Good to super . . 53 to 91 13 to 15 Low to medium . 3 to 7 111 to 121 Crossbred : Good to super . . 0 to 9.1 10J to 141 Low to medium 4 to 01 7 to 11 Crutchings : Medium to good (! to S3 12 to 15 Inferior and seedy 21 to 53 9 to 13 Locks— Merino — 8 to 93 Haifbred 5 to 5J S3 to 91. Crossbred 31 to 51 71 to 101