WOOL IMPROVES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 299, 17 December 1937, Page 4

WOOL IMPROVES.

FIRST TIMARU SALE.

BEST PRICES OF SEASON

MERINO UP TO 17% d PER LB

(By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.")

TIMARU, this day,

At the first wool sale in Timaru for the J current season, 14,634 bales were catalogued, compared with 17,881 bales at the corresponding sale last year. The original allocation for the sale was 20,000 bales, but it was not filled as numbers of growers withheld their clips in anticipation of better prices at later sales. The opinion of buyers was that the sale was the best held up to the present this season. Compared with the Christchurch sale values were a full halfpenny in advance for halfbreds and a halfpenny to three farthings for crossbreds. There were few withdrawals and passings wrrc normal. The wool was in much heavier j condition than last year, containing a fair percentage of dust, but on the whole it was sound, though not quite as well j grown as in previous seasons. [ Experts consid«red that the quality was at least half a quality finer than in previous years because of the climatic conditions. No Japanese Buying. As at the previous sales the Continental section dominated the market, but Bradford picked up a fair quantity of suitable lots. Japan and America were out of the market. There was a small selection of Merino, the better lots of which were purchased by Dominion mills, which were als.o active for best halfbreds. Bellies and pieces were keenly competed for by Continental buyers and on a clean and scoured basis were relatively dearer than fleece wool. Prices were:—Merino, 13Vtd to 17% d per lb; halfbred. 12% d to 18% d; threequarterbred. lOd to 15% d; Corriedale, 13% d to 16% d; crossbred. Od to 13Vid; halfbred pieces, to lGd; Merino pieces, to 15d; three-quarterbred. to 14% d; crossbred pieces, to ]2d; halfbred necks, to 15}4d; Merino necks, to 15% d. SALES IN SYDNEY. SYDNEY, December 16. At the closing wool auctions of the halfyear to-day 10,368 bales were offered. Of these 9360 were sold and 1108 privately. Competition was animated, with -Japan providing good support. The market ruled in sellers' favour for best descriptions of both Merino and crossbred. Other sorta were unchanged. Greasy Merino made to 28% d, which was a record for the Sydney market this season. GROWERS' DIFFICULT SEASON. MELBOURNE, Decem.ber 16. Addressing shareholders of Goldsbrough, Mort, and Company. Limited, at the annual meeting in Melbourne, the chairman, Mr. K. Niall, said the first half of the wool selling season, now practically closed, had been generally difficult and disappointing, due largely to political and economic troubles in the United States and the disturbances in bjie Far East. He added that the present level of prices little more than covered the expenses of growing wool. Brokers at present had unusually large quantities of wool in their stores. FIRMER AT BRADFORD. The wool market at Bradford is firmer on the strength of raw materials. Following are to-day's quotations and those of recent weeks:—

Nov. Dec. Dec. Dee. 25. 2. 0. 10. per lb. per lb. per lb. per lb. d. d. d. d. Seventies ... 2RJ 30 31 33 Sixty-fours . 27 28 30 31 Sixties 20 27 2t» 30 Fifty-eijfhts . 241 24J 24J 25 Fifty-sixes ..23 23 23 23i Fifties 20 20 18J 19 Forty-sixes . — — — — Forties . — — — —