WOOL SALES.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13597, 4 December 1909, Page 11

WOOL SALES.

United Presi AnocUtion—B.7 Electrio Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, December 2. The -wool sales closed firm, with

strong competition

(Received December 3rd, 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, December 3.

At the London wool sales 102,000 bales were catalogued ; 45,(500 were sold for the Home market, 48,300 for the Continent, 15,000 for the United States, and 3000 held over.

There rasa large attendance till closing time. With strong Yorkshire competition in the last few days, compared with September sales, all crossbreds have advanced 5 per cent. Greasy merinos were rather irregular. Best wools lacked American support, and closed 5 per cont. lower, and taulties "i per cent, lower, but there was strong competition at these levels. Good scoured merinos were id above September figures, and lambs 10 per cent, dearer. WELLINGTON WOOL SALES. A VERY SATISFACTORY CLEARANCE. (frbss association telegram.) WELLINGTON, December 3. The second of the IUO9-10 series of Wellington wool sales held to-day r.as not only th© most important December sale yet held, but was a very satisfactory clearance of the wools ottered. Unlike the November sale, the American competition did not dominate the position, and for the very good reason that there was not the same selection for the requirements of that trade. It was essentially a Bradford Tops day. Condition for condition, prices were quite equal to those ruling at Napier. As was anticipated, there was keen competition for the lower grade wools, and taking condition into account, these were dearer than at the November auctions. The best price of the sale was 132 d for light, conditioned halfbred wool while a very light conditioned Romney line went up to 13} d, an advance of Jα on the best price on the November sale. In one or two catalogues a good percentage of the lines were passed in, owing to growers' ideas of value being above true market basis. Farmers had not only made the common mistake of supposing that because a certain crossbred topped a previous market, theirs should about do the same, but they had overlooked the fact that with the warmer weather, the wool was much heavier in condition than in November. Generally the prices realised were most satisfactory. The following are the prices ruling last December, and in November and December this year: —

Dec. '08 Nov. '09. Dec. '09. ddd d d d Best J-bd .. 94 to 12 — 12 to 13J Med. J-bred .. 7} to 8J 12 to 13J 11 to 12 Super X-bred 8i to 10J 11J to 12* 12 to 131 Med. X-bred 7 to 8J 8J to 10J 9J to 10J Coarse X-bred 6i to 71 7 to 9J 8 to 10 Infr. X-bred 5J to 6J 6J to 8 7 to 8J Bis. end pes. 3 to 7 4 to 7J 5J to 8i

Tlie actual prices realised cannot be accurately compared with those ruling at this time last year without allowance being made for the remarkably light condition of this season's clip.

At a sale of horses held in Christchurch on Thursday by (Messrs D. Anderson and Co. j prices realised were: — Light draughts £24 to £27, light harness horses £15 to £20, hacks £13 to £17, ponies £8 to £15.