THE AUSTRALIAN WOOL SEASON.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14314, 27 March 1912, Page 8

THE AUSTRALIAN WOOL SEASON.

In a review of the 1911-12 Australian wool season Messrs Goldsbrough, Mort and Co. give some interesting information regarding the course of tho market, and tlio demand from various quarters as shown by the sales at tho different selling centres in tho Commonwealth. The exports of wool from Australasia from July Ist last to tho i>!)th of February, including 316,682 bales from New Zealand, was 2,0.53,391 bales, an increaso of 17,779 bales. New Zealand figures showed a falling off of 42,340 bales, and this was no doubt duo to the late shearing season experienced hero, and to the clip being somewhat lighter than last year. Messrs Dalgety and Co.'s figures for the sama period are slightly different, as this firm , shows an increaso for the eight months of 95,630 bale.s, and they credit New Zealand with 22,774 more bales than Messrs Goldsbrough, Mort and Co. One of tho points referred to by tho latter firm in their review is tho effect that tho cutting up of the largo pastoral properties is having upon the character of tho Australian wool clip. Tho subdivision of the- sheep runs and tho trend towards the crossbred, on account of their producing a biggerframed and quicker marketing; sheep than the merino, are tho main reasons for the Change. Tho days of the largo straight lines of" merino wools are steadily on tho wane, and buyers will find an ever-increasing difficulty in securing parcels of the size that prevailed only comparatively a few years ago* Of course, thero aro largo tracts of sheep country in tho interior of Australia that aro not likely to attract small settlers, at least not for many years to come, but the moro ac'cessibld parts : aro evidently ■experiencing what New Zealand has already .gone through. The effect here is greater, however, than in Australia, for tho change in tho South Island is j having a greater influence upon tho I character of tho mutton supply than upon wool. Messrs Dalgoty and Co. in their roview of tho Australasian wool trado deal moro fully with the demand of foreign countries for wool offered at tho colonial sales. In tho Sydney market tho Japanese buyers during tho current season have been operating in the highest class of greasy wool, and they purchased no less than 25,000 bales in that centre alone. This is not only so much raw wool taken off tho European market, but thero is great room for oxpansion regarding wool consumption in Eastern countries, and thero is no doubt that at the present timo the trado in wool with Japan is only in its infancy. China is also being looked upon as a probable market for Australian wool, and a writer in tho "Sydney Mail" advocates tho sending of a comprehensive wool exhibit to China with tho idea of fostering a trado. Germany was also a large buyer at tho Sydney sales this season. One largo buying firm has. purchased alono 16,000 bales, and other German houses have purchased the following respective quantities, viz. v 29,000 bales, 22,000 bales, 19,000 bales; 17,000 bales, 17,000 bales, and ii,ooo bales, from ( a glance at which—and these only constituto a portion of tho German purchases—it can be seen how important Aho German demand has been in the Sydney market this season. Thero was a fair proportion of buying on American account during February, and good support was also received from Yorkshire buyers, although the letter's limits apparently made it impossible for them to compete successfully with the Continental section. Tho French aro likewise consistent supporters of tho Australian wool sales. An interesting table is given by Messrs Goldsbrough, Mort and Co. showing tho estimated -distribution of the wool sold in Australasia during the 1911-12 season. The Home trade took 379,389 bales, or 22J per cent; Continent, 1,177,245 bales, or 68.J per cent; local manufacturers and scourers, 78,431 bales, or 4k per cent.; United States, 48,306 bales, or 2i per cent.; and Japan and India, 33,80 l bales, or IJ per cent. From these figures it will be seen that tho Continental section of the wool trade are by far the largest buyers of colonial wools offered at the local sales, and their operations during tho last five years show a substantial increase.