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Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14563, 14 January 1913, Page 4

Messrs H. ilatsoa and Co. report:— We submitted a catalogue ol 3579 bales, and sold all with the exception of eoine twenty-seven lots. This goes t<. chow that tn* pessimistic canards that have been in circulation regarding the falling market, etc., have for the most part been moonshine, and it is pleasing to note thst buyers who Tisited our sales at l«a«t have ccn'ideace in the future prospects of the market, ac they cleaned up the catalogues in a eolid and convincing manner. It seems to the writer that if an agent over-values his catalogue or his vendors give him prohibitive reservee that prevent sales, that particular agent is prepared to record a drop. On the other hand, if he under-values his catalogue and ckars the lot he is prepared to Tegard a buoyant market. The same thing applies to the buyers. To-day, a buyer will eit down >nd buy a couple of thousand bales of wool Befoie next sale he has got a drastic cable with instructions to go slow, the result being that he cits through the next sale practically without buying, and to account for his ac- ] tion loudly avers that pricce are dearer than previously. Such instances are recorded upon the thermometer of the business, and to arrive at a fair and level estimate of values locally, we have found it is always best to depend upon our own judgment. ; 1. Our estimate of to-day's eale—Halffareda were selling at prices equal to last sale to id cheaper. 2. All Continental and medium fine wools wore, selling quite equal to last eales. 3. All fine and ehowy three-qxiarterbrcde were selling irregularly from par to Jd cheaper. 4. Crossbreds were selling from par to Jd cheaper. 6. Pieces wcr« selling irregularly, tho very best being equal to last eaJes and medium Id to jd eaeior. The high priced lots mostly fell to one of tho Southern merchants and one of the English buyers. The American buyers may have been getting a large share, but aa their commissions are executed by buying brokers it would be hard to allocate them. The medium wools were more eagerly competed for at standard range of prices, and it wne nothing strange, to find iive or six buyers calling the same price, causing euch n;i uproar and pandemonium that one would wonder why it wa3 necessary. Several buyers who have this year joined the ranks of our honourable and ancient body of fleece gatherers, from time to time, jiot right out of hand—at times actually resorting tovar.derules and conditions of long standing. WHAT ABOUT IT? ADJUSTMENTS KEQUIIIED. When one cornea to think that during the month of January approximately 134,000 bales (Auckland 10.000, Wellington 25,000, Napier 26,70 i), Invercargill 1000, Dunedin 2200. Timaru 12,000) are offered to the buying public in New Zealand, such offering being quite equal to tho London eales, the producers can grasp the fnet that the finnncial power required to lift such an enormous bulk of wool requires a fnir amount of arranging; in fact the position is so very very eerious that wo are convinced thnt more time should be given both in valuing and selling at the various centres. Now, t«ko tho present catalogue in Chrktchurch, when 27,000 baled of wool arc offered comprising 2i)00 lots. The catalogues were available on Thursday. What is to prevent tho buyers from valuing up to, say, 3 o'clock on Thursday, and the brokers arranging to sell 1400 lots each day, commencing, say, at 4 p.m., and selling two houre before tea, allow one hour for tea, and sell two hours after? If euoh a step had been taken for the present eeries their selling would have been easily through by Monday without starting at the early hour of 8 o'clock and Belling to a late °Again, take an individual buyer who comes to compete in our market, he is forced to have three strenuous days of valuing wool and th»n tired out, is again forced, if iio wants any wool, to yell in a. room from 8 o'clock in the morning till all hours at night. Such buyer cauuot do justice to his employer if he survives the ordeal, and in the attempt, if his constitution is not made of steel, he must sooner or later break down. It is alright . for the larger firms who have two or three or four buyers, who can take turn about in tho sale room, and can divide i the valuing. But where, there is ono man it is impossible for him to give the attention to the whole of the lots, consequently, somo producer may be a loser. j Again, before euch a buyer is able to square ' -up hie purchases here and make out his shipping instructions, he has to hustle and rush away to another centre, leaving, in all probability, his purchases in a chaotic state, irequently leaving many lots that have been passed to his bid at prices that the agents can accept, to compete for dearer lots of a similar class in another centre. We are quite convinced that it is time something on the lines which we. suggest should -be adopted. If 1400 lots had been sold on Thursday and Friday'and Saturday and Monday, a- buyer competing on Thursday would have had time to communicate with his principals, and if he had not been a large buyer, owing* to restricted limits, he in all probability might have been a great factor in the closing day of the market. The various agents ehould bind themselves that no reports or any communications, to vendors, or no account sales phould go out until the close of tho scries, therefore anyone drawing late would be just ac well off aa the agent who drew early. Our next wool eale. takea place on the 13th of February, and wo are now prepared to receivo consignments. . : The following are some of our principal sales : — Peter, J., MT. Somcrs .. .. 13J Barwell Broe., Loburn .. •• 13i Gilchrist, W., West Oxford .. 12i Boag, J. N., Burnside ~ .. .. 121 Burgin, H. M., Amberley .. .. 12J ilcGrath, J., West Oxiord .. 12J Morrow, D. J.. Montalto .. . ...122 Jameson, H-, Balcairn ~ .. 12J Kennedy, J.\ Waianui .. .. 12| llsse, W., Ashburton .. .. 12J Forrester, Jd. 8., Woodgrove .. 125 Hall, T., Waikari .. .. 12* Forrester, W., Hurunui \. .. 12i Campion and Watson, Woodgrove... 12J ' Philpott, A., Loburn .. .. V2\ May, A., Amberley .. .. 12| Crampton, M. M., Rotherham . .. .12J- " Armstrong, C. H., Mt. Somers .. 12 ■Macfarlane, Mrs M. N., Waikari .. 13 Oliver, C, Kolherham .. ..12 Moore, H. H., Waiau .. ... 1:2 Brcoksdale Estate, H&warden .. 12 Skurr, W. J., Bennetts .. ..12 Slft-ekhouse Bros., Amberley •. 12 Blackelt. H., Loburn • .. .. 12 Mclhvrailh. J.. East Oxford ' .. 113 Furze, J.' 8.,-Balmoral .. ' .. 11 J Thompson, D. T., Culverdea .. 112 Hunter, D. W., Gitlverden . .. llj Bbrgfcldt, J., Amberley .. .. 11J Walker, T., Selwyn .. ~ HJ. Baxter Bros., Kuapuna .. .. HJ Wotherspooii, A., West Oxford .. 11 J Hassall, G. H.. Kaiapoi .. .. llj , Clarkson and Sons .. .. llj Harland, I\,' Kotherham .. .. llj Gardner, E., Scargill .. .. HJ Menzies. W., Menzie's Bay .. HA McGratlt, D., West Oxford .. uj Wallis Bros., Governor's Bay .. IIJ O'Brien, W., E Hawarden .. .. nj Feather, E., Loburn .. .. U.i Frizzcll. A.. West Oxford .. ..11* Moor, J., Lauriston .. ~ 111 Watson, J., Greendale .. .. nj Webb Bros., Hororata .. .. nj Fieher, Percy, East Oxford Hi Gardner, A., Scargill .. ~ u> We allocate purchases in our catalogue *ac follow: — Britifli manufacture .. .. 1700 Continental .. .. .. 500 Local Factories .. .. .. 420 Local Scourers .. .. ~ ,jg<j Speculafion .. .. ~ jg--10-2 3M5