WOOL SALES.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15490, 18 January 1916, Page 7

WOOL SALES.

pos ti-oxi:m I:NT at dixkdi.N'. shoetagk ok shipping space. (r?x?s association telegram.) BUNEWN, .January 17. The wool sales I,ad boon fixed far Wcducsdav next, have been postponed indefinitely owing tn the unccrfaintv .-»> t« the provision or shipping ! cc for tho wool. The Northern ; P M I eales will «Im> have to be postlow 1 pending some satisfactory understanding regarding shipping spnee.^ A meeting of .tho Sn Vhxhe ot wool from th lt D wS' dee'ded to communicate with the Government. nicnibiM'.s oi 1 arliamrnt and the .■ompi.m.'s\ anfl Scsi them'to »h« their k-st endeavours to secure shinning ->ace to carry "t l7riTaSß3f in. if possible, ],oltl the sale .set down lor Wednesday Oi this week m conjunction with the February tale.

POSITION IX "WELLINGTON. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TKI.IX.KAJI.') WELLINGTON. January 17. •The 'Wcllinctoi] wool brokers met today U> consider the position arising out of the shortage of freight. About .1.3.000 bales have been catalogued for next week's *ale. and the freight in is only sufficient for 15,U00 bale-.. Enquiries are being made in Australia. and it is hoped that space may be obtainable, so that the forthcoming North Island sales may be held as arranged. Meantime the wdiarf shed accommodation is taxed to the utmost, and unless the w-00l is lifted soon, growers will be compelled to hold their clips up country. Flax and other produce not requiring insulated space are equally affected by* the freight shortage. proposed limited catalogue. . (special to "the pkess.") WELLINGTON, January 17. Tt is certain that Wellington brokers ■will make no such arrangement with buyers for the next sale here on the 23th inst. as was made at Invorcargill on tho 14th. Tho woolbrokcrs met today to consider the best eourso to tako in the abnormal circumstances, and agreement was reached as to a moro simple compromise. The catalogue for the sale is about 35,000 bales, steamer space is in sight for 3000 bales only, but there is a good chance of two other ships being available, which mil increase this amount to 8000 bales. Assuming that space for 8000 bales is available, the "Wellington woolbrokcrs have in mind to offer a limited catalogue of 10,000 bales. This would allow a margin for passed-in lots, and for absorption bv local mills and local manipulators, leaving about 8000 bales to be sent Home. There is a sale at Napier on January 29th, for which 10,000 bales arc offering. No doubt some compromise will have to be made about it. For the February sales, catalogues are •usually much-smaller, but it is impossible to say how big a percentage will have to be carried over from January. Indeed, the opinion is expressed that instead of having the last wool sales of tho season in "March, we shall still be holding sales in May or even later than that. It -would be pure guesswork to say what effect all this will have on wool prices. For the present it will cause a great deal of inconvenience. , financial and otherwise, and will make both buyer nnd seller unhappy. In Wellington there is another difficulty, that of storing the wool until shins come to take it away. Every wool store in the city is full,' and a great manv buildings not at all suited for the trade are now filled with wool. AH over the town wool is stored, and a huilding that will hold 500 bales will find a ready lessee at a good rental. So serious is the position that steps have been taken by the woolbrokers, by interviewing tho Harbour Board "and Railway Department, to prevent any more wool being brought here. Farmers will have to mako shift and keep ' their own 'wool for a time, but this is no easy matter, for many of them, for in this part of tho country few farmers haro space for their own clip. At shearing time they get a truckload or more awny before the whole flock is cut out, and «o eko out their limited store space. However, the storage problems We as nothing to the financial problems "which' are sure to occur and which will prwent themselves to different people afiij institutions in n multitude of ways according to their circumstances.