WINTER WOOL SALE

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27739, 17 August 1955, Page 12

WINTER WOOL SALE

Strong Crossbreds Sell_ Well WEAK MARKET FOR FINER SORTS Although there was a sound sale for crossbred wool, particularly the coarser types, at yesterday’s sale of crutchings and oddments in * the Repertory Theatre, Christchurch, finer wools were largely neglected. The sale comprised the combined catalogues of Christchurch and Timaru wools. Good crossbred lots frequently brought from 46d to 48a. with occasional extra strong 40-46 s making up to 542<L which was the top price of the day. Last y ® a T’ s pr * ce super lots was 56 a d. The finer wools presented an entirely different picture, and were sold on a weak market. The catalogue was 9621 bales—B746 at last year’s opening sale—and Comprised 5708 from the Christchurch brokers and 3913 from Timaru. The wools were valued separately in each centre. The Christchurch catalogue contained 1050 lots, and that from Timaru 911.

The quality of the wool, generally, was well up to standard and, as was the case last year, the offerings were representative of practically the whole of the northern half of the South Island. Naturally, fine wools predominated, but there was a fair weight of crossbred. The crutchings had plenty of bulk and mostly the colour left little to be desired. Some of the crossbred wool opened up particularly well. Included in the catalogue was a small proportion of early-shorn wool in good condition and the usual end-of-season clean-up wools. From the start it was a dragging sale, especially for the finer wools, which met with very restrained bidding. Passings were frequent, and it was early apparent that, apart from long, strong 40-46’s crossbreds, buyers were not disposed to bid freely. This state of affairs prevailed until about noon; when passings became fewer, but after an hour or so a spate of passings of Merinos and other finer wools again set in and persisted till the end of the sale. Over all, a good fifth of the finer wools was passed in, but after the sale a considerable portion of these was sold by private treaty. With no standard of comparison available, the market for finer wools was difficult to assess. In line with what farmers have been led to expect by the premium paid for long-woolled breeds at the ewe fairs and at Addington, values were definitely weaker. Merinos in particular being hard hit. The market for the average run of crossbreds might well be quoted as slightly below late rates realised in the south. The wool was sold in 12 separate catalogues, and the 1961 lots were disposed of in about six hours’ selling time. The Timaru crossbreds were f? n^r al . ly of stronger type than those of Christchurch.

. The Continent did most of the buying, with fair support from Bradford. m the light of events, there was ss ? ome bu ying on account of the United States. Local mills appeared largely inactive. The bench of buyers, although not .full, was fairly w.ell occupied. Merinos appeared to be the wools hardest hit, and it took a good parcel Crossbred crutchings and crossbred fleece to 49 4 d. The best of the halfbred crutchmgs sold to about 42d, with up to 581 d being paid . for fleece wool. ThreeS! U i? rt «? crutchings sold up to fully 51d. What little lambs wofll there was sold from 46d to 49d. The catalogue and of the sale was:— Christchurch

Prompt dates are September 6 for Timaru and September 13 for Christchurch. The first main Bales jn Canterbury will be held sjat Christchurch on October 31, and at .Timaru on December 9. OFFICIAL REPORT The official report isaned last evening by the Christchurch Woolbrokers’ Association, in conjunction with the New Zealand Woolbuyers’ Association and the New Zealand Wool Commission, is as follows: The winter sale of crutchings and oddments was held yesterday. The crutchings on the whole were well grown and of fair colour, but were rather heavier in condition than last year, and many of the farmers’ lots were poorly got up. Included in the offering were a few lines of early-shorn fleece wool which opened up attractively, being mainly clean and lightconditioned. There was also a sprinkling of straggler wool. lambs and oddments. There was a good attendance of buyers and bidding wds fairly keen at times, but the market showed a general easing of about 5 per cent, from the-recent Invercargill sale. The better sorts met with good competition, but inferior and badly graded wools were irregular, and at times neglected. The market reflected the recent easing in values at the Home markets, but prices are still on a profitable basis for farmers. Passings were more frequent than for some years past, but were to a large extent confined to the finer qualities or inferior sorts. The following is the oflßcial range of prices: —

N.Z. Farmers’ Co-op. Assn Bales 1136 Pyne, Gould,, Guinness Ltd. .. 1221 National Mortgage and Agency Company, Ltd. .. . . 841 Dalgety and Co., Ltd. 1433 N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co.,. Ltd. 501 H. Matson, and Co. .. . ’ 583 Timarn 5708 National* Mortgage and Agency Co., Ltd. 808 N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd. 277 Canterbury Farmers’ Co-op. Assn., Ltd. 949 Dalgety and Co., Ltd. .. 885 Pyne, Gould, Guinness Ltd. 663 Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd. 331

prices:— d Crutchings Merino, 60/64’s— Good to super .. .. 33 to 381 Average .. .. .. 29 to 32 Inferior .. .. • • 24J to 28 Fine Halfbred, 56/58’s — Good to super .. .. 37 to 40| Average .. .. 34 to MJ Inferior .. .. 24 to 32 Halfbred, 50/56’s—

~ . d d. Good to super .. ..37 to 41 i Average .. .. .. 33 to 36| Inferior .. .. .. 24 to 30 Three-quarterbred, 46/50’s— Good to super .. .. 44 to 51 Average .. .. ..37 to 42 Inferior .. .. ..26 to 32 Crossbred. 44/48's— Good to super .. .. 46 to 51J Average .. .. ..38 to 44 Inferior .. .. .. 30 to 34 Coarse Crossbred— Good to super .. ..50 to 53 Average .. .. 44 Second Halfbred, 50/58’s— to 49 Good .. .. .. 31 to 33 Average .. .. .. 27 to 30 Inferior .. .. .. 22 to 26 Second Three-quarterbred. 46/50’a— Good .. .. ..33 to 37J Average .. .. .. 29 to 32 Inferior .. .. 24 to 28 Lambs* wool sold up to 49d. Early-shorn Fleece— Fine Halfbred .. — to 58 Medium half bred .. — to 56 Three-quarterbred . • — to 53