52 Per Cent Passed In At Timaru Wool Sale

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31339, 8 April 1967, Page 22

52 Per Cent Passed In At Timaru Wool Sale

The 1966-67 wool-selling season at Timaru did not end very impressively yesterday. Passings to the trade and the Wool Commission were as heavy as at any other sale in the province this season, and in many respects the sale was more like recent auctions in the coarser wool centres in the North Island.

Of the 20,804 bales of greasy and scoured wool offered, 10,940 bales, or more than 52 per cent, were passed at auction.

The weakness of the market was a result of a combination of circumstances. The offering was more like a North Island one, with medium and coarse crossbred ewe fleece predominating. For a Canterbury sale there was surprisingly little fine wooL And, coming at the end of the season, the offering was not attractive. Much of the wool was showing weakness in the staple and also tended to be cotted.

Officially medium and coarse crossbred wool was quoted as being largely unchanged in price on recent rates, but the market was certainly no better, and the average observer might have been forgiven for thinking it was not as good. The procession of passing from start to finish was both impressive and depressing. Of the greasy wool offered 10,046 bales, or 48.3 per cent of the selection, was passed to the commission. The commission placed its floorprice bid on 1477 lots, or more than 60 per cent of lots offered, and its bids were on a total of more than 15,000 bales. While it continued to be the coarser crossbreds, both fleece and skirtings, in which the commission was most intereted perforce, the range of its operation seemed to be a little wider, with medium crossbred also being passed to its bid, but relatively little wool of 50s count or finer was passed to it. Brevity

So heavy were the passings that one auctioneer told the bench that he would conserve his breath by refraining from reporting “Passed to the commission” when no-one topped the commission’s bid. He would say simply, “commission.”

On a number of occasions lots of wool attracted no Interest at all when they were put up, and auctioneers passed them over with the comment, “No bdd.”

There was a welcome change in the atmosphere in the saleroom on the aM-too-rare occasions when fine wool was offered. On these occasions the buyers displayed renewed life and enthusiasm. However, although the better class of fine wool was quoted as being steady on late rates, the poorer quality wools in this category did not have such a good sale and were

probably easier In price, too. Combing lambs also tended to be easier. Apart from the crossbred ewe fleece, the entry aleo included a sizeable quantity of lambs’ wool and secondshear wool.

While prices for fleece wool were generally simitar to those ruling in Christchurch last month, values for fine wool were from 2d to M per lb lower than a year ago, with the margin being greater for the coarser qualities, and values for crossbred wools were about 9d to lOd behind last April’s rates.

The main weight of the limited selection of halfbred and Corriedate wool brought from 46d to 53d, with the finer qualities selling from about 50d to 56d, medium qualities from 48d to 52d, and stronger wool from 43d to 48d.

Only a small amount of Merino wool was catalogued. Priced ranged mainly from 49d to 56d.

In the crossbred section values lay mainly between 36d and 44d, with the finer qualities making from 38d to 45d, medium from 35d to 39d, and stronger wools from 33d to 36d. Both fine and coarser lambs’ wool sold between about 34d and 45d, and second-shear fine wool realised from about 40d to 45d, and coarser second-shear wools ranged from about 29d to 37d. Fine-wool necks sold from 40d to 44d, with coarser necks making from 31d to 36d; fine-wool pieces ranged from 32d to 40d, with coarser quality making from 26d to 31d; and fine-wool bellies brought from 25d to 33d, with coarser sorts making from 17d to 27d.

Values exceeded 60d on three occasions, and the top price was Slid for a single bale of Merino wool. The main buying interest was again shown by the Continent, with some support from Japan. Of the offering of 252 bales of scoured wool sold at the end of the greasy wool sale, all but 31 bales were passed.

Merino wool sold to Slid for a single bale of binned wool in the catalogue of Wright, Stephenson and Company, Ltd. T. P. Lowe and Company, Windermere, sold five bales at 59id, and for a four-bale lot of binned wool Pyne, Gould,

Guinness Ltd., was paid 58ld. Mount White Station, Cass, received 57id for six bales and sold for another four bales of hogget wool. Al D. Trotter, Fairlie, was paid 57id for five bales. Southdown wool. was among the highest priced. For four bales in the catalogue of the National Mortgage and Agency Company, Ltd., the price was sold, and Wright, Stephenson and Company had two bales of binned wool at 60id. One of the best sales under a grower's Brand was at 57id for four bales from Craigburn Farm, Ltd., Waimate.

For halfbred wool the top price was 59d for three bales of superfine wool from J. D. Waymouth, Fairtie. The same grower also had 10 bales at 551 d. For five bales, B. M. Gardner, Waihaorunga, was paid 56d, and 55d was the price for four bales from the Estate A. A. Lowe, Ashburton Forks. F. Berry, Mayfield, received Slid for five bales, and sales at Slid were made by N. R. J. Hampton (Ashburton) for five bales, and by the estate W. M. Turner (Mayfield) for five bales. Quarterbred wool made to 55id for a single bale amongst the binned wool of Wright, Stephenson and Company. Three-quarterbred wool brought to 47d for four bales of binned wool in the catalogue of the Canterbury Farmers' Cooperative Association, Ltd. The same firm also sold 28 bales at 46d. R. G. Gudsell (Rangitata) had four bales at 44id and L. G. R. Edgar, Ealing, had eight bales at 44id. For another four bales D. W. G. Squire (Maungati) earned 43id.

One of the best prices in the crossbred section was 50id for one bale in the catalogue of the National Mortgage and Agency Company. The same firm also sold four bales at 50id. F. Berry (Mayfield) sold five bales of extra fine crossbred at 48id, and J. H. and D. Bayne (Ashburton)

had tour bale* st 48id. J. Barrett (Mayfield) also void six bale* at 47d.

solid to 44d for tour bale* of binned wool offered by Pyne, Gould, Gulnne** Ltd. W. R. George (Mayfield) realised 40id tor five bales and sale* at 40d were made by D. A. K. Shand (Otaio) for five bates and by Mount Peel Station (Peel Forest), for four bales. Croeabred lambs' wool sold to 45fd for five batea in the catalogue ot the Canterbury Farmers. J. H. MarabaU (Fairlie) also sold four' bates at 42td and tile same price wa* paid for five bates M Romney cross lambe’ wool from N. S. and D. N. Wreford (Cave), The

Son (Kingsdown) sold four bales at 42d and E. J. Parr (Fairlie) received 41M for five bale*. Sale* at 41d were made by D. J. Scarth (Ashburton) with four bates, and by F. H. Coughtan (Temuka) for five bailee.

Three-quartenbred lambs' wool made to 42d tor four bales from D. W. G. Squire. J. F. Gallagher (Mayfield) bad four bales at 40td and W. G. Waitace (Rangitata) received 40d for eight bales. HaMbred lambs’ wool sold to 45fd for five batea in the bin* of Pyne, Gould, Gtrinness Ltd. Corriedale wool brought 45d tor five bales from F. Berry (Mayfield) and for four bales from E. A. O. Pllbrow (Aahburton). Details of catalogues in order of sale were:—

Bale* Dalgety and New Zealand Loan, Ltd 3727 Pyne, Gould, Guinness Ltd 3768 National Mortgage and Agency Company ot N.Z., Ltd. .: 4151 Wright, Stephenson and Company, Ltd 4706 Canterbury Farmers’ Cooperative Association Ltd. 4206 Total 30,552 There was also a catalogue of 252 bales of scoured wool.