Wool variable, but not much change

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33964, 3 October 1975, Page 11

Wool variable, but not much change

There was a slightly variable trend about the wool market at the second Christchurch sale of the season yesterday, but, over all, there was no great change.

The range of movement was from “sellers’ favour’’ for fine and extra fine halfbred and Corriedale fleece, to up to 2! per cent easier for halfbred and Corriedale crutchings and crossbred skirtings and oddments, including crutchings. But for the biggest weight of halfbred and Corriedale, and also crossbred fleece values, were similar to those ruling at the last sale, in Dunedin on September 11. The sale was probably better than expected, for there had been suggestions that the Woo] Marketing Corporation might be left with a lot of wool on its hands, but passings to the corporation amounted to 3602 bales, or only about 16.15 per cent of the offering. This was similar to the passings to the corporation at the last Christchurch sale in August. Freight rise From Wednesday of this week freight rates to Europe on wool were due to rise steeply, by a figure said in the sale room to be equivalent to about 4c or 5c per kilogram, but there was some doubt whether all the wool acquired for markets affected by the change was yet being subjected to the increase. But if it was. the market showed little alteration on that account. However, the market still fell well short of floor price levels and it was reported that 86 per cent of the offering on a bale basis qualified for supplementary payments. These payments were at similar levels to those made in August, with halfbred and Corriedale wools frequently receiving supplements ranging from 15c to 40c per kilogram, and farmers’ returns for crossbred wools often being boosted by amounts ranging from about 5c to 20c. About half of the offering j consisted of fine fleece, m eluding a smattering of Merino. Top price

Merino reached or topped the 200 c mark some 15 times, and headed the sale for the da> with 23 bales from Marlborough

I selling a) 221 c. The pick of the, halfbred and Corriedale brought ! from 160 c to more than 180 c/ ■ but a lot of halfbred and Cor- ; riedale wool still sold between about 130 c and 150 c, which was not much in excess of crossbred fleece which was making mainly from about 130 c to 142 c. It was usually the halfbred’ and Corriedale wools w-hich were passed to the corporation’s bid. Over the day it placed its bid on almost 63 per cent of the offering, or about 13,963 bales. Over the four catalogues offered, passings to its bld varied from 12.9 per cent to 16.9 per cent/ indicating that there was not a I great deal of variation in the! market during the day. For crossbred wools, competition was fairly general, but demand tended to be a little more restricted for the finer wools. The main competition came from local mills, the Continent and Eastern Europe, with some support also from Japan. Compared with the last Christchurch sale tn August, crossbred wools looked to be back by about 3c to sc. but for the finer wools there was no appreciable change. For the small offering of Merino wools, the market tended to be a little erratic and slightly easier than at Dunedin. The bulk of these wools made from about 170 c to 210 c, and at these levels were about 50c to 65c up on rates ruling a year ago. Shade dearer The extra fine and fine halfbred and Corriedale fleece looked to be a shade dearer than in Dunedin, but medium to extra strong wools were unchanged. The finer lialfbreds and Corrie-: dales were making chiefly from! about 140 c to 160 c, with thej medium qualities ranging from I 130 c to 150 c, and the stronger I wools from about 125 c to 138c.' The medium and coarse cross-; bred fleece was firm, but the; finer crossbreds barely held their i own. The fine and medium qualities sold mainly from about 130 c to 142 c. Second-shear crossbreds brought mainly from about 124 c to 139 c. Compared with a year ago, halfbred. Corriedale and crossbred fleece were better by about 20c to 30c. Crossbred skirtings and oddments, Including crutchings, were about 21 per cent easier, and while halfbred skirtings were barely steady halfbred crutchings were also easier by 21 per cent. Fine wool necks sold fom about 116 c to 134 c and coarser necks from 117 c to 124 c; fine pieces made from 99c to 131 c and coarse sorts from 98c tc 108 c; fine bellies from 90c to 'l4c and crossbred bellies from lie to 103 c; and fine crutchings from 66c to 82c and coarse crutchings from 80c to 94c. The offering, drawn mainly from North and Mid-Canterbury with lesser quantities from Marl jorough, Nelson and the Wes’ Toast, included about 22.321 bales md reflecting the good growing onditions over the last year w-as •onsidered to be one of the best selections seen at an Oeto her Christchurch sale for a num her of years. The top price of the sale—-

i(supplements not included—was : 221 c for 23 bales of fine Merino ,;from F. J. Sandall and Sons • (Blenheim). D. H. Rutherford i (Culverden) sold seven bales of : fine Merino for 220 c, and six I bales of fine woolly hogget for ■ 211 c. For 17 bales of fine wool, A. F. Shanks ’Blenheim) reI ceived 215 c, and the Haycock ! Run Company (Blenheim) realised 214 c for four bales of fine Merino. T. F. Smith (Kaikoura) ■ also sold nine bales of fine Merino at 213 c. J. B. Douglas-Clifford (Scargill) headed the halfbred market . 1 with nine bales of extra-fine ” woolly hogget at 187 c. He also I had 11 bales of super-fine wool at 180 c and seven bales of fine ■ two-tooth wool at 179 c. R. A. Burnett (Mount Somersi ’ received 183 c for six bales of extra-fine halfbred. Sales at 181 c ’ were made by F. Birdling and Sons (Te Pirital for three bales, and by R. H. M. Johnston (Oxford) for nine bales of woolly hogget. The latter vendor also : had 23 bales at 180 c. and 1. H. : Thompson and Son (Ashburton) : had four bales of woolly hogget at 180 c. M. N. Turnbull (Amberley) received 180 c for four bales ol extra-fine Corriedale. The next best price was 171 c for seven ’ bales of woolly hogget from L. : G. Lili (Sandy Knolls), and for ' six bales of shorn hogget from D. G. Todd and Son (Blenheim). D. R. Shipley (Harewood) received 170 c for four bales of extra-fine wool. One of the best sales for coarser fleece was 149 c for 14 bales of Romney from A. W. Thwaltes (Hororata). Tui Creek Farm (Hororata) realised 147 c for 12 bales of fine crossbred, and 144 c for 10 bales. Sales of 146 c were made by ißrendean Farm. Ltd (Weedons), I for nine bates of Romney shorn (hogget and by R. A. Marshall l(Wniterock) for 12 bales of fine crossbred. The latter vendor also ihad 13 bales of strong crossbred (at 143 c. O. G. Jenkins (Port Levy;, sold six bales of two-tooth wool at 145 c, and this price also went to the estate S. Hall (Peraki), for 19 bales, to P. L. Hammond (Little River), for 18 bales and to W A. Gray (Teddington), for 12 bales of medium crossbred. Second-shear crossbred brought to 148 c for five bales from H. G. Diedrichs, Ltd (Kokatahi), and for five bales from D. O. and R. T. Masefield (Goughs Bay). Five bales of Drysdale secondshear wool in the bins of Pyne, Gould, Guinness Ltd. also sold at 148 c. Tlte estate R. O. Bradley (Charteris Bay), received 147 c for seven bales of second-shear wool. Perendale wool sold to 148 c for two bales in the bins of Pyne, Gould, Guinness Ltd. N. A. Fraser (Takamatua), received 146 c for four bales, and 145 c for 12 bales. D. S. Anderson (Tai Tapu), had seven bales of Perendale cross at 145 c, and D. W. Lister (Ashburton). had 10 bales of Perendale short hogget at 144 c. Details of catalogues, in order of sale, were:— Dalgety, New Zealand, Ltd 8174 N.Z. Farmers’ Co-operative Association 2547 Pyne. Gould. Guinness Ltd 6626 Wriglitson NMA, Ltd .. 4974 Total: .. 22,321