Auck. wools drop up to 15 per cent

Press, 23 February 1977, Page 3

Auck. wools drop up to 15 per cent

TA Auckland) Prices for some Auckland wools were down] 130 c per kg on January' ■levels at the fifth sale-of j ’the season yesterday, I but generally the marIket held its own on rates I Hast week at Invercar- 1 I gill. I ! Values yesterday reflected ja pronounced slide over the' I past month, during which [the main weight of the New. | Zealand clip reached the mar-’ ; ket. Compared with January I levels in Auckland prices! [ were down as much as 15 i per cent for a fair proper-. Ition of the offering. I Nevertheless, the sale; ‘demonstrated that there is i still a healthy world de-, ' mand. Wh.ile bidding may; [have been spasmodic and, packing in any real fire, the! tone was buoyant enough to; [confound some pessimistic, forecasts before the auction. i Reports reaching buyers iduring the week-end indie-, [ated little inquiry from over-’ seas. But bidding yesterday .was well spread, indicating aj ■ number of countries in the market. Western European

.buyers were well supported); 'by those from Eastern Eur-o ope. Japan, the United I ) Slates and New Zealand mills. 11 ! Buyers were confronted with another large ottering ' [of 30,785 bales. Compared!' [ with January levels, lambswool took the biggest knock,J prices tor even the bestb ' being to 235 c per kg as : ! against 265 c to 270 c a, 1 month ago. i Full-length fleece wool and i second-shear pieces were • also well back, although the ; lall was not quite so pro-' . nounced. I The average price for all; wools was broadly estimated :[to be about 219 c per kg; .compared with 239.37 c in . January and 247.63 c at the I peak, of the market last; ■ October. i A larger than usual gal-; lery of farmers watched the sale with keen interest, one I man from lower' Northland :!going away reasonably con-; ):tented with 235 c per kg for ■.second-shear and 234 c for, lambs wool. ; “Not bad,” he said, “but -.when you take rising costs.’ ■retention and levies into’ account, it comes down to a it fairly marginal return. A lot; ■ depends on how long you've’ i been on your property. I

paid $4O an acre 15 years ago and now it would take $3OO an acre to buy the same farm.” Only a small quantity of] wool- was offered by the; Wool Marketing Corporation, which supported the market! by bidding where necessary on wool sold by tested sample. Virtually half the clip is ' now being ottered in Auckland under the sample! method, and the corporation is ihis season paying about, $lOO,OOO towards the total' New Zealand cost. It thus ’has a vested interest in seeing that growers get' ■ what it regards as a just return. The corporation announced' , after the sale that the adjusted weighted-average | selling price of wool at the sale was 209.79 c per kg. The retention percentage is 3.52.| applying to all sales from midnight on Monday to midnight today. The trigger! price is 195 c per kg. The official report said that the market, in comparii son with the recent Invercarlgill sale, could be quoted as in buyers’ favour for fleece,! but was inclined to be erratic. Lamb's wool and odd-, ments could be quoted as ’ I firm. Prices

I Medium Crossbred 44/48 I Good 234 c to 244 c. | Average 225 c to 233 c. I Poor 215 c to 224 c. j • Inferior 197 c to 214 c. ; Second-shear good length I 44/48 I Good/average 236 c to 247 c. > Poor 220 c to 235 c. ’ Inferior 205 c to 219 c. ; Second-shear short length 1 Good/average 235 c to; i [ 246 c. ■[ Average 225 c to 2.34 c. ‘ Poor 218 c to 224 c. I 1 Lamb’s fine crossbred 50 and 48/50 Good/average 237 c to ’ [ . 248 c. Average 224 c to 236 c. ; Inferior 210 c to 223 c. ■ Second-shear lamb’s crossbred Good 190 c to 203 c. i Average 178 c to 189 c. I Inferior 167 c to 177 c. 1 I Necks, fine crossbred , Average 198 c to 2) 6c. | I Second-shear bellies and pieces 46/50 1 Average to good 169 c 10l I- 182 c. J Average 160 c to 168 c. , Inferior 150 c to 159 c. , Crutchings, fine crossbred ’’46/50 Average 165 c to 176 c. ! Crutchings. crossbred 46/48 Average 140 c to 162 c. ■ Locks, crossbred Good/average 150 c to I 159 c. i Inferior 142 c to 149 c.