Halfbred, Corriedale have best of Christchurch wool sale

Press, 4 December 1981, Page 19

Halfbred, Corriedale have best of Christchurch wool sale

Halfbred and Corriedale wools had the best of yesterday's Christchurch wooi sale. The tone of the market, which remained unchanged through the sale, surprised buyers. It was anticipated that prices, especially for finer wools, would be easier yesterday than at the Dunedin sale on November 19. The adjusted weighted average price for the day was 256.84 cents. At Auckland last week the A.W.A.S.P. was 257 c and at the last Christchurch sale, on October 30. it was 261.36 c. Based on yesterday’s A.W.A.S.P. a Government supplementary payment of 24.6 per cent will apply. Yesterday’s total offering of 28.246 bales sold consistently well. Selling contiuned until early evening, but values remained virtually unchanged during the day. Compared with the Auckland sale, crossbred shorn hogget was up to 2Vz per cent dearer, and coarse crossbred fleece steady. Fine wools, compared with the Dunedin sale, were in buyers' favour for Merino fleece, firm for finer Half-

bred fleece, in sellers' favour for medium and strong Halfbred and Corriedale and unchanged for Halfbred skirtings and oddments. The buying power was boosted by strong bidding from those purchasing for Chinese interests. Buyers for Japan and Western Europe took a good slice of the market and they were well supported by New Zealand mills and eastern Europe. The Wool Board did not have a busy day. During the selling of the first two catalogues the board put in a bid on 112 lots, or 8.2 per cent, and had 24 lots or 2.3 per cent, sold or passed to it. During the third catalogue its bidding remained much the same. The quality of the wool offered was not generally good. Buyers said drought conditions earlier this year affected the length of the wools, reduced yields and reduced the size of the fibre diameter. Clips from the Canterbury province were the worst affected, iMarlborough wools were in better order, several

buyers commented. According to one observer shipping movements played a significant part in the firm tone of the market. He said a ship destined for European ports was leaving Lyttelton before the next Christchurch sale and so buyers took advantage of yesterday's sale to fulfill December shipping commitments. The bulk of the offering consisted of fine wool fleece and hogget wool. Crossbred, Perendale. and Coopworth wool was not well represented. Fine Merino wool made the top price for the sale. The Branch Run (Wairau Valley) sold four bales of extra fine hogget wool at 558 c, four bales at 554 c, and four bales of fine hogget at 532 c. R. E. MacKenzie (Blenheim) sold four bales of extra fine fleece for 545 c and his brother A. R. MacKenzie (Blenheim) four bales at 538 c. Most fine Merino ranged from 468 c to 527 c. Not a lot of medium and strong Merino was offered. I. and P. Hamilton (Awatere Valley) sold 11 bales of medium wool for 479 c, six at 461 c, seven bales of strong

wool for 430 c and four at 424 c. A bin lot of five bales of medium wool from Dalgety New Zealand. Ltd, sold for 468 c and four bales from the bins of Pyne. Gould. Guiness. Ltd. made 461 c. Medium Merino sold mainly between 384 c and 410 c and strong Merino from 361 c to 403 c. D. C. and R. M. Gunn (Lake Taylor) had a verysatisfactory sale of Halfbred hogget wool. This vendor received 477 c for 11 bales and 462 c for seven bales. J. R. Rutherford (Hawarden) was paid 440 c for five bales of hogget wool and 411 c for another five bales. The Estate E. W. Pawsey (Hawarden) received 429 c for four bales of hogget wool and Lake Station (Hawarden) the same price for five bales. Most Halfbred wool ranged between 291 c and 373 c. E. R. and C. J. Beech (Blenheim) led the Corriedale market. They sold four bales of hogget wool at 440 c and another four at 428 c. B. H. and E. C. Hutchinson (Rakaia Gorge) received 420 c for five bales of hogget wool and R. W. Burnett (Cheviot) 412 c for nine bales of hogget wool. The range for Halfbred wool

was between 286 c and 363 c. Although stronger wools did not sell as well as recent North Island sales some good sales were made. Sixteen bales of Perendale hogget wool from I. R. and J. M. Campbell (Reefton) sold for 320 c; 15 bales of fleece wool from D. F. H. Couch (Rapakai) for 319 c; and 13 bales of hogget wool from Patarau Farm (Takaka) for 308 c. Finer Perendale sold very well. The range for Perendales was between 271 c and 304 c. Most Coopworth wools sold between 267 c and 294 c. W. D. Little (Kaikoura) topped this section with a sale of four bales of hogget wool for 311 c. E. W. Coop and Sons (Port Levy) were paid 310 c for 20 bales of hogget wool and D. W. and J. M. Milton (Hokitika) 302 c for six bales of early shorn wool. Although the bulk of the crossbred wool was between 272 c and 306 c several vendors exceeded 310 c. The best sale was 315 c for five bales of hogget wool from S. M. Wallace (Kaikoura). P. S. Phillips (Nelson) sold six bales of hogget wool for 313 c and J. Arnold (Nelson) seven bales of the same type of

wool for 312 c. Very little second-shear wool was offered. Most in the sale was crossbred and it ranged from 255 c to 288 c. Some good sales of Borderdale. quarterbred. Polwarth and Down cross wool were recorded. J. H. Morris (Methven) sold four bales of quarterbred hogget wool for 500 c. J. McK., Pugh (Rangiora) received 459 c for eight bales of Polwarth hogget wool. I. R. Hamilton (Amberley) received 401 c for 11 bales of Polwarth ewe wool and 360 c for another 10 bales. The best price for Borderdale was 303 c for nine bales of hogget wool from D. J. Wells (Rangiora). Down cross wool sold up to 316 c; the price paid to Sherwood Farm (Leeston) for eight bales of ewe wool. Details of catalogues, in order of sale, were:- Dalgety New Zealand, Ltd 8581 bales; New Zealand Farmers’ Cooperative Association, 6211 bales; Pyne, Gould, Guiness, Ltd, 725'0 bales; Wrightson NMA, Ltd. 6204 bales; total 28.246 bales.