LOW-LEVEL PRICES

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 53, 26 November 1930, Page 11

LOW-LEVEL PRICES

Auckland’s Wool Sale “WE’VE SEEN WORSE” Adjusting to New Values Dominion Special Service. Auckland, November 25. It is estimated that the average price realised for all wool sold to-day at the Auckland sales, where 20,300 bales were catalogued (including about ' 5000 of last season’s wool), was 41d. per lb. Only three seasons ago, at the corresponding sale, and from the same platform, the first Jot offered found a group of buyers ou their feet frantically yelling their bids of “ seventeen, seventeen, seventeen.” For that' record season the total cheque of Auckland woolgrowers was over £1,000,000. The top price to-day was 7Jd. for a line of halfbred super. The top bid of the sale was lOd. for seven bales of halfbred wether, from Waioheke, which was passed in. Most" of the buying has been done on behalf of Germany. With one or two exceptions Bradford is not in the market. This is taken to indicate that low as prices are, they are still above Bradford’s idea of value. Quality of Clip. The quality of the clip was much on a par with that of previous years. Some good clips failed to realise value through growers neglecting to skirt properly and take out the bellies. To the inquiry»of a reporter the manager of a leading pastoral firm smiled, though somewhat grimly, as one who was digging into a, tough patch, and said: “Well. I’ve seen it worse than this before, away back in 1901. We’ll get over this as we’ve got over other troubles. We have been living in a fool’s paradise of false ideas. Now we are coining back to normal. Values are steadily being readjusted, and you will see that things will right themselves much quicker than many peonle expect.”' Change in Fashions. “I really believe prices will be better’ in the- near future,” said a grower whose clip usually realises higher values at auction. and did so to-day. “My wife is just back from America, and it is a remarkable thing that all the new frocks she brought with her are made from fine English woollens. lam not interested in fashions as a rule, but I am in this "case, and it is interesting to -note that all the frocks follow the new long length trend. My wife told me that all women were buying woollen materials, and that must mean something to sheepowners. Anyway, we are not so badly off as the dairy farmers, for we have not the carry-over of last season's product they have.” INTERESTED SPECTATOR Head of Big Bradford Firm Dominion Special Service. Auckland, November 25. The necessity for New Zealand to strengthen her primary production rather than develop too rapidly her secondary industries was stressed by Lord Barnby, a prominent English business man, who has been in Auckland for-the past two days.' Lord Barnby, who is making a tour of the Dominion, is principal of the firm of Francis, Willey and Company, of Bradford, and he attended the Auckland wool sale. However, be preferred not to comment on the heavy fall in prices. The visitor said he had been interested to see how the wool was prepared for sale. He left Auckland for Hamilton to-night, where he will meet the Hon, A. J. Murdoch, Minister of Agriculture, and Dr.. C. J. Rcakcs Director-General of Agriculture, and make a short tour of the Waikato, visiting the Ruakura State Farm. After attending the Napier wool sale. Lord Barnby will revisit Wellington and tlie South Island. [Details of the sale will be found on the Commercial Page.]