HOPES REALISED

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 68, 13 December 1933, Page 9

HOPES REALISED

Wool at Christchurch KEEN COMPETITION Bradford Buys Crossbred TOP PRICE PAID 25}d. By Telegraph.—Press Association. ' Christchurch, December 12. The hopes of growers were fully realised at the wool sale to-day, the first South Island auctions in the present season. There was keen competition throughout. Buyers from all countries were anxious to obtain wool. Although the growing season had not been a favourable one, and this/was reflected in the conditions of some of the wool offered for sale, there was some • really good wool offered in the, catalogue of 25,000 bales. The wool was lighter and more dusty than usual,, and in some cases tender, but it included a bigger proportion than usual of halfbred wools. The main buying elements were the Continent, Japan, and Bradford, with local mills taking a good proportion of the super wools. However, local competition wa’s confined to few r er mills than usual, and top price of the day was paid by a British firm. French representatives were prominently in the market for fine pieces, Japanese agents for fine fleece, and Bradford for all classes. Indeed, the Bradford de? ’ mand was the main factor in the substantial recovery in the price of medium crossbred wool. .. . 1 Applause for Top Price. ■ The best price of the day was 25}d. paid . for four bales of super Corriedale ewe from. Rydal Downs, a clip which usually secures round about ‘top -figures at Christchurch sales. There was much applause when the lot was knocked down. Next in order was -~d paid for a lot of five bales of the Garrymere clip, and later in the day" three bales of Corriedale hogget wool'made the, same figure. \ ; ' ?■ ' The best price for halfbred was_ 21 *d. / Merino wool was in short supply arid the. range of good clips limited, but one lot of 19 bales made i.9|d,_. Nine, .bales' of ..Southdown of the same clip made 18d. Crossbred wools sold, well at almost double the rates of a year ago. . . " : Passings over the whole sale totalled less than 10 per cent., but were unevenly distributed. In the first three catalogues offered they .were ; 5 - per cent., but; In the, fourth. catalogue, a small one, they ?were about 28 per cent. Coarse Wool Prices. Coarse wools were from Id to 5d a lb. lower than at Auckland lasi month, but the wool was heavier and the basis of actual values were ' only slightly ' lower. Halfbred wool, of which, the Christchurch sale is the first to have.any ; great, quantity, : yyas, quitted at prices exceeding the most: sanguine .ex- ■ r .pectatipns.,pfthe-brokers..- Occasionally farmers set their reserves too high, arid passings oyer the first two catalogues represented 7 per cent, of those offerings. ’ The sale opened bn a spirited note,, with good blds for five bales of three-quarter-bred. the price running rapidly to Ifiid before being sold to Bradford. When the halfbred wool came rip the 5 first six bales went for 173 d. The limits of the Continental buyers appeared to be fairly elastic, and they were extended bn many occasions In competition for pieces, crutchings, and bellies,,which brought prices compara- . tively better than fleece wool rates. In the early part of the ‘sale France . refused to be outbid.’ These sorts, and. . halfbred pieces, brought up to 18}d. - Bradford took a fair amount of average quality at 15 Jd to 17Jd, ■. and ; Japan,. .in competition for super lots, pushed the local mills to prices which ■ now and again brought a surprised whistle-from the rest of the buyers. ’ United States buyers'were little in .evidence.-, ' It is expected that the total cheque .. for the -sale will amount to about £425,000. . ' ■ ■ ’-' ’ ■ The range of. prices, showing first the values at the sale held on March 21, 1933, and prices at the auction to-day are:—

ANIMATED BIDDING Good. Level of Prices COMPARISON WITH LAST SEASON. Dominion Special Service. Christchurch, December 12. It 13 difficult accurately, to assess the prospects of a Christchurch auction on the figures provided at the earlier North Island sales as the wool is of a character very different from the bulk of that offered locally. A few lots similar in grade to the best Canterbury wools were offered at northern sales and the prices they macle warranted the belief that the opening sale here would provide an excellent run of prices. The belief was fully confirmed from the outset to-day. Bidding was animated and sustained. Only occasionally was It excited, but on the other' hand there was not a lot offer-

ed that did not at once draw a chorus of bids. The first catalogue contained some carried-over wool and this possibly caused a slight lack of animation that was temporarily apparent. However, a general hesitancy is not unusual - at the first sale, particularly in circumstances such as have prevailed this season as operators naturally desire to gauge the strength of the competition and where the buying commissions lie. > The knowledge was not long delayed to-day, as, after the first few pages of the opening catalogue,- all centres of absorption were .briskly in the market. Crossbred lots provided a happy change from the wretched fourpenny and fivepenny prices so common 12 months ago. Sixteen bales ofc fine crossbred from Titirangi sold at 13Jd and six’of hogget of the same clip at 13d. Extra fine crossbred (4648 and 48-56) sold at a marked appreciation on last season. Then from 6jd to 7id covered the best prices. To-day several lots made 17d. Fifteen pence to - 'l5Jd was secured on several occasions. The best price last year was B|d. Corriedale pieces sold at to 18Jd, with occasional other lots at 16d to 18d. Last December the best piece price was 9Jd. Bellies made on several occasions from 14d to 14*Jd. Last December and March the best price was 7}d.' Crutehings showed a marked advance. Top price was IOJd, with frequent other lots at/7d to 9d. The best figure for crutchings last season ..was 4Jd. Locks made up to BJd. Last year top price was 3|d. ’ The following page from one of the catalogues gives an idea of prices ruling foe good wools, Ten different clips are represented in 20 lots and the best price of the day is included, but otherwise the page is typical of a number of others: Five Bales Corriedale ewe,17}d; seven bales Corriedale ewe, 171 d; five bales Corriedale hogget, 16Jd; eleven bales halfbred 6we, 17{d; four bales halfbred ewe, 17d; four bales first pieces,’lsJd; five bales halfbred hogget, lOJd; four bales super halfbred ewe, 18d; four bales halfbred, 17}d;-four bales Corriedale ewe, 18d; 24 males three-quarterbred, 14 jd; 24 bales halfbred hogget. 16d; four bales first halfbred ewe, 19jd; four bales Corriedale hogget, lo|d; four bales super Corriedale ewe hogget, 25.}d; four bales Corriedale hogget, 20{d; four bales Corriedale hogget, 20}d; four bales first Corriedale pieces, 18jd; five .bales Corriedale ewe crutchings, lOJd; five bales super Corriedale ewe hogget. 22d.

SHEEP STATISTICS

New Zealand Figures By Telegraph.—Press Association. • Ashburton, December 12. Mr. David Jones, chairman of the Meat Board, speaking at Mayfield, said that a deficiency of 914,466, wholly in the South Island, was shown in the sheep statistics,'but the position was more satisfactory than was supposed. There was. a much greater kill than usual before the statistics were taken on April 80. In the South Island they killed for export 668,291 fewer sheep and lambs after May 1 than in the corresponding period of the previous season, and all but 36,000 were lambs. In the North Island after May 1 87,000 fewer were k’lled this season, 68,000 being lambs. For comparative purposes, therefore, the flocks were reduced by under 160,000, and as breeding ewes showed an increase over the previous year of 146,637, the flocks were roughly the same. ■ ”' '

Mar., 1033. Dec., 1933. Merino— d d ■ d. d Extra super ' to 11} to 19} Super 91 to 101 17} to 181 Medium ....... .71 to 9 15 to<17 Inferior 5} to 7 11} to 14 Corrledale— *. * * 1 ■ ’v Extra super .... ' • — 22 to 25} Super 10 to 111 18J to 21 Medium 81 to 9} 11.1} to 18 Inferior GJ to' 8 14} to 16} Fine haliibred, 56/48 Extra super .... to 12 to 21} Super 10J to 11 18 to 19} Medium 8} to.10 16} to 17-} Inferior 01 to 8 14} to 16 Medium halfbred. 50/51! — Extra super .... ' —— to 19 Super 91 to 101 17 to 18} Medium ....... . 7J to 9 14 to 161 Inferior 54 to ■ 71 11} to 13} Extra fine crossbred. 48/50— Super. - 7} to 81 141 to 15} Medium (1 to 7 • 11} to 14 Inferior 9'1 to 11 Fine crossbred, 40/48— Super .5} to 6} 11} to 13 Medium 41 to 51 9 to 11 Inferior ........ . 3 to 4 .7} to 8} Medium crossbred, 44/46Super 4 to . 9 to 10} Medium ....... 3 to 31 7} to 8} Inferior ...... 1} to 2J 6 to 7} Pieces— Good to super .. 7J to 10 14 to 18} Medium 4} to 7.1 9 to 13 Bellies— Good 5} to 71 11} to 14} Low to medium 4} to 5} 8 to 11 Crutchlngs— Medium to good 2} to 4} 7 to 10} Low to medium 1 to 21 4} to 6 Locks— Best 2} to 3J 5} to 8} Super to medium 1 to 21 4} to 5