MAY GO STILL HIGHER

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 74, 20 December 1933, Page 10

MAY GO STILL HIGHER

Wool Prices Next Year

OPINION OF VISITOR

Dominion Special Service.

Auckland, December 19.

“The general impression is that the wool market will be better In March than it is to-day,” said Mr. R. Falkiner, a prominent New South Wales pastoralist and general manager of F. S. Falkiner and Sons, Ltd., stud merino sheep breeders, who is a passenger on the Mariposa, which arrived from Sydney. He is making a short pleasure trip to the United States. ' “Prospects from a pastoralist’s point of view are the best for some years, at any rate since 1928,” said Mr. Falkiner. “The price of wool is good, and so is the price of store stock. We have had one of the most uniformly good seasons throughout Australia.” Pastoral properties were improving in value, and there had been few sales. Until a few months ago the value of pastoral properties on the market was at zero, and they could not be sold. Now, however, they were realising fair prices. The financial position was much easier, especially in the pastoral Industry.

It had been said there was a shortage in the supply of wool, but it was difficult to 1 determine exactly what the position was. In Queensland some pastoralists had shorn their sheep at less than nine months old. This meant an increase in supply this year, butl t would tend to reduce supply next year, so that it was difficult to tell what amount of wool would come forward, Mr. C. L. Harden, general manager of Thomas Brown and Sons, Ltd., merchants, Brisbane, who is making ( a holiday trip'to Pago Pago by the Mariposa, said the recent prices of wool were satisfactory and profitable. It was generally hoped in Queensland that they would be maintained. Pastoral properties were again changing hands at satisfactory rates.