GROWERS DELIGHTED

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 18, 22 January 1937, Page 12

GROWERS DELIGHTED

WANGANUI WOOL SALE VALUES WELL ESTABLISHED (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WANGANUI, January 21. With wool at double the value received last January, growers could not be other than delighted at prices received at the first Wanganui sale to, dav. The average price was i.li ±us a bale which means that as a result of the auction nearly £700,000 will be P3 A catalogue l 'of 30,357 bales was offered, chiefly comprised of wool from the Wanganui and TManaki distncts, and the result was practically a total clearance. There was a full and representative bench of buyers, a™* although the Japanese, as at Napier, were not in the market to any extent, Bradford, the Continent, and America were keen and active buyers. FINE WOOLS EASIEK. In the absence of strong Japanese competition fine wools showed a slight easing on recent sales, but medium and coarse sorts sold at extreme prices in comparison, and these may be quoted fully firm on Napier and in some cases a halfpenny higher. Actually the absence of Japanese competition had no material effect on the sale, as finer wools were only a small percentage of the offering. , 1 Some brokers who expected a tendency for values to ease off today were . agreeably surprised to find ruling rates fully maintained in the principal sections, and it is considered that wool prices have now been established for ■ the remainder of the season. Support for this contention is provided by the fact that more than half the Dominion s clip has now been sold. RANGE OF PRICES. Tho official range of prices, with those for the January sale last year also shown, Is 193". 193(1. d. <1 (1- d. Fino halfbred, 56-58 — Extra super . to l'U Super 20 to 22 1) to 16 Average ... 19 to 19vi 13 to 14 Medium halfbred, 50-56 Average ... 19 to 21 10 54 to 12% Inferior .. 16% to 17 «% to 10 Extra flue crossbred, 48-50— Super 18 to 18% 11 to 11% Average .... 16% to 17% 9 to 10% Inferior .... 15 to 16 7% to 8% Flna crossbred, 46-48— Super .... 16% to 17 »% to 10% Average .... 16 to 16% SVi to 9% Inferior .... 15 to 15% 7% to 7% Medium crossbred, 44-46 — Average 16 to 16?4 7"4 to 8% Inferior ... 15 to 16 i>% to 754 Coarse crossbred, 40-44— Avorago .... 16% to 17% 7% to 854 Inferior ... 15 to 1654 '» to " Hoggets— Fine, 48-50 .. 1754 to 18 fl to 11 Medium, 46-48 16% to 17% S% to 105 i Lambs— Down, 50-56 ... to 19% a 54 to 1154 Fine, 46-50 . 17% to 19% 8 to 12 Seedy and Inferior— All grades .. 12 to 15 5 to 75a Bellies and pieces— Crossbred : Good to super 14 to 16 K to 754 Low to. nied. 10% to 13 5 to 554 Crutchlngs— Med. to good 15% to lti?4 to 7% Inf. & seedy 11 to 13 3 . to 55a LochsCrossbred 954 to 105; 454 to 5 RECORD AT SYDNEY (By Telesraph—Press Asifi.—Coyyiiynt, SYDNEY, January 21. At the wool sales, 12,471 bales were offered, 9961 sold, and 1873 privately. There was good general competition with a firmer tendency, but there was still much irregularity in regard to ordinary fleece and lower-class skirtings. The top price was 33Jd for five bales of lambs' wool, which is a season's record on the Sydney market for ihis description;

SKINS AND HIDES

KEEN LOCAL SALE

Values showed a marked appreciation at the usual fortnightly sale of sheepskins, hides, and tallow held yesterday by the combined Wellington brokers.

Competition for sheepskins was very strong, especially for sound pelted pareels. As compared with late rates, prices were fully 3d to Id dearer. Halfbreds sold to 18d, fine crossbreds to 17Jd, medium crossbreds to 16£ d, coarse crossbreds to 15,? d. Half wools sold particularly well—a line we offered fetched 15Jd. ,We. catalogued over 300 salteds, and these showed a corresponding rise with dry descriptions. A line of full wool crossbreds we sold at lis each.

There was a good demand for all weights and descriptions of hides, exporters and tanners taking the bulk of the offering. Heavies, mediums, and lightweight ox appreciated l-8d; cow, Ad. Kip and yearlings sold well up to level of late rates. Calf was eagerly competed for, values for all weights appreciating id. Calf 6-81b, sold to 16 7-Bd, l-51b to 16 l-Bd.

The tallow market was buoyant, prices advancing 2s 6d per cwt; good mixed in shipping order selling to 3ls 6d per cwt. . The following is the official range" of prices:— '

Sheepskins.—Halfbred, to 18d; fine i crossbred, 163 d to' 17Jd; medium cross- i bred, lid to 16$; coarse crossbred, j 12Jd to 15}; half wools, lljd to 153 d; E quarter wools, 9|d to 12Jd; pelts, BJd { to 10£ d. Salted (at each): Pelts to 4s sd; quarter, wools to 5s 7d; full wools , to lis. Hides.—Ox, 331b to 441b, 7 l-8d to 8 l-8d; ox, 451b to 521b, 7Jd to 81d; ox, 531b to 591b, B|d to 9Ja; ox,- 601b to 691b, 6jd to 9Jd; ox, 701b and over, 7d to 9d; cow, 331b to 391b, 6Jd to Bid; cow, 401b to 481b, 7 1-8 to Bsd; cow, 491b and over, 7 l-8d to BJd; kip, 251b to 321b, 5Jd to BJd; kip, 171b to 241b, 5Jd- to lOd; yearling, 111b to 161b, 8 5-8 d to 12 7-8 d; calf, 91b to 101b, 8 5-8 d , to 12 7-8 d; calf, 61b to 81b, 7d to 16 7-8 d; calf, lib to 51b, 12d to 16Jd. Tallow.—ln casks, 22s to 31s 6d per : cwt; in tins, 18s to 20s 6d per cwt. Sundries.—Cow tails, to 10Jd per ■: dozen; horsehair, to 21$ d per lb. MERCHANT - SHIPPING BRITAIN SLIPPING BACK . The chairman of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. (Mr. Alexander Shaw), in his annual report, said that the British merchant navy had declined by 3,000,000 tons gross in the past five years, and the personnel had decreased by 30 per cent, sinde 1914 During the past 20 years, foreign Governments had spent £2,000,000,000 in subsidies, and there was no sign that those subsidies were to be abandoned. "British ship owners have always been against direct financial assistance from the Government," he added, "but, failing a willingness on the part of Japanese interests to come to reasonable terms, it is certain that, not only the Pacific Dominions, but Britain and the rest of the Empire, will match subsidy for subsidy, restriction for restriction, and preference for preference. ; "The terms that Japan, and the other shipping nations, would then be forced ] to accept conceivably would be much less favourable than those which are 1 offered today. I "For defence reasons, Britain cannot have a weakened Mercantile Marine. ! This is a larger question than Australia is raising at the moment, and it is curious that in Japan little attention has been paid to statements made in the Australian Parliament, because it would be just as well if Japanese 1 shipping companies began to prepare themselves for a long-delayed counterblow. , . , 5 "Apparently, Japan wants a fleet capable of carrying her trade four times over, and is concentrating upon s the extinction of British shipping so • that'it may step into its place."