NAPIER WOOL SALE

Evening Star, Issue 18812, 10 December 1924, Page 8

NAPIER WOOL SALE

A DECIDED DECLINE. The, sec :ond wool sale of the season in Napier opened last evening,, when about 8,000 bales of the total catalogue of 28,377 ha! os were offered to the usual bench of 1 Jff the majority of whom appeared to be lookers-on, Many buyers who took large quantities at the first sale hardly put in a. single hid, but two new operators helped to maintain the. market to some extent. Otherwise it is thought that the market would have shown a very heavy decline. As it was, ileeco wool, taken all : ion ml, showed a decrease on the last ' Napier sale of up to 2d. Scouring wools declined Id, and super, flocco wool was also easier; but, on the other hand, good pieces and necks met witli keen competition from Franco and New Zealand mills, and showed m increase on previous sales’ rates. One lot of necks brought 24d. Lambs’ wool, showing any quality was keenly sougth after, and prices were maintained. Southdown went as high as 34jd, and half-bred to 32|d. One lot of hog- . gets reached 28Jd, but the bulk of this class sold at several pence less than that anticipated. When the half-dozen buyers now operating fulfil their requirements there, will be n further considerable drop in prices. Bidding lacked animation ; in fact, the auctioneers were provoked into such remarks as “Get to it’’ and “ Come on, or you'll go to sleep.” * TO-DAY’S SALE. [Per United Press Association.] NAPIER, December 10. - At the second Napier wool rales, which were continued this morning, the decline - manifsted at tho opening last night was again apparent. American competition s was not in evidence to anything like the degree shown at the last sales. Bradford buyers took most of the cross-bred wools at "prices generally registering a decline of fully 2d per lb on recent rates. This was counterbalanced somewhat by tho inI creased prices for coarser classes; but, generally speaking, a decline was evident over the whole range. The exact reasons are hard to determine, but obviously buyr ers are now operating under limits much more severe than they were subject to >- three weeks ago At times to-day the bidding was singularly spiritless. Ooss- ■ - bred wools, oven of good class, seldom realised over 26d, and move frequently i- were in the vicinity of 22d and 33d. Pieces brought up to or 17d. Lambs’ wool is was in demihid up to 27d. Existing prices, despite tho decline, represent a (satisfactory return for producers, and very few lots were passed in.