COMMERCIAL.

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 125, 24 November 1906, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

« CANTERBURY WOOL SALES. Christchurch, Thursday. The first wool sale of this season's series was held at the Canterbury Hall to-day, and 8549 bales were offered as against 4516 bales for the opening sale last year, when the weather for shearing was not so favorable as it has been this season. There was a large attendance of buyers, 46 occupying seats in the ring, representing American, Continental, English, and local interests. The wool was not nearly in such good condition as last year, when it was exceptional in this respect. The prevalence of nor'-westers in tb., spring had filled the fleeces more or less with earth, and the wool was also fairly heavy in the grease. The clips were from farms and small grazing runs, none of the large stations having yet finished shearing. Theie was keen demand for all classes of wool. Light conditioned wools were freely bid for on American account, and no strict limit appeared to haxe been put upon prices. The Home and Continental buyers were buying all description of halfbred and crossbred, and the prices paid are said to be fully Id above London values. The representatives of the local woolJen mills competed for fine wools and pieces, but were not large buyers. They took most of the few lots of merino that were offered. Only a small proportion of the wool was passed, the brokers' values being reasonable in viow of the tone of the market. The number of bales sold was 7899. The range of prices during the forenoon was: — Greasy merino, 9d to 10£ d; super halfbred 13d to 14|d, medium ll|d to 12$s; super threeqiarterbred 12d to 13£ d, medium lOJd to inferior 9d to lOjd; super crossbred 12d to 14s, medium 10id to llld, inferior 9d to lOd; lengwool 9d to Hid; merino pieces £ Jri to 9Jd, best halfbred pieces lOd to lid, second pieces 7£d to 9}d, crossbred pieces 7£d to 9d, locks 4)d to 6*d. Compared with the corresponding sale of last year these prices are Id to 2d higher for half-bred, threequarter bred and crossbred. The highest priced clips during the early part of the sale were: — Racecourse Hill, half-bred 14|d, cross-bred 14d; Cashmere Estate, half-bred 14^d, three-quarter bred 13£ d; M in diamond, half-bred 14$ d, cross-bred 13|d ; G, half-bred 13|d, crossbred 12ld; Achray, half-bred 13* d. Half-bred, three-quaiter bred, and cicssbred reached the highest prices rrcorded at local sales.