WOOL SALES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 December 1924, Page 4

WOOL SALES.

: RATES WELL MAINTAINED. LARGE CATALOGUE AT A'UCKI. AN D CBX TBUEQEAPH —PEKSB ASSOCIATION. AUCKLAND, Dec. 4 The first Auckland wool sale of the season commenced to-night. The catalogue was a very large one, <o?nprising 18,892 bales. The bulk was crossbred, and the average price over a'l was from to 24d pe,r pound, or about £35 per. bale. Average wools of the same class were about on a par with the Christchurch rates, while some of the stronger wools sold rather better. Compared with the prices realised at the February sale in Auckland, crossbreds were up from 6£d to 9d per lb; hoggets were up from 6d to Del; and half bred were up 10d. The bench of buyers was the largest seen in Auckland. Bradford buyers took most of the wool sold to-night, but American and Continental buyers were also operating. In view of the high prices realised at the sales in the south this season, farmers had mshed every available bale.to Auckland, and this accounted for the unusually large catalogue. The prices to-night were up to expectations, and the sale will bo continued to-morrow. • The buyers ' numbered between sixty and seventy. One or two of them, who are usually prominent, held back, but whether the wool was not .suitable to their requirements, or whether 1 they Hoped that prices might ease, was not apparent. This had little or ■no effect on bidding, as competition was-eager . r „the majority' of* lots. In some instances . the eagerness to secure, a certain lot was so. keen that a pandemonium reigried. In odd eases grid particular buyer was out; to sedufe ' a certain lot at any price, an unusual feature being the number of penny bids instead of farthings. Practically every lot offered fo-ni«lit was sold under the hammer. The wool offered was very attractive, the “getup” in particular slipping an improvement. Competition for finer wools was of the keenest description. ~ A large crowd was interested in the progress of the sale. The range of prices ivas as follows :■ — Merino.—-Average, 33|d to 35Jd; fine half bred, average, 32d to 34d; medium half bred, average, 30d ito 33d; coarser halfbred. super, 30d t6y3ld; average, 27d‘to 29d; fine crossbred; super, 28d to 294 d; average, 24d tqiYed; inferior, 22d to 24d; average, 244 to 26d; inferior, 22d to 24d; mediuni crossbred, super, 25d to 27d; average, 23d to 24d ; inferior, 20d to 21<3; Lincoln crossbred •average, 20d to 2Ud; hoggets, fine 29d to 3ld; medium, 263 to 28dcoarse, 24d to. 25d;_ low, 21 d to 22d: bellies .and pices, fine crossbred good to super, 20d to 22d; low to medium, 16d to 19d; crossbred, good, to super, 16d to 18d; low to medium, 1 14d to 16d; crutchings, medium to good, 14d to 16d; inferior and seedy, lid to 13d; locks, crossbred, good, 9d to 12d.