COMMERCIAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 26 August 1925, Page 9

COMMERCIAL.

OPOSSUM SKINS. Messrs Dalgety and Co., Ltd., Dunedin, report: At the second opossum skin sale of the season about 17,000 skins were offered by the eight selling brokers. Of this quantity our catalogue comprised 6000, drawn chiefly from North Canterbury, West Coast, Nelson, Wanganui and other districts in the North Island. We offered a splendid selection of skins, the quality being quite up to the first sale, although there were no Otago skins amongst them. The demand for blues i and greys was exceptionally keen, and prices for these qualities, especially blues, were quite 3s a skin higher than last sale. The hulk of these colours -was contained in our catalogue, and we were successful in getting the remarkable price of 23s each for a line of blues which, besides being top price at the sale, must also he a record for New Zealand. Another line brought 22s Bd, and in this were a few specially selected Wanganui skins. For some seasons we have handled tlie bulk of the skins which come from this district, and we have always secured very high prices for them. They are comparatively small skins, but of beautiful colour, and the trappers there spare no pains in the stretching and care of the skins. For blacks the demand generally was inclined to he easier, but owing to our large lots and good grading we had a good sale, and. our main lots were in some cases Is higher than last sale. We got the top price for the day of 15s 7d for our best blacks. We have always impressed upon trappers the advisability of selling at public auction. The very fact that private buyers have this year offered such tempting prices should have been an indication that' auction prices would' he even higher, and at both our sales this year this lias been conclusively proved correct. On our catalogue consignments from Otago averaged up to 15s each. North Canterbury 11s to 12s 6d, Waimate 11s to 11s 6d, West Coast. 10s to 11s 6d. Nelson Us to 14s 6d. Taranaki 8s 6d to 10s 6d, and from Wanganui 12s to 15s 3d. The following is the range of prices from seconds up for average consignments: Blues 11s lid to 235, greys 8s 5d to 1 7s 3d, reds 7s 9d to 11s sd, blacks 7s lid to 15s 7d, browns 7s 3d to 9s Bd, slates 6s to 9s 3d.