ENGLISH COMMERCIAL.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1108, 10 December 1869, Page 2

ENGLISH COMMERCIAL.

THB WOOL MARKET. Mb. Helmuth Schwartze gives an account of tbe position of tho leading descriptions offered at the August-September series of colonial sales whioh terminated ou September 21:—New Zealand: These wools have furnished the principal supply to combers. The majority was in the grease, and, as usual, well-grown and in fair condition. Hot-water washing has been increasingly applied, in some cases with satisfactory results. The prices for greasy sorts showed no advance at the outset, but in the further courso of the sales, with the foreign competition growing more spirited, a rise of ld. was established. Cross-bred kinds were in abundant supply. Complaints havo been made by buyers of New Zealand wools of the frequency of fleeces with tar-topped staples—a fault that should, if possible, be avoided. Messrs. Buxton and Hunter quote au advance 1 during the series of ld. to lJd. on Port Philip and New Zealand fleece, and $d to id. on ditto greasy. Wo have been favoured by Mr Helmuth Schwartze, of London, with the following complaint from au eminent Fronch manufacturer. "Wo commend the mattor to the attention of wool-growers :—"ln sort- i ing our New Zealand wools, we are obliged to take out all covered with marking tar. in order to have the end-of the staple cut off. This is an expensive operation, and as it moreover causes great waste it makes tho washed wool stand in much dearer than would otherwise be the case. The evil is still more serious when some of these tar-topped staples escape the attention of our sorters, which—by reason of their really extraordinary quantity—is only too often the case. The tar will not dissolve iv hot water, and in passing through tho machinery it breaks the delicate points of cards and combs, from whence it can only with difficulty be extracted. Portions of it remain in tho combed wool and in the nails; the former making in consequence a bad yara, and the latter being almost unsaleable at even very low prices. All this loss and inconvenience might be avoided if growers would use a soluble substance for - marking their sheep. In Europe rod ochro is gonerally employed; it serves its purpose perfectly, and has nono of tho above-mentioned anuoying drawbacks. PLAX. Messrs. G. and J. A. Noble report a steadily increasing demand for New Zealand flax, and if ordinary care is taken in the preparing and baling they havo no doubt it wiU become an important and profitable trade. Colour and brightness of fibro are= desirable: the coarse brown woody fibre should iv no case be mixed with the better qualities. Messrs. Ellis and Hale say :-00 bales middling cleaned sold steadily at £31 j 120 bales/ very common with straw, £i oto £21, and further imports, especially if woll cleaned and dressed, will realise full rates: good and flno cleaned, £35 to £.3: part ditto and with straw, £20 to £32.