Commercial Intelligence.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 744, 16 December 1869, Page 2

Commercial Intelligence.

THE LONDON COLONIAL WOOL SALES. [BUXTON and hunter.] London, October 8, 1869. The third series of Colonial Wool Sales for the present year, which commenced on the 12th Aug., was brought to a close on Sept. 2 1 ., the following quantities having passed the hammer: —From New South Wales and Queensland, 38,442 bales; from Victoria, 48,744 bales; from South Australia, 13,795 bales; from New Zealand, 50,857 bales; from Swan lliver, 477 bales; from Tasmania, 9,073 bales; from the Cape of Good Hope, 32,594 bales.—Total, 193,982 bales. Of these, about 8,000 bales have been withdrawn, but it is rather difficult to estimate the quantity actually remaining unsold, as many parcels, retired from the earlier sales, have been offered a second time and sold. As we announced in our circular at the commencement of the series, the sales began at about the closing or highest rates of June, and this continued without much alteration for aoout a week, the home trade, in the meantime, taking the bulk of the wool offered. Fresh accessions of buyers, and increased animation on the part of the foreigners, soon had a marked effect ou prices, which gradually hardened towards the end of August. At this period a very decided advance was apparent on all descriptions, which may be quoted as follows:—Port Phillip and New Zealand Fleece, Id to ljd; Ditto ditto Greasy, fdto Id ; Sydney, Id to Ifd; Cape Id. The sorts upon which the rise was not so apparent, were scoured wools and inferior Van Diemen's Land Fleece. Towards the close of the series, there was an increased demand for all long-stapled Greasy Wools, upon which the advance was fully during the last week. On the other hand, middling Port Phillip Fleece was was rather easier to buy, and Cape Wools hardly closed at the highest point reached. There was a very great competition for really fine wools for the continent, and a much larger quantity might have been placed at current rates. In middling qualities the demand was chiefly for sound, long-stapled, combing sorts, hence the satisfactory prices obtained for New Zealands. The quantity taken for export is abput 75,000 bales.

More than 20,000 bales arrived in time for these sales have not been offered at all, so that, together with what has been withdrawn from the catalogues, the total quantity held over for November may be estimated at 38,000 to 30,000 bales, chiefly New Zealands,

. About 90,000 bales of fresh arrivals are expected to be in time for the next series ; but this will be mostly composed of Sydneys and Capes, so that only a short supply of stapled wools can be looked for during the remainder of the year.