WOOL IN DEMAND.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 283, 15 November 1923, Page 4

WOOL IN DEMAND.

FIRST SALE OF THE SEASON. GOOD COMPETITION IN CHRISTCHURCH. (Special to Tribune.”) Christchurch, November 15. Considerable interest attached to the first wool sale of th© Dominion series, which opened this morning. Th© catalogue oeffred covered somewhat over 5000 bales, and the wool for the most part was of very fine quality for the first sal© of th© season. Th© halfbreds were mostly of good length, but rather badly tick stained. Some of th© halfbred hogget lines showed the effect of th© pooor turnip crops and little feed. The threc-quarterbreds and crossbreds wer© mostly of good length, and in nice, bright condition, with considerably more greas© than was apparent in the halfbreds but these grades were also noticeably tick-stained. Judging by th© wool in th© stores at the present time, which was dealt with to-day, the clip this year promises to be a sound one.

When th© sale opened there was the best-filled bench of buyers since the sales have been resumed after the commandeer, and it was early apparent that prices wer© going to be good. All the Bradford houses wer© represented, but several large buyers wer© evidently not prepared for the strength of the opposition. America competed for the special halfbred lines favoured by the Boston trade, and at least two houses in the States had commissions to fill. For good bright three-quartejbreds competition came from all round in a remarkably free manner, lines of wool being raised by 4d to 6d a lb., with the result that in almost ©very case the valuations of th© brokers were exceeded. New Zealand mills bought with considerable freedom, and fellmongers were also very active. Easily the most pleasing feature of the sale was the better appraisements buyers placed on three-quarterbred and* crossbred lines, and at least on© Continental house competed freely with Bradford for good crossbreds.

There has been a general appreciation of three halfpence to threepence compared with last November sale, and prices all round are above the best sale last year. The demand for three-quarter-bred indicates that a good class of North Island Romney will meet with good competition, when the sales are reached. No crossbred was sold under Bid.