THE WOOL CLIP.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9855, 24 July 1914, Page 2

THE WOOL CLIP.

ANNUAL REVIEW FOR PAST SEASON.

(By Dalgety and Company, Limited.) We have received a copy of Dalgety's Annual Wool Review for Australasia, whjoh contains an exhaustive summary of everything relating to the past season's clip and the marketing of same. The publication is in its sixteenth year of issue, and deals comprehensively not only with the past clip, but also with many - branches of tho industry connected with wool. Thd number of sheep *stim»tod to have been shoru was 109,692,264 head, including lambs, which produced 7.87 lbs per head (including lambs) as against 71bs for the previous season. A splendid average monetary, return of 6s 4d per head was realised, the total wealth produced by the flocks in wool alone being £34,959,463. The oversea exports of wool, plus quantity retained in the Commonwealth and New Zealand for manufacturing purposes, give a total of 2,639,280 bales, which makes the clip slightly bigger than the record one of the season 1911-12. Sheepmasters of Australasia are congratulated upon the wonderful result achieved of providing 2,639,280 bales of wool for export and local consumption from 109,692,264 sheep and lambs, which give a return of 71b 14oz per head, including lambs, an infinitely better result than has ever before been secured either in this or any other country. Although the average value of the 1,968,578 bales, which were disposed of in Australasia, was 8.2 per bale less than the previous season, calculated on a clean scoured basis, wool values were really higher during the past year than they were in 1912-13, the difference being due to the much heavier condition of the wool grown during the past season. * As the average per bale, which works out at £l3 4s lid, is nearly 30s per bale greater than was obtained for the record clip of 1911-12, the past clip has been a record one as regards the all-important point of monetary returns. The total value of all the wool sold in Australia and New Zealand, during the statistical year just closed, viz., 1,968,578 bales amounts to £26,079,536, an excellent result as compared with ten years ago, when 837,479 bales were sold for £10,046,656. The second highest amount of money received for the wool clip sold in Australasia was £25,712,774, which was obtained in the 1909-10 season. The increase in the value of the wool clip sold in Australasia in ten years amounts to no less than 160 per cent. The past clip wa6 composed of 69 per cent merino and 31 j>er cent crossbred. That of 1911-12 was represented by 72 per cent merino and 28 per cent crossbred, and the clip of 1910-11 by 74 per cent merino and 26 per cent crossbred. I As was forecasted in last year's Annual I Review, the clip proved to be an exceptionally well-grown, bulky and generally useful one, but owing principally to the abundance of feed which was available to the flocks, during the time the wool was growing, the fibre of the wool was much broader in quality, and more liber- ■ ally nourished with yolk than the starved I clip of the previous year. It was only nati ural that there would be a substantial in- ! crease in wool production, but few can have • thought the export would have been as j large as it has proved, due entirely to the exceptionally bulky fleeces which the sheep , grew. I With regard to prospects Dalgety and Co. say: Given a fair average of seasons, ithe outlook for the pastoral industry in j Australia and New Zealand was never so j good at it is at the present time. The ; world's demand for the primary products 'of these countries has unquestionably overtaken supplies, with the result that prices now stand at a very remunerative all-round level of values, from which over a period of years there is not likely to be any recessioß.