OPOSSUM SKIN SALE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 14 October 1941, Page 6

OPOSSUM SKIN SALE

Messrs Dalgety and Co, report that the last main opossum skin sale of the season was held last week at Dunedin when they offered a catalogue of approximately 50,000 skins, out of a total offering of 88.000. All acclimatisation districts were represented, with probably a greater proportion of North Island skins. The selection was an excellent one, and compared with the September sale the quality of the skins was without much change. Once again we have to congratulate trappers on the preparation and get-up of the skins, with few exceptions they were well done. There was a good demand for all descriptions, exporters again taking the bulk of our catalogue. New Zealand furriers were quiet, their purchases being of small compass. Red browns, red necks, blues and greys came in for special attention and sold particularly well. Dark browns, blacks and slates did not meet the same competition and showed the greatest decline. As compared with the rates quoted in September. Browns were 6d to Is 6d; blacks 6d to 2s; blues, greys and slates 3d to Is lower, while red necks sold on the average up to previous quotations. with the exception of North I Island skins which receded 6d to 9d. Our top price for blues was 16s; greys 12s 8d; greys (rusty) 10s 6d: reel necks 11s sd; browns 9s sd; blacks 8s Dd; slates 7s 6d. Representative averages from various districts were as follows: Otago, Gatlins and Wyndham 7s (id to 10s 3d; Southland and Gore 7s to 8s 6d; North Canterbury 6s to 8s; Blenheim and Nelson 6s i to 7s (id; West Coast and Gisborne 4s 6d 1 to Cs 3d; Wellington and Palmerston North 6s 6d to 8s; Wanganui and Auck-1 land 6s 3d t 0 7s 6d; Taranaki 5s 3d to L (id. _ | The greatest height above sea-level is I no' so great as the greatest depth that ; has been probed below it. The summit of Mount Everest is 29,002 ft high; the ocean bed between Guam and Midway, jin the Pacific, is 31,614 ft down. Thus] from the top to the bottom is 60,616 ft.