WOOL PRICES EASIER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18888, 10 December 1924, Page 8

WOOL PRICES EASIER.

SECOND SALE AT NAPIER.

MANY BUYERS INACTIVE.

DECLINE IN FLEECE WOOL.

HIGHER RATES FOR PIECES.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] NAPIER. TueirJay,

The second wool sale of the season in Napier opened this evening, when about 8000 bales of a total catalogue of 28,377 bales, were offered to a usual bench of buyers, the majority of whom, however, appeared to be spectators.

Many buyers who took large quantities at the first sale, hardly put in a single bid, but two new operators helped to maintain the market to some extent; otherwise it is thought the market would have shown a very heavy decline. As it was, fleece wool taken all round showed a decrease on the last Napier sale, of up to 2d per.lb. Scouring wools declined one penny, and super fleece wool was also easier.

On the other hand, good pieces and necks met- with keen competition from France and New Zealand mills, and showed an - increase on the rates of previous sales. One lot of necks brought 24d. Lambs' wool showing any quality was keenly sought, and prices were main .

tained. Southdown went as high as 34Jd, and halfbred to 323 d. One lot of hoggets reached 28|Jd, but the bulk of this class sold at several pence less than anticipated. Tho bidding lacked.'-animation ; in fact, the auctioneer was provoked into such remarks as " Get to it," and " Come on, or you'll go to sleep."

BRADFORD REQUIREMENTS.

OBJECTION TO CROSSBRED.

A FAULT OF THE ROMNEY.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN RESPONDENT. ] WELLINGTON. Tuesday.

" I think ,we shall have to look to the Leicester and the Lincoln to make our wool more suitable for the Bradford manufacturer." The above is the opinion of Mr. G. V. Pearce, of Kakaramea, who returned from a world's tour on Monday. He said that during his five months' stay in England he had attended two wool sales in London and had also gone through several sheds and seen the wooldisplayed. He received. an invitation to attend the conference between wool manufacturers and wool producers at Bradford, at which there were about 200 present, principally wool producers, of whom" about 50 hailed from Australia and about 10 from New Zealand. Among the New Zealanders were Sir Andrew Russell, Sir Thomas Mackenzie, Messrs. Knight (Feilding), and Lvsaght (Canterbury). The conference discussed the question of the injurious effect of the jute wool bales at present used and also the paint and tar now used in branding sheep.

Mr. Pearce said he was surprised to find the strong exception which was taken by nearly all the British manufacturers to the increase in the amount of Romneybred wool in New Zealand crossbreds. They maintained that the wool was too hairy.

" The New Zealand farmer," said Mr. Pearce, " is under a misapprehension when lie thinks that the word hairy means coarseness. It really means that the fibre is so straight that when it is woven into yarn the ends stick out in places, making the yarn hairy. This means that cloth manufactured from such yarn has a rough surface. Mr. Akroyd, the president of the conference, recommended the New Zealanders to cross with the Wensleydale sheep to improve the quality of the wool. I inspected this breed of sheep at the Royal Show at Leicester, and also have some samples of the wool and some photographs of the prize sheep of this breed. I am of opinion that although the wool is of nice even quality it would (educe the weight so much that it would not pay the New Zealand farmer to use that breed. It would also deteriorate the carcase for freezing purposes, as the sheep is an ill-shaped, narrow-necked sheep. Mr. Knight, the well-known sheep-breeder of Folding, endorsed my opinion upon those Wensleydale sheep. I think, therefore, we shall have to look to the Leicester and the Lincoln cross to make our wool more suitable for the Bradford manufacturer. It is a well-known fact that fifteen or twenty years ago the basis of the ewe flocks in New Zealand was Lincoln and Leicester, and the manufacturers in Bradford say that when first ciossed with the Romney New Zealand wool was more suitable to their purpose than it is now, when it is almost wholly Romney."