KEEN INTEREST

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26958, 18 December 1948, Page 6

KEEN INTEREST

Wool Sale on Monday

Two factors are combining to stimulate interest to the highest pitch in the first wool sale of the season, which will open in the Burns Hall at 8 a.m. on Monday. The first is the fact that meteoric prices prevailed in the fine wool section at the Christchurch sale on Wednesday, and the second is that the first instalment of the Otago and Southland clip is even better than last year. There is a general impression among wool handlers and farmers that

Monday may see further increases in the already phenomenal prices being paid for wool.

December sales are now of greater interest than used to be the case because of the increased and increasing popularity of early shearing. Over 30,000 bales will be offered on Monday, including a few bales of boughtin wool from last season, but without any commandeered stock wool- All the wools on show in local stores appear to be in better condition than they were at this time last year. There are some 'signs of dust among the seconds, but, generally speaking, the wool is clean and well-grown. The mild winter and spring have caused remarkable growth, and Southland wools, in particular, are in excellent order. Crossbred wool has more style and quality than last year, and is lighter in condition as a result of the dry season. Some of the earlyshorn wool is not true to type in that it is shorter than it might have been, but it will, without a doubt, meet with a ready response from Continental buyers.

The Continent, indeed,, is expected to be at least as eager for fine wools as was the case last year. A large percentage of the wool sold at Christchurch will ultimately find its way to Russia, and there are those who are deriving little comfort from the thought that the fine crossbred wools which are so keenly sought are ideal for the manufacture of uniforms.

While fine wool prices rose sharply at Christchurch, the increase among the coarser grades was not so marked. The coarse wools to be sold on Monday are said to be of better quality than those in the north —as, indeed, is usually the case—and it is confidently expected that prices will be higher than they were in Christchurch.