LONDON WOOL SALES.

Otago Witness, Issue 847, 22 February 1868, Page 17

LONDON WOOL SALES.

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Mr Helmuth^Schwartze. ) \ ~ |p?"in the , fourth and last of London I^Colonial'Woel Sales," which" opened b'n'Npv. l&jrHthj and terminated on Dec.,; 14th, the i wools,,; were ■ catalogued : — 20,056 l^ibalesr Port Phillip, against 12,830 b'alesjin |$'1866 j 22,253_ bales Sydney against' 9402 bales in 1866 s ; 3328 ' bales Adelaide against jj|it-2507 ; baleß in 1866 ; 1901 bales Van Diemen's tffcLand ■ against ' 1 854 bale's in 1866 ; 14 118 ox tbaleß-.NewbZealand against' 6733 'bales! in jr 1866';Jll5ibales' Swari River against 10 bales s^-in 1866.;,. 45,635 .bales Cape,,against ,43,949 2129 L bales sundries, against in 1866, - ; Total,' 109.535- bales bales in.1866. t , \; -\ ', • ' j^Thcijßales opened with. a reduction of.. l^d ,* to 2d per- Ib. on nearly .every description, "• bringing, prices, dov^4 to a level, which, [in. • the' case of many sorts, but more especially j. of 'Cape- wools,' they have not' occupied since' ; -"the' crisis of '48. It appeared probable that ~— this -fall-would- be-a sufficient set off -to the g very unsatisfactory position in which bu'ai- , ness stood, and hence when rates became thus nzed at a low mark a little more animaaVtieh began to spring up. 'Competition lay, at ' first, almost' exclusively with the Home buyers,- but the foreign trade, attracted by the rates, became subsequently* more actively ,'i engaged, '-and contributed t'6 a firmer. tone f.» pervading the sales. •!•. Altogether about ."' 35,000 , bales 'are estimated ,to have" been bought for' export-^iriainly to Germaiy and * Austria, France taking,: this time, ,but a l ' r comparatively small sham ; ' '"'• '" ! ft' 1 '' 1 - At "the close of the series, though' I ' the k>, general feeling maybe de^gaated as -rather ;. y; pe,tter, prices stand : much oa the., same^level pC as at_tiie beginning, a few descriptions, such T as "good '.Sydney scoured, Cape, sribw' white. ij" andgreasej ' haye J somewhai, improved; '.'and '••'v'may be'stated 4d to Id higher than" a month •xago; but the great bulk • of j the wools, especially faulty, short; andheavy sorts/ show no c; changeworth quoting.- „ ■ - •- ,/, '..Inthe aspect, of trade, there, is .as ' yet no ' improvement discernible ; tiat things should -'"« grow worse is,' by general belief, improbable, -i: 'but.iri expecting a rather beiter tone "in busi- >•; ness with the turn of ..the ye^r — and the expectation is not unfquaded—^there is, yet ,pne .point that must not be logt sight of, viz., " % that^ to compensate for thk increased proV" duction' alone, a decided ardelioratiOnwill be Si - ' ••'''!.'-• '•-'" ! jr, - v - The .prospects • for. spring, under., these ii,. circumstances, ■ seem — n. r rather ..steadier "bußiriess," with, in ,the main, .-unaltered prices. ' ' ' ! ' I■, '' ";' (;;- The < following are the quantities sold during 'j, '■'. last iand this year :: — ' ■ "j« - i -' 1 m,l In 1866. • -.. i- In 1867. •■ • • Increase. - v \ 355,790balesAus-. :., .;.'•'- \ y Sj Jsralasian -. . •\ ■ . r,• "'' '"/against. 1 ... 416, 132 ba1es 60,342 ba1es ""' 99,488balesCape i ; ... " • ', -;....- -'• •'against.... 130,660- „ '31,172 „ '.;.455,27. ;.455,278 bales. • ■ 546,792 „ 91,514 ,',_. or nearly 20 per cent, increase. -■' ' ' ' J , ' The market is 1 now pretty well cleared, ho more than 4000 to 50U0 bales -remaining in ? • first hand for sale in a subsequent series.; '

■;> .'.'yTheSouthland" papers, contain a report by . the chief Sheep Inspector in that Province, for the year 1867.. In this report, the Inspector cays :— " The total, number of sheep •is '434,336:' '' Of this number, 1285 have been ' imported by sea from Great Britain and the Australian Colonies, and 44,600 have crossed over the border from the adjacent Provinces „ of New Zealand. -~ Amongst the merinos im-■-Yi_Sor_edaress 'rams7Cpicked'from the' Highly' v ;esteeaned\flock-.of , R..Kermode;'.Esq', Tas-r-s..mania,()fpr;P. M''Kellai} -Esq.,;. Longridge, X'.Jftumea— ra-first-class.ilot.J, Two reaily fine ™r&mv< imported to Victoria, 'and brought to .^Southland" by A. , J...Smythi Esq., l. Hoka'sir.nuis ';} these;- J believe,; have -a- good, dalah (»-'of'th'e..-'NegrettL( >>-'of'th'e..-'NegrettL . 133. ewes', rimporte&jfrqm •jTc New .South -Wales ,by , . F.+ -Wentworth, , Esq. , a veryfine lot,' though: '-not' as evema lot. %&.as could ibe desired. JiOChree rams' imported v>* from Victoria by < G..M. Bell, <Esq., v W'aimea J" '.-.Plains, are really -fine stock; one ram esoldj" is.-w6rthyi"o£' notice. - ~£,TJ-e same gentleman' has .also • brought' from ''fe.iVictorialOOp'pure merino /ewes of a superior ,:>J class. .la, Leicesters,- 35 picked ewes have been f.. imported by F. Wentworth, Esq., Waimea^ / ojvancl 30 rams by the • Messrs Sband,. Wanton :Ifo Estate.:, These are all: good, long- wools J two • rams ■■-imported.;. from Britain for. W. .Martin, :Esq.- <very t\ i good), and ' twb ,rams and- seven • ewes imSported -• directed - from — Great -Britain byfa Messrs^ Suttonßros., Wright's; Bush; Wai- ; 'newa. These are pure Lincolns, and a really |^ splendid lot; There were -also sixteen^ rams' ?-.' landed at .the , Bluff, .but these passed, on to. J^Mr'Bruntonji of Otago. The sheep brought fCftfryvland'^ from , .the . other, Provinces ..during J^l967.;,wer«.~all.of,the merino.breed.V, Out of &jjsthe, nnmber-.,werej;abont'soooi*young >ewes of ifegVvery fme description, and a^siuallllot'of r ' Julius 1 Bros'.^' The I 're'turned' r as 'diseased is"^o,soo.' !l l^'.have lately visited the' diseased' Btatibns in gfc order' 'that "I • "might" report ."'with.""jcohi^fld^nte?as' y ',.t<{'^lheii' ! fconditiqnV 'and 3.3 '. I p^thmk " '-^ l! ''may \ s'afely!^ state that .of the number' 1 /'over r^OOO^'are .; clean, } "ih^it , thej'disease^^i^tiie^remainder. that jprb'mpt_ is'being given-,so : the; operation lof" |^jis_iipg{i, : Wie/-whol9»;. It>-,l.lregrett1 t> -, l.lregrett to have 'to I A-repoitthatithe lambing thia season is not bo fexsatisfaotory as could be desired,' falling short, jTMliear," of- previous years. 111 '-'As fdr aB I can U. obtain mformStioriS tie' average' 'will not Fhe&fo&Al 6o percent;" ('' : <••»»•!)•!•« .- » \"'

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