OUR ENGLISH WOOL LETTER,

Otago Witness, Issue 2167, 5 September 1895, Page 6

OUR ENGLISH WOOL LETTER,

(From Our Special Correspondent.) London, July 19. CONTINUED ACTIVITY.

Although all England this week has been engaged in a keen political ttruggle, and everybody seems intoxicated with the election fever, yet it has in no sense interfered with the proceedings of the wool auctions in Coleman street, and every sale has passed off with great spirit. It is very pleasing to nete that co far as the wool trade is concerned these elections have given no demoralising influence to the trade, for men have attended to business first and pleasure after. The week under review has therefore been conspicuous by a continued firmness of the market and a continuously numerous attendance of all sections. All through the week some very heavy catalogues have been put forth, and although about 16,000 biles have been offered daily, ytt the buyers h ave been able to tackle the lot, and effect a clearance. The result is primarily due to the sustaine d demhnd on the part of the 'American section, whose operations during the series have beeu on aa unpracedeatedly large scale.

Already it in computed they have bought to the extant of about 41,000 bales, comprising all countries' growth excepting Wejtern Australia'?, to which so far they sesm little attracted, and yet their buying capacity seems in no sense exhausted. It is well known, however, that a go id deal of their operations are purely of a "speculative" character, and some fear th«y are going in tco heivily to hsb out. The homo trade, of course, is by far the largest operator, and, competing keeuly with the Amerieaua, aU lots of decent character sell very readily. The demand for crossb.eds of all grade* by the home trade, of fins, luM-rous, aud demiluttrous for America, and of good medium 6ortu and inferior description 1 } for the Continent continues unabated, with the result that, with the exception of short, heavy, and shabby parcels, which are eomewhat irregular, values are fully maintained, and likely to contiuuo. On the other hond, both French and German buyerß continue to operate very sparingly— due partly to big st >cks still on hand out of " direct " imporfc, and partly to a feeling that values have been driven up too rapidly, and consequently their attitude hitherto has been one of extreme caution. South African wools continue very stationary. Long grewo, both Cape " and Natal, is -£d and short grease 4,d dearer than at the opening. Fleece washed, for which neither the home nor contiaental operators show any great anxiety, are selliDg without change, and suow whites are well competed for, and middling easterns are par to £d higher tban in May. AH things cousidercd, there is continued activity, but no further increase in Values.

Sold by Messrs Buxton, Ronald, and Co., July 10 .— MANGAKURI : Greasy-13 bales cro.sbred first lid. 50 do lOJd, 2G do secnid lOd, 76 do 9id. GO'do third 9d, 64 do fourth 9d. fiG do fifth 9id, 1G do BJd, 34 do m'tces 6d, 29 do B pieces 7d, 7 first do lambs 81d. TK AHTI : Greasy— G3 fine crossbred 9Jd, 197 do 9d, 16 first do pieces 7*d. N.Z. and A. Land Co. over Levels : Greasy— l 3 merino 6id, 20 first quarturbred E 9d, 30 do halfbred hoggets 9Jd, 21 do X lOd. 30 do 9d, 29 do BJd, 20 do crossbred hoggets lOd, 47 do E lOd, 12 second do H 9Jd, 31 do 10 HJd, 9 first Lincoln 9d, 17 crossbred broken Bd. Scoured— l 6 first croebbred combing 13d, 21 Becoii'l do II 12d, 9 fine do pitces 10£ d. 10 firßt do B pices lOJd, 18 do 10J, EG do 9Jd, 40 do 9d, 28 locks 7jd. Sold by Messrs Thomas and Cook, July 11 :— Billiard BalL(five) : Slipe-26 bales half bred lambs 9id, 63 do 9d, GO crossbred lambs 9id, 5 do 9d, 25 first clothing halfbred 9J, 7 do Bd, 15 do crossbred Sd, 15 washed second balfbied lomb3 7Jd, 8 do crossbred Gd. IFM in triangle : G-e<uiy— l2 halfbied Gd, 78 crossbred A 6Jd. 21 do R 61. 2 Lincoln 7k-U 21 crossbred s§d, 5 do pieces 4 j<>, 9 do bellies 4id. Ihese \vnc heavy, skirty, anJ very ill-con-ditioned. I'G : Greasy— l 6 first crossbred EH Bd, 34 do W 7JJ, G8 do H Bd, 14 do dgd 7d, 12 do Down 7d ; 7 second do H 7Jd. These, too, leave room for improvement in condition.

fold by Messrs Jncomb, Sod, and Co., July 13 :— Bell over "Wantwood : Grease— 9 bales sup. halfbred 7Jd, 31 halfbred B}d. SG do 7R 38 do II 71, 11 first quarterbivd 7i<J, 40 crossbred A 9Jd, 21 do Bd, 2<5 Lincoln BAd, 11 halfbred II GJI, 0 crossbred H 7d, '/.) pieces 7<i, 15 do O'W. Knapdiilc : Gieasc— 4o fmt halfbred 1C S<l, 27 second do Bd, G4 fust combing crossbred B£d, 33 second do Bd, 12 C do Bd, 15 D 7id, 6 Leicester 9d. PAHI : Gaase— 31 Lincoln fifstfAd, 4 do Bd, 5 do 73*1, 10 do dgd 7id, 39 eecond crossbred BVd, 12 do 7Jd, 57 do 8 I, 22 first crossbred Bd, 5 do dgd 7Ad, 20 do 73d, 8 do dgd 7L This was a decent clip.

Sold by Messrs Charles B-ilme and Co., July 15:— (J in triangle over Moa Flat: Gtease-38 hales A combing Bd, 'U do 7R 12 do 7W. £2 B do Bd, 10 do 7Jd, 1(5 do 7d, 27 C r/inbing 7Jd, 11 do 7}'', 7 clothing 7d, 7 do (J?J, 4 limnncy B'.il, 13 second pieces Bd, 44 do 7id, 17 do GUI, 7 B pieces 71d, 22 do 6d, 15 do s|d, 6do II s:{<l. Gladbrook : Grtase —18 A combing 7W, 7 Bdo 7d, 11 A quarterhred do 9d, 4 do BJd, 38 A halfbrcd do lOd, 19 do RJ..I.R J ..1. 11 A three-qnarteibrcd do lOd, 28 do Od, 12 Leicester combing 10J, S half bred broken SJti, 21 fir*t ha'fbred pieces 7Jd, 21 secood do Gjd. WAIKAKAHI over cart wheel : Grease-47 A half bred combing do H 9d. 13 B do BJd. 82 second crossbred do 9d, 42 do B}d, 7 Lincoln Bid, 12 do Bd, 54 first crotsbred pieces Bd, (53 second do 7}d, 23 first tUree-tiuavterbred do 8 1, G second do 7Jd. Sold by Messrs Messrs John Ffoar and Co., July 16.— Fetine over T between four stars : Grcise— 2s bales A A fine crossbred combing 9d, 3(i A do Bid, 5G B do 9U. 31 G do 9R 14 D crossbred combing 9d, 38 do BJd, 34 do Bd, 22 pieces 7Jd, 7 locks 7d.

Sold by Messrs Willana ar.d Overbuvy. same day.— B in lu-art over Elms : Greasy— B3 bales combing H 8R 179 second do Bd, 38 d"o 7R 50 clothing 7Jd, 82 do 7h\, 29 .second do 71d, 60 pieces withdrawn, 46 B do (id.

The home trade this week has bfen considerably interfered with by the election fever. The first ma-ket day especially found business men more disposed to b« in close proximity to the polling booths thau the lixchaugo, consequeutly not much business could be reported last Moo day. However, the wool trade of Bradford jufet now, to use a paradoxical expression, does not take as much lookiDg after as it does when things are quiet and trade is absent, so men book leave of top", yarni, noils, and pieces for at least one day, aud under the peculiar circumstances missed nothing in the shape of real actual business. The, tone of the market here is in one sense in full fryrcpaihy with the large distributing centre, London, all wool comuacdities being exceptionally firm and the tendency upward ; but values Eoruehow do not como up to th°.t high standard reached in Lcndon, and prices for both crossbred ami merino tops are not commensurate with London rates. Btiil, toptnakcra bftve lately made their iufluonce visibly felt on

tho market, and consumers have been reluctantly compelled to accede to their higher quotations. Everything tends upwards, and if the rate of consumption only continues as it now is" for six months longer, the colonial grower will oeitaiuly reap a greater benefit. - The molt striking feature in th« market is the increased demand for the coareer kinds of crossbred wools, whioh appears at first sight rather inexplicable inviow of the great falling off in the use of the rougher classes of dress serges ; but this renewed increase in the price of lustrous crossbreds c»n bo accounted for by the largely increased demand for this wool in tho clothing tracks ; thete is also the expansion of trade abroad and on the Continent, and alao the facb that the prices of all classes of English W( ol have lately advanced quite 10 per cent. Mohair and alpaca are still monopolising a large amount of attention, and this, too, has helped) to biiug the m&iket into tho present strong positiou. It is just now with only the greatest difficulty thafc quotations can de obtained either for Cape or Turkey mohair on the otherside. Spinners are ttill full steam ahead, and likely to be for some timo to coma. In soft wool yarns the market is not over boisterous, simply because all the spinners are engaged on old contraots for some time to come, and I hear of a good many complaints from manufacturers of the d>ißculty of getting deliveries of fine counfc warps for the finer and lighter worsted coating trade. Mobair aud lustre yarns sell as readily, as ever, and the booking of new-orders and the time for delivery of them is now so far distant that there is practically only the smallest amount of new business doing in them. Ametica, is still the all absorbing centre of attraction, and although the present time is somewhat between the season?, I hear that the exports for coatings and liniugs are still keeping up well in fulfilment of old order;, and there is no doubt that some very large lines of bright dress goods are now passing through Bradford looms for that market. All this really means a continued increase of raw wool for the manufacture of the same.