THE WOOL SALES. NAPIER WOOL SALES. NAPIER, November 10.

Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 19

THE WOOL SALES. NAPIER WOOL SALES. NAPIER, November 10.

The first- Napier wool sale of the season took place to-day, when over 3000 bales were catalogued. The experiment of, holding a, eale early in November has been tried, and had it not been for the adverse weather conditions prevailing during the last few weeks a much larger catalogue would have been placed before buyers. It is felt, however, that, dk>vided climatic conditions are favourable, if the same experiment is repeated next year a large catalogue may be looked forward to by the buyers. The buyers attended to-day in large numbers, and representatives of Bradford, America, the Continent, and Australasia competed keenly for the various lots submitted. As was to be expected after a fine winter, the wool opened up bright and in good condition.

The following is a comparative statement showing prices realised at this sale, as compared with the prices realised at the December sale of last year, and also at last sale of that season. (The first set of figures refer to to-day's sale, the second set to December, i9OB, and the third set to February last.) Medium half bred — up to lid (B£d to 9?d). (8d) : fine crossbred— lid to Is o£d <10d to 12|), (8d to 9d) : medium crossbred—Sd to lOd (8d to lOd), (7d to 8W) ; coarse crossbred — 7d to 8d (73 to Bid), (6|d to 7^d) : coarse inferior crossbreds — 6d to 63d (sid to 6J<3). (s|d to 6Ad) ; pieces— 6d to 7^d (3d to s^d), (4d to s£d).

WELLINGTON WOOL SALES. WELLINGTON, November 12. " The beet .sale ever held in Wellington " sums up accurately to-day's wool pale— the first of the Wellington series for the 1909-10 season. The splendid range of values set at Napier was fully maintained. I Taking quality for quality, pieces may have ibeen cheaper, but fleece wools suit- j able for America, having the necessary lightness in condition, realised fully up to the best of the Hawke's Bay values ; in fact, some of the buyers maintained that they had to pay more for them. Two thousand eight hundred bales were offered. Prices on the whole were l£d

to Id better than they were at the openvug sale of last season. The extrem* prices, up to 13£ d,. were for very lightconditioned halfbreds. Good bright crossbreds went from 10£ dto Is, according tv condition; ordinary to medium, from B£d to 9jd ; coarse crossbreds, 7jjd to B£d. The sale was remarkable for the very few lots passed in. Buyers were present in stronger force than ever before. When prices soared above Bradford limits and ' came within the American range, the bidding was left to the several operators for American houses, and if wool possessed the desired lightnlsss in condition the limit price was given. The heavier-condi-tioned and lisjht-conditiioned ri&n-skirted parcels were left to the Bradford and local buyers, and htere the competition was strong . enough to secure prices On a full par with London values. Prices averaged as under, the figures in parentheses referring to the 1908 sale: — Merinos, 9£d to lOd ; haJfbreds (7d to 8d), 9ld to 13£ d; superfine crossbreds '(7£d to 8d). lOd to 13d ; medium crossbreds (6£d to 7|d), 8d to lOd ; coarse crossbreds (6d 'to 6|d), 7d to 9Jd; inferior srossbreds (4£d to 6d), 7d"to 8d; pieces and beMies (2d to 3|d), 4d to 6£d; locks (Id to 2*d), Id to 4*d.