OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER,

Otago Witness, Issue 3555, 2 May 1922, Page 12

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER,

FURTHER SLIGHT DEPRECIATION AT HULL SALE. From Ottr Special Correspondent. BRADFORD, February 23. The event of the past week has been the offering of 30,000 bales of colonial B.A.W.R.A. wool at Hull, there being a fairly good attendance of buyers from both France and Belgium. One would think that in such a quanaity of raw material there would bo an excellent selection, but there was nothing of the kind. As a matter of fact the merinos offered were far more suitable for the Continent than for Bradford topmakers, Belgian buyers competing keenly and giving by far the best support, of the Continental section. Of course the home trade proved to be by far the biggest buyer, and the sale was characterised with free bidding, although the standard of prices ruling was not equal to that current at Liverpool a week before. Many seem to think that B.A.W.R.A. is fast coming to the end of its tether in so far as offering its best merinos, there being nothing equal to the combing merinos and fine comeback wools which were seen at -Liverpool the week before. The merinos at Hull were mostly 2in to 3in staple wools, quality 64-70’s, mostly burry, and in somewhat sappy condition, all indicative of the wools being of considerable age. The few T lots of warp merino sold practically on the same clean level as the best Liverpool offerings, but the medium wools depreciated a further 5 per cent., which means that Continental style merino tops in oil could he bought on the basis of about 49d to 50d. Quite a lively debate sprang up among Bradford buyers, as they went home, in regard to the best combing merinos, many contending that they were no cheaper than at Liverpool, but all agreeing that in medium and faulty wools the decline averaged sto 10 per cent. This certainly shows an easier tendency, and is indicative of developing weakness in consuming centres 1 ilce Bradford. As already said, Belgian buyers bought freely, and took considerable quantities of carbonising merinos, all of which should provide Verviers firms with some good lots for treatment. CROSSBREDS EASIER. One of the outstanding features of the sale was the disposal of crossbreds, and there can be no gainsaying the fact that these were often 10 per cent. down. Good 56’s to 58’s sold under Liverpool rates, and if we compare prices with the close of -last London sales, the decline is that named. In the case of medium and coarse crossbreds, the fall is below that; in other words, everything is now back at the level of last November, and it is difficult to lift these to a level which is a paying one to growers. What the Hull and Liverpool sale* impressed us with most was the relatively good standing of 56’s and upwards compared with lower sorts, comebacks in particular occupying a very sound position. These are selling almost on a par with good average merinos, simply because hosiery spinners are wanting these for blending with 64's in order to give that “lift” to the yarn which is a very desirable characteristic. Somehow good 40’s tops in consuming centres do not get beyond 12gd—in fact, many spinners assert that, they can buy freely at less. These low and medium crossbreds are essentially “bread and butter” lines; they must be enjoying a very good consumption; yet prices do not lift, and appear likely to remain at a low level for a long time to

SOME USEFUL PARTICULARS.

We give below a selection of the marks, description, clean yield, and price realised for wools disposed of last week at Hull, these enabling the reader at once to appreciate the clean scoured basis upon which the various descriptions of wool were selling :

BiA.W.R.A.’S STOCKS. During the week the London directors of the British Australian Wool Realisation Association have issued a list which shows the total stocks of wool on hand last January 31, and the corresponding totals on January 31, 1921. The list shows that Australian merino has been reduced from 868,742 bales to 365,172 bales, while Australian crossbred was reduced from 810,254 bales to 735,494 bales. The figures given for New Zealand are: — Jan. 31, Jan.,

U-rancl totals •*■>, ->■ —> What impresses one most when reviewing the above is the steady disappearance of both merinos and crossbreds, particularly the latter. The figures given above show that during the year B.A.W.R.A. s old wool has been handed on to-consumers to the tune of 503,570 bales of merinos, and 154,770 bales of Australian crossbreds, whilst the stock of New Zealand wools has fallen from 762,164 to 601,042 bales. _ So far as one ca.n judge, the position at the present time, the prospect for the consumption "of merino wool is better than for crossbreds. There are large latent demands for the former, and the great need to-day is for a satisfactory solution of the combing problem. Given a satisfactory output of merino tops from the combs, the position in this section would become entirely different, and an expanding business would be done.

Mark. Description. Quality. Yield, per cent. Price cl. .72 1!H 47 18 Pin e- G rove /A I'-C Greasy A combing hoggets .. Very good- 64's 46 It) JWH/Pamatta Grease combing Greasy A combing hoggets .. Greasy 1st combing hoggets Very good 64-60’s .. 17 17 44 17 Beltana Warp 60-64’s .. .. 41 ' 15 Beltana Greasy .1st combing hoggets Warp 60-64’s 41 141, A. K. Withers, Woodlands . Greasy combing Warp 61-GO’s G-ood 64-6 'Vs 38 15 Cuthero Greasy A A combing 30 1U Moorna . Greasy necks Very good 60’s .. .. 52 19 J D/Netley Greasy A necks Very eootl 64-60’s .. 48 171 Calperum Greasy necks Very good 64's Good 56’s 43 15.', Symmond's Plains Greasy ex. sup. three-quarterbred 68 19 O/ROC . Greasv ex. sup. comeback 58-60’s CO 20 AW /M vail Downs Greasv 1st combing Average 70' s 47 22 Bangate Greasy 1st combing Average 70-74’s 46 26* 61-70’ s 47-8 1‘) JIVF/Oban Greasy A A combing 70' s , .. 45 19 THG/Tawatai Greasy crossbred lambs 46’s free SR 101 Motuikawa . Greasy Romney lambs 44-46's free .. 77 0

Merino •• Crossbred (bulk combing) Fine 56/58's Medium 46/48/50’s .. Low 44's and below Slipes Scoured 1922. Bales. 2,569 16,848 * 141,157 196,867 121.283 122,318 .1921. Bales. 3,296 448,584 151,791 158,493 G nan d totals X. Z 601,042 762,164 South 75,208 — 1,776,906 2,521,160