LONDON WOOL SALES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3594, 30 January 1923, Page 15

LONDON WOOL SALES.

MERINOS STEADY. CROSSBREDS IMPROVING. From Otra Special Correspondent LONDON, November 30. The sales are making very good progress, and on the whole the results are splendid. There seems to be a soundness about the bidding for merinos which is commendable, and although prices are high and firm, there is not that extremeness about them which one saw last series. The slump during the interval in Continental exchanges no doubt helped to sober Continental buyers, and the fact that Liverpool provided some reasonable wool has imparted a strong desire on the part of the home trade to repeat their purchases in Coleman street. At the same time we very much doubt if London is as cheap as Liverpool—in fact, it is not. Wools in Coleman street are at least 5 per cent, dearer than they were in Liverpool, and the prices made for the different classes of merinos t+early show that it would need little by way of increased competition to see October prices again in evidence. The fact of the auctions finishing on a Friday night till Monday morning enables the majority of home trade buyers to get a day in Bradford, and many see the importance of securing wool at values in harmony with prices ruling in consuming centres. Users are still very strongly averse to paying above 5s for 64’s tops, and it is now known that several big topmakers have taken this price for February onward. They are hoping to cover their sales in London and Australia, but it is going to be a difficult task. The latest cables from Melbourne and Sydney indicate that topmaking wools can be picked up on a clean basis of about 50d landed Bradford, which means 5s in the top if it is good wool. London 3o far has not provided merinos on so low a basis, and everybody realises that in view of the present attitude of users it would

be futile to pay bigger prices unless one had other strong reasons for believing that merinos would be dearer. However, the catalogues are being cleared readily every day, the market thus being kept very steady and firm. SOME GOOD MERINO CLIPS. Queensland has provided by far the cream of the catalogues, and liie new clip is on the whole good in quality and in character. West Australia is also represented by some new dig wools, but they are disappointing. We think it must be clue to a dry period. There ought to have been available some of the best West Australian clips, but the inauguration of auctions at Perth is going to rob London of some big lines of use.ul olios. However, Bradford topmakers will have to convey their buying limits to that part of the world, for London is net going to see them catalogued. The quality is ali right, but there will be nothing like the “tear” about the wools this season that one is accustomed to see. However, the Queensland wools are well grown, _ sound and shafty, and present a very attractive appearance. For instance, C&T./Bimerah was represented by over 1000 bales. top line of greasy merino combing touched 29d, ether lots selling from 'ni<\ to 254 d: fleece necks 27J,d to 25'd, broken 2od to 24Ad —prices which clearly indicate a very strong market. For instance, the line that realised 29d in the grease was 61 bales ot AAA wethers, the quality being 70 s, and the estimated clean yield 62 per cent, ifiis works out at 56d clean, but the next lot was dearer still, for it worked out ait o7d clean ; while 13 bales of A A ewes, which made 27d, would onlv give a clean yield of 46 per cent., which works out at 58d clean. Then a line of 66 bales of Ist necks, which made 27 s d, would not give more than 50 per '’“ nL which means 55<i clean; while 99 bales of broken would cost 53cl clean \\ effne these details to show the strength of the market, and also to illustrate the fact that big prices are still forthcoming for Queensland produce. Nothing very great has been seen in scoureds, Durr Diver Downs making up to Sid for scoured clothing, fleece touching 46d. weaners 42*d, pieces 37d bellies 36*d f and locks 29id. These certainly are very good figures, and clearly indicate big P™r e ?-J° d good wools. Of course, the Continent lifted fhe bulk of these. . Th ere is a particularly good demand for pieces bellies, and[locks and Belgian buyers are keen for them and for anything of a carbonising nature prices are very little below where they were last “New South Wales so for has been represented very sparsely, and the bulk of tlie wools hTve y been on B.A W.R.A account One misses this series the good line of Riverina new clip wools that, always use to be offered at a December series of sales, but owing to the list of arrivals bein f c osed earlier than in pre-war times probably these clips will come forward in January. l market certainly is on the whole g^d ; and shafty combing wools, such as the Iw r offers will find a very ready sale. Ail the South At strait in wools catalogued havejieea from Adelaide, chiefly * kJ/H scoureds. which were taken prmc'ivally b.y the Conti nent at prices almost equal to those in October. A CROSSBRED SERIES. There is no doubt that the series largely partakes of a crossbred character, and the Greatest demand is seen for these wools There are several American hviycr-s presim. who have not been oyer f Uru including a representative of the American Woollen Company. Fine crossbreds are 6 ner cent dearer than last series, and often Medium crossbreds show the same improvement, with coarse wools fully 5 per ce higher The transformation in 48-69 3 wools nW* e • . ~ whether America will reniaK^wickeu' “regains, to seen hut under present competition unporters a d what e a f eli alteration has place in in l,n»ncahas y bought such big weights of America nasu s topmakers and matchings from B'ad-o.ra P cleared merchants that the t crQS&hred wool . out of surplus trade is just as keen STpS. k Africa, and rf»~‘.nd”*oSr«™r r Continent. Germany is not Ilt Frame Is which one can ' um e of crossbreds. Kfhi SA «T\r h s CeTef d . rIf Jny New fellmongering estabj F" v Ce " 97d last week other lots making Ihfit, "; .'limit. «.= -* ll *» * ii ‘>“ could not be better. CLEAN SCOURED COSTS. *J5£7. hS a decline, but - e jj re as follows: in crossbreds. The * N ov. 24. Description. July. £ per lb

Built on the lines of a tank, a French motor car will oliinb obstructions, go through snowdrifts 20ft high, and skate on ice.

Combing. 70’8 suoer fleeces . • d. 32 d. 66 d. 61 61/67's, good medium 30fc 60 57 60/64’8, good medium • 30 28 51 fleeces (Vi’s, good pieces .. 60 56 57 GO’s, good nieces 27 58/60’s, good medium 29 47 47 56'9, fine crossbred fleeces 26 36 37 50/56’s, fine crossbred fleeces 46/50’s, crossbred 23£ 30 20 33 23 "fleeces 18 46's, crossbred fleeces 17 15 44 s, crossbred fleeces 36/40's, (crossbred 16 12 13 12 fleeces 15J 11 Capes. 10/12 months combing Capes 6/7 months good cloth 27 none 52 ing Capes 24 none 33