WELLINGTON WOOL SALE.

Otago Witness, Issue 4057, 15 December 1931, Page 32

WELLINGTON WOOL SALE.

LITTLE CHANGE IN PRICES. WELLINGTON, December 8. Tlie chairman of the Wellington Wool"brokers’ Association (Mr Hammond)) remarked on the good attendance of buyers at the wool sale to-day, and ' the general competition, but said buyers were obviously operating on rigid limits. Low crossbreds and inferior wools were more or less neglected, and unfortunately the wool was opened up in not so attrac tive a condition as is usual at the Wellington first sale. This centre has been noted for the large percentage of superfine crossbreds offering, but so far this season these qualities have not come into the catalogues. The principal demand was for halfbred, and these wools were slightly dearer, and crossbreds conspicuously so, these being on a par with the rates ruling at the Napier sale last week. The total wool catalogued was 23,268 bales, but there were heavy withdrawals and frequent passings. Yorkshire and the Continent were keen for wools up to their restricted limits. Theie was a large attendance of the public and a full bench of buyers. The .following is the official range oi prices together with a comparison with the sale on April 17: — ’

FINER WOOLS IN DEMAND

HELD-OVER CLIPS NEGLECTED. WELLINGTON, December 8. Of the first Wellington wool sale of the season, held to-day, it must be said that it was disappointing to those who had expected anything better in the way of prices or clearances than was the case at Auckland or Napier. A total of 23,270 bales had been catalogued, but heavy -eleventh-hour withdrawals reduced the offering to approximately 21,200 bales, of which it is estimated 13,000 odd were sold during the day. There was a full bench of buyers, representative of all sections of the trade, and a large gallery of onlookers, including many’ farmers who were frankly disappointed with the sale. Until the sale was fully one-third through the bidding was spasmodic and passings were monotonously frequent. It was very- noticeable that finer wools were sought after, with keen bidding especially from the Continent, America, and the local mills, but inferior sorts and shabby and discoloured, held-over wools were neglected. Later, the sale improved visibly, competition being well spread. Bradford took most of the coarser wools sold, while France and Germany were keen buyers of pieces and crutchings. Fine wools were in short supply, and keen competition from the local mills and probably Australia helped the market considerably in these lines. It was noted that buyers were working on very rigid limits and were very discriminating "in their purchases, old wools being congistently rejected in favour of new and brighter sorts. During the latter part of the sale there was a slightly better tone, with fewer passings. Interviewed after the sale, Mr A. E. Mabin, chairman of the New Zealand Wqolbrokers’ Association, said that, in view of what had happened at Auckland and Napier, to-day’s sale was better than had been expected by the trade. A goodly quantity of halfbred had been offered, and. it was apparent that the Dominion mills had been on short supplies, for, in strong competition with Yorkshire and French and German buyers they had pushed prices up above last December’s Wellington rates to the extent of 13d to 2Jd per lb. A considerable quantity had been sold at from 7d to 9Jd. Unfor-

tunately, there was a very small supply of super crossbreds, and these were taken keenly by America and Japan, and possibly also by Australia. They sold at full rates, something like id to Id better than a year ago. Hogget wools were in strong demand, best sorts being Id better and lower- counts jd to id better than last December rates. Bellies, pieces, and crutchings were bought by Erance and Germany at comparatively good prices. What little merino, was offered was snapped up b.v the Dominion mills at an average of 9Jd. Regarding old wools, Mr Mabin remarked that some showed no depreciation in quality and sold at rates almost equal to those obtained for new clips. Other lots, however, looked very unattractive, and buyers naturally were not taking them at anything like the rates for new wools, ami they sold at a depreciation of Id to lAd and sometimes more. The sooner the old wools were disposed of the sooner would crossbreds come into their own again. There might be now. roughly. 100.000 odd bales of old woo] still in New Zealand.

Apl. 17. Dec. 8. d. d. d. d. Merino 64/70, 60/64 — Super — —— Average .. — 74 to 94 Inferior — 6 to -7 Corriedale— Super — — Average 73 to 81 7 o to 83 Inferior — 43 to 63 Fine Halfbred 56/58 — Super — — Average 7 to 83 8 to 94 Inferior 53 to 7 6 to 74 Medium Halfbred 50/56 — Super 93 to 10 — Average 62 to 83 7 to 84 Inferior 5 to 64 44 to 64 Extra Fine Crossbred 48/50— Extra super — — Super 8 to 9 63 to Average 64 to 73 53 to 61 Inferior 44 to 64 33 to 5 J me Crossbred 46/48— Extra super .. — — Super 73 to 81 63 to 7 Average to 74 51 to 6 Inferior . . 44 to 6 3 to 43 Medium Crossbred 44/46— Super 8 to 9 6 to 64 Average 6 to 73 43 to 51 Inferior 44 to 93 21 to 43 Coarse Crossbred 40/44 — Super 8 to 93 5 to 6 Average 5? to 7 4 to 5 Inferior 44 to 54 9 to 33 Low Crossbred 36/40— Super 8 to 9 — Average 53 to 74 4 to 5 Inferior 4 to 5 9 to 33 Hoggets— 48/50 .. .. 7 to 94 5 4 to 84 Fine 46/48 63 to 82 41 to 71 Medium 44/46 .. 64 to 8 34 to 54 Coarse 40/44 .. 54 to 73 34 to 5 Lambs Down— 50/56 8 to 101 Fine 46/50 7 to 91 ——. Seedy and inferior 24 to 54 Bellies and Pieces — Merino, good to super — —— Merino, low to medium _ Halfbred, good tc i super — to 63 Halfbred, low to medium — 3 to 41 Crossbred, good to super .. 44 to 64 4 to 54 Crossbred, low to medium 23 to 41 2 to 34 Crutchings— Medium to good 4 to 51 33 to 43 Locks — Merino Halfbred — — Crossbred 2 to 2J 1 to 2