Wool Growers Reap Reward of Maintaining Their Quality

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18263, 5 December 1933, Page 8

Wool Growers Reap Reward of Maintaining Their Quality

CFFOETS to maintain wool quality throughout the depression ore ‘being rewarded, as is evidenced in the prices for woo! at the Napier sale on Friday, Many 'Gisborne growers wore steadfast, iii their belief that wool 'would return to its own before very long, and they were not enticed by temporary advantages elsewhere, such as the early fat lamb trade, to neglect their wool. They kept breeding on sound lines in their efforts to maintain quality and even to improve it. Their reward has come. The better bred fleece wools showed a greater percentage of increase in value at Napier last week than the poorer fleece wools, in many instances, and price advantages of well over 100 per cent, compared with last March, were not uncommon. Some of the inferior sorts showed large increases, too, but last season these were so little in demand that growers had practically to give their clips away at prices that barely the cost, of shearing, selling and intermediate charges. An instance of how some of the values have risen in 12 months is contained in a comparison with the December sale last season. One grower who sold his A crossbred wool for SUI in December last year had it knocked down at 12d on Friday, while his B wool improved from 4d to 9sd‘. His first pieces improved frop 3d to 103 d. Another station can show even bettor figures. The A ewes a year ago were passed in at 3d, and the corresponding description this time sold at 12 : »d.. Tho B ewes a year ago were sold at 3ld, and last Friday sold at 10 : }d, the C ewes improved from 2*jd to 9d, and tho first pieces from 3|d to 113 d. Some of the price improvements m the better class clips have been the result of improved quality. Clips in the main were lighter and brighter at last week’s sale than at that of a year ago, the quality of many lines had definitely improved, and hariness had 1 shown signs of disappearing in some instances. Gisborne wools participated in this improvement, and some of the better type of fleece wools were superior to those of a year ago. ■Some of the' more fortunate growers now find that at last wool is back to a payable level. These are men who have been able to dispose of their clips at; above tho average as a result- of maintaining their quality.