BETTER THAN EXPECTED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18580, 14 December 1934, Page 9

BETTER THAN EXPECTED

CHRISTCHURCH WOOL SALE AN IMPROVED TONE FAIR OFEARANPE MADE (Per Press Association.) CUR IS TCII UR CII, fhi? day. The 'first Christchurch sale of the present season war field yesterday. Price 1 :, of course, computed very disappointingly with those of the first local sale of last season, but there was, ' a better, market than w.nr, predicted foi super ’wools, with a. tree disposal of -avciagf- to good fine wools, the tone generally being distinctly 'better than at preceding sales in the North Island.

'Coarse wools showed no improvement, although there was a, wider circle of competition for these. The top price was. 1-J *,< 1 t’o l ' 'halfhred ami Lljd for (Wried-ale. In view of the

"present -position of, the wool market the sale was quilt* a good one and I itllv up I o especial ions. Tin* catalogue was of 15,410 bales, am! for a first of the season catalogue the offering generally was good, with hotter representation than usual of good lialfbrods from nearby hill properties. There was a full bench of buyers, but a number of them scarcely opened their books. Local mills competition was the main factor in the defrnand for sillier wools.

The passings totalled 11J per cent,

but in few cases was-a total clip with drawn.

Bradford representatives operated under very definite limits, but they secured a fair share -of medium and inferior wool.: of both fine and coarse grades. However, they -appeared to he unable to join in ilie competition for better wools. French and Japanese buyers, took a good proportion of the wools, of finer description, but ‘there was practically no buying on German account. Local fellmongers secured a larger share of pitlre lots, and as- this class sold more in relationship with fleece than last season, when pieces frequently brought within Id or two of fleece, they secured and appreciable quantify.

'Competition was steady, but animated only on a 'l'ew occasion!.-; for toor.se wools. T!v.? latter class had a wider circle of buyers, but. limits were definite. Whilst competitorsnvero disposed to outbid one another 'for choice wools, there was no such feature in the demand for coarse grades. These showed rio improvement, but were firm on North Island values. The sale may he described as slightIs- better than expected for super grades of fine wools and better class pieces, and firm at the best ol North Island values for wU other classes. The general atmosphere of the sale, however, was much bettor than at

•earlier auctions. ■As stated, the local mills were mainlv responsible for the buoyuncy,of the demand for super wools. This was the first sale of the season at which they had an opportunity of filling their special requirements. In view of the adversities which have beset the wool market in the last, six months, a comparison of values with the opening sale last December is valueless, but, nevertheless, illuminating. Good average halfbrcd and ‘C6rru’d,ale wools made from 9sd to lid. A similar class last year averaged from Kid to lSd. Best grades yesterday ranged from 11ßl to 113 d, and last year from 18d to 21d. The decline, therefore, is more than .a third, or 85 to nearly 10 per cent. Coarse wool averaged from lid to old, and Inst, December, for similar wool, 7dd Lo Od. The difference was evenly maintained.

The lop price of ‘the sale was Mid secured on two occasions for hallbred. Five hales of ewe made this figure early in the sale, and later in the day the price was equalled for 18 bales ol halfbred ewe. Pour bales of Kilsyth half-bred ewe sold ,at 11 id. The top halfbred price at the first sale last vear was 21 Ml. Yesterday the best f'orriednle price was 181 d, secured bv iwo clips. The price for Cnrriedale last year was 25.Jd. Tlie following is a range of values, with those for the December sale in 1088, in parentheses: —•

'Merino. —Super (to HUd), 10i|d to lljjd; medium (15Jd to I7bl), Old to lO.jd; inferior (lid to 15(1), SJd to Od. ('orriedalo. —Extra super (2_M to 25jd), to Hid; super (lOd In 21d), lljd to 13d; medium (17d to LSJd), p:i(1 to l.Hd; inferior (14A<1 to lfiid), B{d to Od. Fine halfbred. —Exlra super (20d to 21 id). 13d to Mbl; supnr (18d to

!94d), .114(1 to 12)91; .medium (Hid to J74d), lfl.bl to lljd; inferior (1-I'}<l to Ifijil), 82(1. to 10(1. Medium halfbred. —-Super (to 18d), lljd to 12d; medium (Lid to Kid), 10(1 to lid; inferior (lljd to 14d), GJd to BJd. 'Coarse halfbred. —Super (13-Jd to lfid), to lOd; medium (lljd to 13jd), -Sd to 9(1; inferior (10d to lid), fijd to 73d.

Throc-quarte-i^bred.—Super (to ]f>sd), to tO.jd; medium (Jfld to Ltd), 7d to Sd; inferior ((id to 9d), 4Jd to Old. Medium crossbred.—Super (D ?,d to 10-J), dfd to OJd; medium (7-Jd to f)d), 4Jd to ~>4d; Inferior ((id to 7jd), .4Jd to 4j d.

Pieces. —-Super (to Iftd), to 10-jd; good (14d to lOd), 8d to 9d; medium did ro 13d). fid to 7jd; inferior (to 10.(1), 3ld to 5Jd. Bellies. —Good (lid to 14fd), 8d to 92dy inferior (to lOd), 4fd to 74d. 'Crutchings.—Medium to good (GUI to 9d), 4jd tq 74(1; inferior (4)d to (id), 22d -to 4Atl. Locks.—Best (did to SAd), 3fd to 42d; inferior to medium (to 4Jd), 2Jd to 34d.