THE WOOL MARKET.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 23, 19 May 1914, Page 4

THE WOOL MARKET.

The third of the series of London wool sales which commenced on April 28 closed on Saturday, and woolgrowers are to he congratulated on the firmness displayed by the market. The bulk of the wool offered was from New Zealand, and therefore it is obvious that the sheepfarmers of the Dominion have obtained the benefit of the advance in prices. Altogether, about 188,000. bales were available for the series, and the disposal of this quantity was as follows Bales. Home consumption ... 117,500 Continent ... ... 40,000 United States ... 25,000 Hold over ... ... 5,500 Total ... ... 188,000 The striking feature of these statistics is, says the “Dominion,” the comparatively large quantity secured by America. At the corresponding sales Isat year the Americans bought only one thousand bales. A sale of 10,000 bales to America at the London sales is considered good, but at the sales just closed the operators from the United States have secured an exceptionally large quantity. It is apparent from this that the trade in America has adjusted itself to the changes in the tariff, and is now free to buy wool as may be required. The Americans have bought sparingly at the previous sales, and the heavy buying now shows that stocks of the raw material have run down, but whatever may be the true explanation of the activity of the Americans, the fact remains that the free buying of America has hardened the market, as it always has done.