THE NAPIER WOOL SALE

Taranaki Daily News, 13 January 1932, Page 12

THE NAPIER WOOL SALE

GOOD DEMAND FOR FINE SORTS. FINE CROSSBREDS FIRMER. Napier, January 11. The main feature of the second Napier wool sale, held to-day, was that there was a keen demand for finer quality wool. IThe sale could be termed a topmaking one, with super wool conspicuous by its absence. ■Prices in comparison' with those ruling in Wellington last week .showed little or no change in medium crossbreds, but finer crossbreds, especially if showing style, were a shade firmed. Down wool was in keen demand and sold particularly well. Best lambs’ wool was eagerly competed for, prices being distinctly dearer than at any previous sale this season. Pieces and. bellies were also in keen demand and the bulk, oi this class was secured by French representatives. The wool throughout was below the usual Hawke’s Bay standard, and much of it was in a dusty state. Some of the wool was distinctly hairy, and whether this is. due to climatic conditions or breeding it is hard, to say. It certainly made a great difference as far as buyers were concerned, and their values in this class of wool were lower in consequence. Carry-over wool, which had opened remarkably well and was mostly without stain, appeared to be selling quite well on ruling rates. There did not.appear to be any desire for lower qualities such as 44’s, 40’s, 36’s and seeded wool. In normal times there would probably not be the same disregard ' for slightly inferior wool, but in times such as these buyers are getting the best of wool for the price of medium. There is, therefore, not the same competition for low wools. There was a full bench of buyers. Competition was very keen and more general than 5 at the Wellington sale. The Continental section of the trade, particularly'France and Germany, made the running hard on most fleece wool lines. On a relative scale of values it appeared on the first two catalogues at least as if bellies and pieces were selling better on the ,day than mediumclass wools.

In. these days with one buyer sometimes operating for three or four widely diversified interests, it is a difficult matter to pin the bidding down to any one particular section of the trade, but on to-dayfe market bhe voice of the Continental buyer was undoubtedly heard more often than that of the Bradford operator. Yorkshire operators in the main appeared to be buying within very strict limits, but it was usually Bradford that opened the bidding on fleece lots. • ' Japan was represented on benches but its representatives did not appear to be buying to any large extent. On some super wools, particularly the pick of the coastal clips, America came into the running, and a fair proportion of this class wool was purchased for Canada. Necks, pieces and bellies sold extremely well, and in many cases realised a higher figure than .fleece wools. The top price of the sale was for super fleece A A ® under brand Glenaray, bidding going to 9Jd. for this line. Other fine fleece wools brought from Bd. to 9d. On the whole, prices may be said to be a little firmer on the last sale. A total of £4,367 bales, including 2929 from the Gisborne district, was offered, and about 10 to 15 per cent, was passed in. In the opinion of one of the auctioneers who has attended every sale in the Dominion this season, the Napier sale was one of the best and keenest so far. The official range of wool prices was

as follows: — d. d. Southdown — Hi (Super —up to Average S to 10 Inferior 6 to 71 Medium Halfbred, 50/56 — to •to (Super 8 W4 Average 6 72 Inferior nil Coapse Halfbred, 48/60 —■ to ■Super 7 bi Average 6 to 7 51 Inferior 4 to Fine Crossbred, 46/48 —• Super 6 to 7 Average 41 -to Oj Inferior 3 to 4i Medium Crossbred, 44/46 — (Super 5 to 6J Average 4 to o Inferior 2-J to 32 Coarse Crossbred, 40/44— 5| (Super 4J to Average • — 3 to 4 Inferior • • • 2 to 3 Low Crossbred, 36/40 — nil Super 3 Average to 4 Inferior nil Hoggets —■ 40/56’a ■nil 8J 48/50’s 6 to 46/48’s 4 to 74 44/46’s —up to 0 nil 40/44’s Lambs — 46/50’s 6 to 84 40/46’s —up to 52 4 ■Seedy and inferior 1 to Necks 5 to 84 Pieces— 64 Good to super 5 to Low to medium ........ 3 to 4 A Seedy and inferior —. .. 1 to 22 Bellies— 44 Good to super ...... 3 to Low to medium 2 to 3 (Seedy and inferior 4 to Crutchi*igs — to Good to super 4 5 Low to medium 21 to 31 (Seedy and inferior 4 to 2 Locjrs— Crossbred I to 2|