WOOL SALES.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20483, 8 December 1934, Page 13

WOOL SALES.

Canadian Buying' is Feature at Wellington. SMALLER CATALOGUES. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, This Day. Wellington’s first wool sale opened before a large attendance of buvers. All consuming centres were well represented but not all were buying. The Bradford section was the mainstav with the important German section taking very little. Orders were in the market for ( anada and Japanese buying of coarse wools was a feature. Sixteen thousand bales were offered, whereas a maximum of 25,000 was allocated for this sale. Growers, however. were not prepared to take full advantage ot the limit, apparently holding the opinion that prices would be better later in the season. A fairly large percentage of the catalogues failed to reach the reserves. The wool is not quite up to the quality ordinarily offered at Wellington in December. Mr Steel, chairman of the Wellington Wool Brokers’ Association, when asked his opinion of the market as disclosed locally, said he considered the sale to be a good one when compared with those at Auckland and Napier, taking into consideration the quality of the wool submitted. Prices could be quoted as firm on those at Napier. They must be disappointing, however, to growers when one considered the values ruling last season. One bright spot was the buying orders from Canada for certain types of wool and one could only hope that this was the beginning of an increasing trade. A striking feature of the market was the heavy decline in the values of fine and superfine wools compared with other grades. This was more particularly noticeable in the case ‘of Southdown wool. Lower quality wools were now being used for many purposes for which at one time finer wools were required. The result was a stronger demand for lower cross-breds, Lincoln in particular being sought after by Japan. Mr Steel said that catalogues have closed’ for the sale on January 7. The total offering for that sale would be 28,000 bales. Competition. Strong. As the the sale proceeded, it was evident that the market was fully maintained at the Napier level. Competition was exceptionally strong all through for really good fine cross-bred hogget wool, and prices for this were generally in sellers’ favour. Bradford and Japan were the principal operators. France was an eager buyer at current rates for really good lines of skirtings and pieces. Germany appeared quite out of the market. Canadian interest in good to medium cross-breds was sustained throughout.

The Ilillesden (Marlborough) merinos brought from lljd to 12d; fine half-breds and comebacks up to 12d; and fine half-bred bellies and pieces up to 9id; medium style half-bred 9£d to lOid; lower grades 84d to 9d.