The Waikato Independent SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 1934. NOTES AND COMMENTS. WOOL YEAR IN REVIEW

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXIV, Issue 3109, 27 January 1934, Page 4

The Waikato Independent SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 1934. NOTES AND COMMENTS. WOOL YEAR IN REVIEW

Interesting figures regarding tlic Australian and New Zealand wool clips for the year were given at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Ltd., held in London last month. The most satisfactory feature, says the chairman's report, has been that producers ignored the various schemes put forward for stabilising prices and continued to sell. Not only was a record Australian clip disposed of, but the carry-over to this season was reduced to some 42,000 bales, as against 150,000 bales at the corresponding period last year. The Commonwealth clip amounted to some 3,200,000 bales, an increase of more than 155,000 bales over the previous season, which was itself a record. The total value of the wool sold in Australia was over £35,000,000, as against £29,600,000, showing an increase of £5,400,000 in total, and an average increase of 10/8 per bale. In New Zealand the net production was 758,718 bales, weighing 265,453,0001 b, compared with 774,000 bales weighing 265,505,0001 b. The realised value of the 576,224 bales sold in New Zealand was about £4,327,000, or £7 10/3 per bale, compared with 475,135 bales, £3,571,000, and £7 10/4 for the previous season, an increase of some £750,000. It was estimated that the carry-over in New Zealand at the end of June was about 86,000 bales less than at the corresponding date in 1932. The quantity of wool sold by the company in Australia during the last season totalled 251,938 bales, an increase of some 13,000 bales over last year. The New Zealand figures are 67,753 bales, being about 10,000 more than the previous year. It is interesting to note the geographical distribution of the wool sold in Australia and New Zealand. In the case of the Australian sales the figures Avere: United Kingdom, 24 per cent; Japan, China and India, 21.5 per cent; Prance, 14.3 per cent; . Germany and Austria, 12.7 per cent; Belgium and Holland, 9.7 per cent; Italy and Switzerland, 7 per cent, and the balance went to local manufacturers, the United States, Canada, and other countries. The corresponding figures for New Zealand were: United Kingdom, 41.7 per cent; France, 20 per cent; Germany and Austria, 16.7 per cent; Belgium and Holland, 7.3 per cent; Japan, China and India, 4.5 per cent. It will thus be seen that in the case of New Zealand the United Kingdom is by far the largest buyer, and in Australia the United Kingdom is now run fairly close by Japan, China and India. It is interesting to compare this distribution with that of some six or seven years ago. The figures for 192627 were as follows: United Kingdom— Australia 24.6 per cent, New Zealand 60 per cent; France —Australia 26.1 per cent, New Zealand 8 per cent; Germany and Austria —Australia 15.4 per cent, New Zealand 14 per cent; Belgium and Holland—Australia S.l per cent, New -Zealand 1 per cent; Japan, China and India—Australia 9.6 per cent, New Zealand 1.5 per cent; United States and Canada —Australia 4.6 per cent, New Zealand 4 per cent; Italy and Switzerland —Australia 3.S per cent, New Zealand 1.5 per cent; local buyers —Australia, 7.8 per cent; New Zealand 10 per cent. The total quantity of wool sold in London during the year to .Tunc 30 was about 622,500 bales, showing a decrease of 23,000 bales as compared with the previous year. As was to be expected, the sharp advance in Australia in June, 1933, was followed by a strong demand at the July sales in London, which has continued during the succeeding series, and values of merino now show a rise of 45 per cent to 55 per cent on the May, 1933, prices, while crossbreds have advanced by 60 per cent to 65 per cent. With the decrease in supplies of merino from Australia and South Africa, which may amount to 700,000 bales, values of this description may advance further, and increase the present demand for the lower grades of crossbreds, which are still at a comparatively low level. The estimated number of sheep and lambs in the Commonwealth at the end of June was 114,341,000, as against the previous year's total of 110,886,000, an increase of 3,455,000, the increase being in New South Wales 2,000,000, Victoria 1,100,000, South Australia 1,200,000, and. West Australia 300,000, -while the Queensland figures decreased by 1,200,000. The official estimate at

April 80, 1933, of flocks in New Zealand was 27,777,000, as against 28,(592,000, a decrease of 915,000, but recent cables report a very satisfactory lambing season and better prices for sbeep. The respective totals for South Africa are 47,280,000 and 49,777,000, a decrease of 2,497,000.