The Woo! Market

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19450, 14 December 1934, Page 12

The Woo! Market

THE CHRISTCHURCH SALE. DEMAND FOR 'GOOD 'CLIPS. BETTER PRICES THAN IN NORTH. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, Thursday. The first Christchurch wool sale of the present season was held today. Prices compared very disappointingly with those of the first local sale last season,/but there was a better market than was predicted for super wools, with a free disposal of average to good fine wools, the tone generally being better than that at the 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 14Jd per lb for halfbred and l-iid'for 'Corriedale. In view of the present position of the wool market, the sale- was quite good and fully up to expectations. The catalogue comprised 18,410 bales and, for the first of the season, the offering generally was good, with a better representation than usual of good ■half-breds from nearly all 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 demand for super wools. Passings totalled Hi per cent, but in few cases was a total clip withdrawn. Bradford representatives operated lunder very definite limits, but they secured a fair share of medium and Inferior wools of fine and coarse grades. However, they appeared unable to join In the competition for the better wools. French and Japanese buyers took a good proportion of the wools of finer description, but there was practioally no buying on German •aooount. Local fellmongers secured the larger share of piece lots, and, as this class sold more In relationship with the fleece than last season, when prices were frequently brought_withln a penny or two of fleetee, they secured an appreciable quantity. Competition Steady. Competition was steady, but animated only on a few occasions for coarse wools. This class had a wider cirole of buyers, but limits were definite! Y(hjle competitors were disposed to outbid one another for choice wools, there was no such feature in the demand for the coarse grades. These showed no Improvement, but were 'firm on North Island values. The sale :• may be described as elightly better than expected for the •sniper grades of fine wools and bet-ter-class pieces and firm at the best of the North Island values for all other classes. The general atmosphere of the sale, however, was much better than at the earlier auctions. As stated, the local mills were mainly responsible for the buoyancy of the demand for super wools. To-day’s sale was the first 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. To-day good average half-bred and Corriedale wools made from 93d to lid per lb. A similar class last year averaged from lGd to lSd. Best grades to-day ranged from Hid to 14id and last year from 18d to 21d. The decline therefore Is more than a third, or '35 to nearly 40 per cent. •Goarse wool to-day averaged from 4id to aid and last ’December, for a similar wool, 7id to 9d. The difference was evenly maintained.

The Top Price. The top price of the sale was 14$d, secured on two occasions for halfbred. Five 'bales of ewe made this •figure early In the sale, and later in the day the price was equalled for 13 bales of half-bred ewe. Four bales of Kilsyth half-bred ewe sold at 141 d. The top half-bred price at the first sale last year was 21 id. To-day the best .Corriedale price was 13id, secured toy two clips. The top price of Corriedale last year was 25id.

Official Range of Prices.

The following is the range of values compared with those at the Decenther sale In 1933:Dec., 1934 Dec., 1033 Merino — Super ....... Medium Inferior d d to 104 15i to 171 11 to 15 d d 10} to 113 01 to 101 Si to 9 Corrledale — Extra super . .. ' Super 22 to 251 10 to 21 17 to 181 to 141 111 to 13 9 3 to 111 Inferior 1 11 to 101 , si 10 9 Fine Ilalfbred — Extra super .. Super . Medium Inferior 20 to 21* IS lo 104 1 0 to 17 t 113 to 153 13 to 14 4 into 123 1 0 V to 111 S3 to lo Medium ltaUbrcd — Super Medium Inferior to is 15 lo 10 ill to i t 1 1 1 to 12 10 to 1 1 0* to 81 Coarse Ilairbred — Super ....... Medium 131 to 15 i 1* 10 131 to in S to 9 Inferior Three-quarterbred— 10 to 1 1 to t 53 6110 73 10 ml Super Medium If) lo 13 7 to S Inferior 0 1b 0 4}10- 01 Medium CrossbredM to 6} Super 0110 mi Medium ? 1 to 0 4 3 10 5 1 Inferior Pieres — 6 lo 7 1 3 3 to 41 to 10} Super to 10 Good I I to If. S to 9 Medium 1 i to 1 3 0 to 71 InTer. to aver. Bellies — 7 to 10 13 to 0 i S to Good it toll} Inrer. to aver. Crntchlngs— 7 to 10 4} to 7} 4 3 to 7 1 Med. to good . otto 0 Inferior Looks — ( 43 to 0 23 to 41 3 3 lo 4 3 nest 5 * T 0 5 A Infer, to mcd. . to -ii 2 J to 3}