WOOL SALE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18891, 5 January 1927, Page 8

WOOL SALE.

THURSDAY'S OFFERING. The second Christchurch salo of the season will commence in the Caledonian Hall, Kilmore street, on Thursday evening, at 7.50, continuing the next day. The catalogue comprises 26,000 odd bales, approximately a thousand bales more than the allocation, but as the first sale catalogue on December Ist was 30CO odd bales less than the allocation, it was hoped that the present catalogue would be extended to absorb the difference. Wool has come into stock fairly heavily this last month, and by the time of the next sale, on February 9th, the stores are likely to be well-filled. The wool to be offered represents what is probably the best all-round catalogue of the series. Fine wool predominates, there being a good showing of merino from prominent stations, besides, naturally, a dominating proportion of Corriedale and halfbred. The wool aenerally is in excellent condition, the bulk of it being well-grown ana bright. Recent sales justify the hope that the demand will be keen, with a shade of firming in values on the pre-holiday prices. A strong bendi of buyers will be in attendance, and the grade of the wool is sufficiently varied to appeal to all classes of consumption. The following is the order of sale and the respective catalogues:— Bales. Pyne, Gould, Guinness, Ltd. 8107 Dalgety and Co., Ltd. ... 0065 H. Matson and Co. ... .... 2019 N.Z Farmers' Co-op. Association, Ltd. 6105 National Mortgage and Agency Co 2570 N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Co. 1172 Total • 26,038 The probabilities are that the first catalogue will be disposed of on Thursdav night, and a portion of the second.

FRUITGROWERS MEET. STANDARDISATION URGED. [TBS PBESS Special Service.] AUCKLAND, January 4. In opening the annual conference of the New Zealand Association of Nurserymen this morning, the Hon. Mr Young, Minister for Health, emphasised that it was the aim of the Government as it was of the conference to assist those engaged in the primary industries of the Dominion to do_ their utmost to increase production without the expense of more labour. He also appealed to the fruitgrowers to go in more for standardisation, and particularly in regard to varieties of apples. New Zealand sent 59 . vaneties of apples to Great last year. Not more than _ 20 varieties should go, and with this in view the selection of strains from the best trees j now being attempted by nurserymen should be considered very important in connexion with the fruit export industry. The conference would, no doubt, appreciate the fact that the Government had again renewed its guarantee, but on a slightly different basis than in former years. Speaking on fruit crop prospects, the Minister said that early in the season the prospects appeared to be equally as good as those obtaining last season, which was. a record as far as pip fruits were concerned. The export surplus amounted to approximately 750,000 cases, showing tne substantial increase of over 250,000 over the highest number previously exported, but, unfortunately, owing to unfavourable climatio conditions, including frost, hail, anH rain, 1 the present crop had suffered considerably, and therefore would not be as j largo as was expected. It was felt, . nevertheless, that the losses would, in all probability, not reduce the crop j much below that of a normal season. The Minister also emphasised that wholehearted endeavours would be made to reduce the costs of production, and said the community did not consume sufficient fruit. It would bt better from a health standpoint if it consumed more, and he believed, ;t would consume more if prices to. the consumer were lower.

• Mr H. 8, Izard, official representative of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers' Association, deprecated the manyvarieties of apples being grown. If 59 varieties were sent out for export, that was, in his opinion, 50 too many. He thought tKat in time to come the number would come down to 20 or under, and that in two or three years' time certain varieties would not be allowed to be exported. He begged them to remember that in future they would have to face strong American competition, and the facing of this successfully could only be done by standardisation and reduction in labour costs.

SAVING IN DUNEDIN. BANK MANAGER'S REPORT. [THE PEESS Special Service.] ' , DUNEDIN, January 4. Interesting information in respect of the thrift of Dunedin people is contained in the half-yearly statistics supplied by the Dunedin Savings Bank today. For the period, June,to December, 1926,.deposits in.the Dunedin Savings Bank exceeded withdrawals by nearly £63,000. In the June-December period, 1358 new accounts were opened. In supplying these figures to-day the manager stated that the increase of depositors showed were saving. Another side to the Bank's dealings was referred to. It was the Bank's income from investments. He said interest on mortgages had been well maintained and arrears of interest on city and suburban mortgages were nil. That showed that the people were in a position to meet their liabilities. Generally speaking the arrears of interest were exceedingly small.

ASHBURTON STOCK SALE. j The yarding at the Ashburton stock sal* totalled v 1171 iheep and only 'hree head of cattle. There was a fairly good attendance of farmers and others. In the iat sheep pens there were 137 ewes, 117 wethers, and 516 lambs. Good conditioned ewea showed an upward tendency in values, but the inferior Boris brought, low prices and there was a slight decline in the values of wethers. The lambs sold at just about schedule rates, which meant a ris» on the values which wore obtained at the Tinwald sale, held a fortnight ago. The principal sales were:— Ewes—l2 at 15s 9d, '.2 at 14s 4d, 6 at 15s Id, 4 at 13s, 4 nt 16a sd, 6 at 14s, 6 at lis Id, 12 at 13s 7d, 11 at 18s Bd, 8 at 16s 3d, 8 at 4s lOd, 4 at 18s 4d, 9 at 19s Id, 11 at 16s 6d, 5 at 18s sd, 9 at 168 lid. , - Wethers—9 at 36a, 6 at 25s 4d, 18 at 365, 10 at 263 3d, 10 at 26s Id, 11 at 24s lid, 13 at 21s 6d, 9 at 35s 4d. Lambs—l 9 at 25s 7d, 25 at 25s lid, 24 at 255, 26 at 25s 3d, 39 at 25s 3d, 27 at 25s 4d, 4 -at 255, 68 at 26s 7d, 89 at 26s Id, 50 at 26a 4d, 36 at 25s 6d, 14 at 25s Id, 27 at 25s 2d. Stores—-67 failing-mouth ewes (in the wool) and S6 lambs at 16s Id. 82 halfbred and three-quarterbrod two-tooth owes at 29s 3d, 47 crossbred two-tooth ewes at 27s 6d. Cattle —The only sale made was • springing heiiu at i».