WOOL SALE PRICES FIRM

Chronicle (Levin), 24 September 1946, Page 8

WOOL SALE PRICES FIRM

-Press 4-ssociation

AUCKLAND DEALINGS PRODUCE HALF MILLION

By Telegrqph-

AUCKLAND, Sept. 23. Priees were fully iirm on vahies realised at last week's saies at Wellington and Wanganui, -when 3.1,901 bales were offered at the first wool "auetion held in Auckland 'for seven years. Ninety-five per eent of the new season's greasy wool and slipe and scoured wools, were cleared but, as with the two earlier saies, the Wool Disposai Oommission's stock of wool, particularLy unskirted fleeees, did not sell so readily and a fair proportion was passed. The oldest wool was appraised xn the 1 943-4-1 season. With 42 buyers on the bench at t'he start, the sale was the largest to have been held in Auckland at this time of the year. A rough estimate was made that the sale brought iu about £500,000. Not all of this will go to the province as stock wool was bought in past seasons and wa? sold again by the Commision. Bradford buyers- were in the market for reduced limits, their buymg being affected by current London saies on a spot marekt. Offieially controlled prices for British wool eloth and clothing iimited their bidding for wool for uianufacture" for the British market. Like other buyers they were hampered by delays in replies to their cablegrams home lixing their buying limits. Maiuly because many European scouxing works are still out of commission, Ooixtinental buyers were keenly interested ixx scoured wools. Pqrts gerving the few scouring plants working have beeome congested. The highest price of the day was paid on the last lot in the last catalogue ot the sale. It was 34id. paid by an Australian buyer representing a nunxber of interests, for 49 bales of Tattersfieict Ltd.-'s scoured larnbs wooL,-Two lots of Southdawn slipe wmol reached top prices of 34d. and 33d. _ Bidding opened briskly but did not remain aninxated for any long period. At times there were fairly long gaps in the bidding when stock wool was passed. Following is the official- repprt bv.the Auckland 1 ' ' The today when abaxft/6-0f|Q bale,s ^f ^crii't^hings and -oddinents, '22,000* bales "of greasy stock wool on aceount of the New Zealand Wool Disposai Commission, 2250 bales of slipe wool and 1850 bales of seoixred wool, were offered. The offering of new seasoix's wool eonsisted mainly of crutchiugs but ineluded in the offering were a few lots of early shorn hogget and wether wool vvhich sold particularly well. Competxtion for crutchings was keen and at times aninxated, especially for good coarse crutchings. Average and inferior crutchings were sought but within more restricted limits. -The dernand for all wools was fairly evenly spread among United Kingdom, Continental and American buyers, with' Australian and local mills in strong sup1 port. "It was very evident that well skirted and even lines of fleece wool will be ! in demand during the coming season. ■ Poorly skirted and mixed qiiality wooh ■ reeeived less favourable attention from buyers. There was a 95 per cent elear- > fince of new season's greasy wool and - of slipe and scoured wools," Following Is the official range oi priees: — Crutchings t Fine erossbred: Good to super to 17d. ■ average -13d. to 15d., inferior and seedj ^ 7d. to lld. Crossbred: Good to super 16£d. tc [ IS^d., average 124d. to 16d., inferior and seedy 74 d. to 12d.