AUCKLAND; WOOL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 407, 16 January 1909, Page 4

AUCKLAND; WOOL.

>'V CHARGES REFUTED.':? : v : (di lELEaitArn—riiliss association.) , Auckland, January 15. ■ At. this afternoon's meeting of the Auck. land Agricultural Association tho question o! the-fall iii the, price of wool, and the comments :of the.buyers on,tho.get-up and.preparation of ; Auckland wool was referred to. Mr. IsaSo .Gray said they had gone to the Auckland "sale last Wednesday expecting ail increase of a halfpenny or a penny: per lb. m tho price of wool. Instead, there: had - been a decline. -What was the reason? At the Auckland sale-buyers had 'been conspicuous by their absence. ' There: was no competition, and the bidding was anything but spirited, many lots being passed-in. The question arose whether something could not. be done so as. to arrtfnge the dates of the wool sales,in order that the buyers might visit one centre after auother. Thesales'. should bo arranged- m ■rotation;'so that the.buyers in the south could' come up to Auckland. But they were hot so arranged,, and the big sales _in tho south■ no doubt overshadowed, those iia. the north, which Were, not so. big. They had reflections cast at tho Auckland'growers, which were not deserved,: and it was perhaps desirable to Consider the proposal emanating from/one mall that the", growers should combine; to - send tho whole Auckland clip Home direct. In bis opinion, three sales were unnecessary iii' Auckland, and two sales in tho; ; season should bo' enough. If that were 1 done'i . they would perhaps have an attendance' of moro than two or three buyers, - and so .found a keener competition. The real reason of thodecline on Wednesday,: in his:opinion,i\vas to be put down to the fact that there were only two or three buyers, who operated, >arid : they bad been ablo to put their heads together^ A member: Then they', covered tlie" low prices.given by casting a slur on the.growers. On tho motion of Mr. Salmon, it was agreed to ask tho Wool Brokers' Association t-o take steps' to arrange the Auckland ivooi sales to.follow in rotation those held in tha. SOlltll. ... ','-■