LONDON WOOL SALES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 718, 18 January 1910, Page 8

LONDON WOOL SALES.

. ■ PEICES BARELY MAINTAINED. '' {Prom our Special Correspondents.) •London,' December 3, Another week 'of . good {business can be chronicled - in : connection' with . the . series now'fast finishing, though in the case of medium greasy, merinos the high prices of la-st week have been hardly maintained. This relates to wools giving a clean yield of. round <0 to 44 per' cent., and which last series soldiso freely ati'about lid. to lljd. per lb. To-day they are. not' fetching more than 10d.. to 10Jd.,, and even at that ' they -aro - ,costing quite : enougji cither for Yorkshire or Continental buyera. Users have found, by scouring results that these wools; while well grown, aro much too high for. everybody, hence the slight , declino is but a natural reaction'from tho high level created by a famine demand;; West Australian; New South Wales, and Queensland merinos have all alike 11 felt - this, sLight reaction. Good scoured merinos have slightly ~ improved their position since last'week, , and tho best wools are now'selling on a parity with ■ September rates.' l Queensland station scoureds, were never, in better condition, and both: tho Home and Continental trades have • taken them-' freely.. Good ehafty pieces and bellies- are also. Belling in a firstrdass way,- and even locks for carbonising are quite as dear a3 they wero jlaet fierce. What is a- distinctly disap-

pointing element is the. absence of Ameri-can-.support, and the .quantity taken of merino*', by the United- States .is . very small indeed. ■ ' ' > Turning to crossbreds, greasy wools hare only been but a small handful, practically, all the - offerings comprising sliped descriptions. For these thero has boen a very good demand, bhicflr on Homo trade account, and hero the rise' is most pronounced. The fine ho-lfbred lambs selling Up, to. lGd. show no change, but when-we come to the' medium and coarser quali*. ties there is an advance of Id: to lid. per lb. This is largely-due to the extra length :of ! staple, a prime factor with Bradford topmakers, who are wanting these' wools 'for carding tops.. | Cape wools have been fairly well represented. ; . Where there. ; is .any length' full last sales' price -are. paid,'but the shorter, wastier wools are more ' irregular, , and 1 prices are jd. l to id. cheaper. Snow, whites .have been very, scarce, and these 1 aro still easy of . sale at very, good : flgures. • Just to .show readers how things aro 1 selling, I give ■ particulars of ' what leading Australian, clips have made at' the 'December. series during the past three years:— ' : NED'S; CORNER. . ; Sixth Sixth' Sixth ' ''series.'series, series. 1907.-- 1900. - 1909. ' Description. d.: d. d. 1 Greasy super combing " v* ' ewes 12 13 13 .Greasy hoggets. .......... 12 .. 13J .. Breasy first E. hoggets 115 12 11J ' Greaey .W. hoggets 11l 12- 111 Greasy -owes 11l .12- 111. Greasy'second hoggets 10 . 91 , 11 Greasy second combing '• ewes 101 . 101 10 , K Greasy clothing. . 9 . 9 • • 10 Greasy necks E., U - 101- 101 • Greasy first pieces ...... 10 9 91 Greasy bellies 8 79 .> 81 Greasy".flretrlambs..........lo , 101 ,U. HA.TOES'OVER CASRmTEBLb.O. Greasy A-A. combing r ■ • hoggetel3.ll m.m" Greasy A.A. combing _ E.: hoggets 11 12 . '12 - Groasy A.A. combing wethers,™.; ..._ 11... 12 ! ' -12 Greasy A.A. combing . " owes. . r .„„...„..i.;...... 10J . UJ V- 12 -r"' ureasy .A. . combing _ hoggets 11$ .. ii" ii. Greasy . A. combing *• wethers ;...: 11, u m. Greasy A. combing , '■ owes ■11 . 11, . m■; Ureasy combing ■. ,10 10 ioi Greasy first' ,pieces hoggets' ,:: 101 : * 101 Greasy first pieces',....,;;. 10, ,; 10 10 Greasy belliea, hoggets' 9' •9 : 9 ' Greasy bellies Bi' ' : 8J :8 1 Greasy first lambs ..... :■ 8 Si Greasy lambs 6 V 6} - 61 ..

■' T . TOPStAEEES ASKING MORE. . The situation in Bradford does not show any radical.; change - compared "with a, week ago, _ and this notwithstanding the increased .'firmness . of, tho London market, ine new business, passing is very meafrre,' simply becauso: tho majority have' put up' prices about id. per. lb. in order to cover •tnc increased cost in.London.' Users hero .havo: not .as 1 yet', made -up their minds -,to pay. any increased rates, and they aro going,to wait and see future developments . before paying more money. All ■ a 'ut e recoguiso.that Coleman-Street is'sen-' sibly above • TVorstedopoiis, : and .yet nobody' is keen:to buy. It-is generally felt that ..users, aroi simply paying. .extreme.' prices by way of covering, and that it is largely force of circumstances which is actuating and .determining values at. the sales. Busi-: ness, continues to - l>e good; even', though there .is not a lot doing. Crosßbreds -have responded locally,::and'l3Jd. to 14d. is now, a■ .more general 'quotation .for, 40's . tops, lga.-to l6id.,being,'also realised for <6's. wnat perhaps surprises people.most is'the way the raw material ;is moving, but .it islargely, because ,U6era must:have it to keep going . machinery .and .'dißchargeV" obligations. .-London, has Convinced, those'': who were sceptical' about ,;tho ; soundness of' .prices /that, tho is ' inherently strong, - and that < thore' must bo proceed* lng everrwhero a-tremendous consumption. The _Btoek -of topa in. Bradford-is' somewhat light, and all topmakera ,alike aro •qmto; prepared for; tho - arrival or their' colonial purchases. Wo ; have • seen part wool, ? and prices aro certainly below what .is being ..paid to-day; ; in\ London, •; / 'Con*. sumption is woll maintained even in cross* breds,. and. therev is atill a fair: weight, changing, hands - of :carded descriptions. These tops are being mostly consumed by ■ crossbred , spinners '■ in,, producing thick' yarns. for : the;;Continent, .and the trade is' fairly,, pood- .in 'them. Consumption . all round' is still■; maintained - at the' , maximum, and there are. plenty, of particulars oommg to hand >hich: fully take off what ■spinners are; producing. Mohair practically no change, prices beingnflrm,-. mth machinery. all going.:,. Taking' things ■in their, -entirety.'.there is r : npt 'much "to" grumble at,, business .bc£ng!li6althy: in all ' departments. .o