DUNEDIN WOOL SALES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2341, 24 December 1914, Page 6

DUNEDIN WOOL SALES

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Dunedln, December 23. The first of the wool sales was begun this morning, 15,969 bales being offered against 4722 last year, the great disparity being due to the present crisis. Considering_ the fact of the total absence of Continental and American bidding, and that the bulk of the purchasing fell to _ Bradford and local and Scotch mills, prices were astonishingly good, especially for best super halfbrods, which brought from 12d. to 143 d than tho prices experienced at any sale last year. The sale opened very patehily, inferior grades being anyhow. Competition of local mills for high-grade merinos and best super-halfbreds kept prices up, and in crossbreds the keen competition of Scotch mills proved a factor. Summing up, super-wools wero up, average wools about the same, and inferior down. From the present condition of the market, however, it is very difficult to judge on what basis buyers were operating. Later. Taking tho sale all through, the bidding was irregular. Tho demand for merinos was confined to local- mills, which reserved competition for tho higher grades of super quality' wools. Both halfbred and crossbred were well competed for at good prices, but competition for heavy-conditioned wools was in most cases disappointing. Values for medium quality wero fairly well maintained, but for lower grades competition was not so good as usual. The following is the range of prices at to-day's sale compared with tho rates in December and January last, the Jatter being shown in parentheses:— Merino super, 12d. to 133 d. (12d. to 133 d.); medium to good, lOd. to IOJd. (lOd. to Hid.); inferior, 71d. to 9Jd. (7Jd. to 9Jd.): halfbred super, 12} d. to 16Jd.) (Hid. to 14d.): medium to good, IOJd. (lOd. to lljii.l; inferior, BUI. to lOd. (Bd. to 9d.); crossbred, super, 10Jd. to 12d. (lOd. to 113 d.); medium to good. BJd. to lOd. (SJd. to 10d.); inferior, 7d. to BJd. (7jd- to : 83d-); pieces super, lOd. to 13d. (9}d. to lljjd.); medium to good, to 9id. (7kl. to 9d.); inferior, sd. to 6kl. (sd. \ to 6{d.); locks, 3.U1. to 61d. (3kl. to • 6d.). i