LONDON WOOL SALES.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2683, 1 February 1916, Page 8

LONDON WOOL SALES.

/ —~—s . ' FINISH OF THE SERIES VALUES AT THE HIGHEST POINT (irom Our Special Correspondent.) ' mi „ , London, December 23, 1915. l°u na ""I 05 ot sales ol ' colonial wool, lor the cm-rent year have just finished,, all parties alike being glad to get tlni thug over before Christmas. The sends have revealed unlooked-for strength, and ttiey are finishing with values at the highest poult. It has been a remarkable time; the espectations of tho most saiigtuiie being exceeded. Unwonted strength , mis been revealed, and it can be taken" ,-:s f jvulence ol the sound standing of the ralw material. The question has been often askeu: Why is there the present onslaught tor the raw niaterial, aud what is there to justify the strong upward movement ot values in Australia, 'South Africa, or London? It is certainly rather difficult to say, except the firm belief that the war is going ■ to terminate sooner thaii the majority expect, and also the shortage in the current Australian clip. No doubt America has been very hungry for supplies, but buyers have come into tha market and operated on a scale which no one expected to see, and this, too, is evidence of the sound and healthy state of the wool industry in the United States. It is quite true that there is a boom among textile mills just the same as and it is certain that with the general trade of that country being so goal, manufacturers are prepared for largelyaugmented consumption of new fabrics by the general populace during tho spring and summer of 1916. The textile situation in those parts of tho world is s.ot affected by the war except beneficially. The hostilities are bouud to have an important hearing upon the future demand for textiles,' and it is imperative .that wool buyers; make provision for that demand because of the extraordinary length of time which it takes to get tho wpol into the fully manufactured article,

Big Prices for Merinos. Some sensational values have been paid during the recent auctions for fine wools. It was thought that the limit hud been reached when the Bibb scoureds sold at 33. on the opening night, the end of. the second week seeing the snine brand realise 3s. 2-Jd., and last Saturday it touched 3s. 3ld. Of course, these wools are all "pudding," as a Yorkshirernen once said, meaning that there was nothing, to lose when they came to the scouring operation. As a matter of fact, they are so perfectly scoured that thev will make their' own weight, and, being practically free of burr, commanded extraordinary competition. Russia once more made the pace pretty hot, and her hand being forced meant paying very big figures. The re- I

covery that has been seen in scoured merinos is certainly remarkable, it teing a fact that oiten 2d. to id. more has been paid for scoured skin wools than they would have made in November. If we cake a mark like the Sundown from Sydney, a wool that is usually full of quality, but sells very irregularly, we fiu<| that whereas Id. was about the outside price in jNovember, tho same brand niado -s. ,kI. last baturday, while Clyde from Jlclbourue is also reaching in the neighbourhood ol 3s. tor scoured merinos. In I'-i '.), 1 1 ".. 0 , 110 ' las to .'je prepared to bid _<i. bd. if he wants quality, and even lor the short pelty wools, it' fairlv clean, Hie advance is 2d. to 3d. What' we are surprised with is the figures being realised lor scoured hurry wools, it being r j ■ w ' ,ei '* as 1-5- oil. was about the limit tor these 111 November they have made this week from Is. Bd. to Is. 9d„ all depending upon the whims and fancies of buyers regarding the price actually bid. i inning to greasy merinos, the same record has to be cliLpuicled. It is really a case of being unable to say on what clean scoured basis men have been buying during the closing week of tho auctions. Anything yielding from IS t° 50 per cent, is selling- at Is. 6d. to Is. 7d., it depending , entirely upon the shaftiness of the staple. Anything showing very good length and well grown is making excesd--1? , t ®B lirK ' an d it is a certainty* that this class of staple is gbing to well : maintain its record during forthcoming • months. There has been no better illusj tration of the value placed by buyers . upon deep, shafty wools than those sold i on behalf of South Australian clients, i i Cei , i" 1 !^, fi B ures P a '<l shoiv distinnil/ that this class of staple is going I to rrmain m the very front rank lvliiie I present trade conditions last. Anything I well gtown in the shape of pieccs and J good bellies have also made excellent figures, those ruling right up to the iini? ti. r ?y e^ I°S1°S °ne of the stTongest marsets that London has ever witnessed. It is remarkable that wasty wools have met With a distinctly better reception, .demand here being very good inde"d One nas not heard lately such strong comI iii in about the difficulty of carbonising although it is there, and one of the principal works in Bradford being completely i'burnt out a good week ago, hos rendere'd ijjrfl? oepratjon all the niore diffirult. fKtill, topniakers apparently are prepared jjto put money into anything of an average combing character, and they are picking up even burry wools at distinci'v more money than was paid last series, the sales have finished with an excellent spirit, a.nd the demands of tho trade are even yet apparently unsatisfied, the lac. sale being as keen as any during tho 6enes. b

; Crossbreds Make Record Figures, We need spend little space in saying mucu about crossbreds, because greasy Ueece wools have been very scarce, and what have been available have been distinctly wasty. v The few recased wools ottered have made excellent figures: in lact, crossbred values are the highest of the year. When buyers pay from Is. 9(1. to Is. lOd. for greasy iine crossbred wool, giving a clean yield of 110 more than 6i per cent., it shows an extraordinarily strong market, and tho advance generally is It) per cent. J bliped crossbreds have also cold ex?*'r ell ' ! mt have har,U - v advanced in pioportion to greasy parcels, though somei remarkable liguras have been paid lor fine crossbreds and comeback qualiW,', * °TT l ® l supply Of these has been scoured skin wools from Australia aud up to & 10Jd. has been paid fw ccmeb.icks. llie rise is Id. to 2d. per b., sometimes more, it being « v question get it s a buj ' er ' aild bidding to

Hie event of the series under the head of i! S " the offering ot soma excellent .parcels of slipes and hadto content themselves "V- J 5 "/ 1 "? these freely aud paying excellent figures. Practically speakin* all the prouud lost in September and ftovemuoi has been recovered, up to 9 s ''id being paid for sliped half bred lambs,"W lid. to Is. 111-d. for three-quarter-bred l-unbsi, Leicester and Lincoln classiv selling proportionately high. As a matter of Met, IJie advance here ranges froVi 5 to good o '' ° 2 remarkably

Changes Seen. Iho sales finished to-day, and we give below our usual table showing the changes .compared with the close of the Seyttiiubev series;— 1

AUSTRALASIAN WOOL. Greasy merino, superior, 2d. highergreasy merino, average to good, °1,1 d,' ii 1 ? i 1 -* i gloas >' 11161 'ino, poor condition, Jjti. higher; greasy merino, inferior locks ami pieces. Id. higher; scoured merino, superior, 3d. to dd. higher; scoured -merino, average to g>ood, 2<l. to 3d. hHierscoured merino, inferior, 2d. higherscoured merino, faulty locks and pieces/ W. to IM. higher; greasy merino lambs, superior Id. to lid. higher fgrcasv merino lambs, medium, id. higher; "greasv merino lambs, inferior, id. higher; greasy at'iisiibrcd, hue, superior, lid. to 2d. greasy crossbred, fine", ordinary, la. to ljjd. higher; greasy- crossbred, medium superior, l£d. to 2<f.' higher; greasy crossbred, medium ordinary, Id. to IJd. liigher; greasy .crossbred, coarse superior, l«ti. to ul. higher; greasy superior, coarse ordinary, Id. to Ikl. higher; .'(Soured' crossbred, fine, 2d. to 3d. higher; scoured crossbred, medium and coarse, lid. to "d higher; slipe crossbred, fine lambs, Id. higher; slipe crossbred, medium lambs, id. higher; slipe crossbred, coarse lambs, 1-id. to 24. higher; slipe crossbred, faulty classes, 2d. higher; greasy Punta Arenas, well conditioned, Id. io 2d. higher; greasy Pimta Arenas, vasty, Id. higher; greasy Falkland Islands, ljd. to 2d. holier.

SOUTH AFRICAN WOOL. | Snow white, super Westerns, Id. higher; snow white, super, Id. higher; snow white, medium, Id. to 2d.. higher; snow white, inferior, Id. to lid. higher; greasy combing, light, lid. higher; greasy comb-' ing. heavy, Id. higher; greasy clothing, light, Id. higher; greasy clothing, faulty, id. to Id. higher. The Home trade is exceedingly good, prices for tops'are all against the buver, and wool and tops can be sold where wanted at full prices.