FARMING & COMMERCIAL.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2726, 22 March 1916, Page 8

FARMING & COMMERCIAL.

NEWS AND NOTES,

LONDON fOOL SALES

BUYERS OPERATE FREELY

..(From Our Special Correspondent.) -;•.;..; London, February 3. " .":-. The sales-"iW.fast drawing :to/a- close, ..With, everything at the highest "point; ■ and the first-auctions of ,the year; cannot• -but have .'rejoiced all ' wow V, "down under." "-There are times ;ia,' the ' /.history of-the trade whiok aro' little '/less-than, an epoch period, and.-to-day . . Ve have witii.u.ts record prices, and'also an equally; satisfactory consumption. We :.'■ have "catalogued during tho past : three weeks; somo very good wools, and ':■ no fault whatever can be found with'the prices realised.',! Tho record has been ;.. alike good" both for merinos and cross- :'.- breds, and^t"is'wonderful the unanimity -Uf.opinion-;ithat .exists regarding the'. /.future of ,wool ; values. Occasionally one comes across an'individual who shakes hie ".:-.'.bead ominously at the standard of values . ruling-to-day,-.,and candidly, states -that he thinks: prices axe dangerous. TJnder, Vwdiiiary conditions no .doubt; they-.would -.'.-be;'.but it 'looks' to the■ .-trade thatrall.'past ideas regarding the /standard o£".-values will have to be re-/'modeUedj-'ahdCthat in future we are . going ' to '--&?.: a .'very ' different" standard; -ruling to what we haveibceu accustomed . "to. ' l3ut..tha't' idea can be left until we /see the : end: of the .war. As long as the /present titanic-; struggle continues it is -.very unlikely,, that, we shall see anv lower, .prices.-. for ; the. raw; material, for the -- .wants of-, the'."armies' are. great, and to 'many there-is-no more wool in-sight.than -is going tocbVXwanted. The whole situa- . tion is one'of; great strength when viewedfrom a growerV-standpomtj - and certain. . ]y the preseht/Btate .of affairs is .'such /that, all tho : wool coming forward-will, -.be wanted to meet current requirements.

r - : --'- How Merinos are Selling. , Some really- •wonderful price* have been made lor merino, dips. A .record was.es- , >'■■' tablished last-week-end when-the Burgooclip from West "Australia sold up to ! Is. :■,.-; 10{d. for grease combing, and a grand, ' : : shafty, well-grown, clean wool it was.. ;; There has Jjoeii emphasised'.this'.series in; '.' no■ undecided:manner-.-tile-value of a well-; -grown clip,",:, the' trade'. . appreciating ihiors'. :." '.. than -ever the 'characteristics-which--:con-;'.'-."■''Btitnte excellence. Of C9iirso' the record '.''.- 'ct£ the 'series; was made' by Messrs. H.'. 5 Jrwell and Co. for the: Ht. Bute clip, '.from 'West' Victoria, a soft, 6ilky, stapled • wool,'which is now becoming essentially i; a speciality and a rarity. No less than ■■'■-.'2s. &<|. was' paid lor .the first lot ut ■•'; grease' combing, and naturally it com-.. )'.-.--'. manded very widespread competition. Of |; : . : course tho ordinary topmaker:.and: spin-.-. :-, ner is completely bowled out in compefcy j-'ving.'for ■'suck wool, it being taken as a :'.'.rule by outside woollen manufacturers ; producing a speciality,'who- apparently I want .'this wool for unusual purposes. :' -.-But it, is not one dip . which makes a '. : ;;market!"The writer prefers to'see ir'good ; all-round call for average to good wools. ':■'. . There has been throughout the Veek a ;■■'■-, well-sustained demand for' everything that., '■-.'■■ could be called decently grown,; ; and. cer-' ! '■ toinly-the call has been equally.as-good -. ~ for even the faulty wools, prices being ;-.-inade which continue to show a full 5

';. per." cent, advance. Still, the most satis;j factory feature, of all is the olearance of \-., tha catalogues, and the prices-which are ' 'being bid. Russia has remained in the •-;':. 'field as a keen buyer of scoured merinos) . and;eyen a few ■'greasy wools have-been V. taken. . Still, her, purchases very largely; 'consist of clean scoureds, and Queensland-../-scouring establishments .especially.Jnever,: j: turned out better wools .than ' they; are ; doing • to-day. One has only toTmention', such clips as Evesham; Itaxwelton,; Ham'-/ : - iltoh Downs, and wools of that character, to feel that .really .excellent i-.work is being put .into the;wools, ;-:-'iindvthe' .best proof of-all is. Bale room prioes. Even eome, of ' the I;: 6kin wools have sold at axtraordinary :--.' prices, the Gibbs touching 35./.5d/ ; for : - ' Just as illustrating how -the. ; market/is going-wo givo below .avwell'■''known olip, whioh has been catalogued :.. twice this season,; and- also give along- ;, side what _ the same clip lealised at; tho ■ - .corresponding-series a year ago, Tho rise i;. in ;wooi is;-illu^tiutedynVarmost."marked.' . jnannen— ;i'/V '■ '■ ''/ : r','-':'

NZ 4 Land Co/Midkln. (N.S.IV. Wool.) I ' . ■ . Jan. Deo. Jan. ; - . • ■" 26, '16, 28, 1915. 1915. 1916. Description. "d. / d. <!■ Grease 'super' combine E 15 21J £> G»aao Ist combing B ... 14i 20i £ Grease let combing E ..... 14 21£ -A Grease Ist combing E ... 12 ' 201 Grease, Ist combing _AE ... 10 18 u Grease Ist .combing. E ... 13 181 :l* Grease Ist combing B ... 13 18*' w Grease Ist ■clothing E ... 12 16 16} Grease necks clothing' E 12 174 204 Grease necks clothing E 111 17 20 f Grease necks clothing E 9} 161 l 8 i Grease broken E -.. 10J . 161 1? -.Grease Ist pieces E 10 14 13 Grease Ist bellies E 8} 4H- 13 Grease AA lambs E' 7i 9| 11 Wonderful Prices for Crossbreds. The fleece of the mutton breeds is in equally' as satisfactory a position as merinos, ami this aeries has provided us with the first instalment df new clip crossbreds from New Zealand. They have met a •.wonderful reception .and been strongly ooinpe'ted for. Of course the big khaki demands are entirely responsible for this, and tho-sales are finishing, with values at the highest Anoint. One must nuote a general advance in crossbreds. of, fully. 5 per cent.-, but the best evidence of tho ! way..wool-,is selling is found in the following,; where we'show .what a' well-, known olip of coarse quality' wools has realised .compared- with the corresponding series a year ago, when they were catalogued'for the first time: — ' BE- Conjoined/P (N. Z.W001.) ' Jan. Jan, - 21, 25, 1915. 1916. Description. d. d. Grease Xbred Ist A combing H 10 21 • Grease Xbred Ist A combing ... 15 21 Grease Komqey.' Ist 'A combing 15 20J Grease Xbred 2nd combing H... 15 ' 21 Grease Xbred 2nd combing 141 20$ Grease Xbred 3rd combing H ... 14 21 Grease Xbred 3rd combing II 2AJ Grease Xbred 3rd combing-'E ... 131 19.January 29. Grease Xbred Ist pieces 13 ISJ Grease Xbred bellies 11$ 15. Grease Xbred ind pieces 11 15 ;■;; Slips; continue to-sell in a wonderful manner-, andjire still making even more raonoy,' than . during the opening week. Buyers know that there will be no more combing.slipes available for many months, mid : they have met; with a wonderful re-ception...They-are now fully 1\- and often 10 per/cent/:dcaTer than last series. The same thing.must be said for'scoureds. As a matter of fact, these wools are all in, the clouds; and selling like hot cakes in a famine. A-Steady Market. In Bradford things are strong, and sufficient- business is doing' to satisfy pVactic'allyXallj topmakers being so heavily sold forward: that they are desirous of selling •no/more'unless they can get their present "dsking..p'rices. '."When' it comes [to. actual business, a good 64's top can. still bo obtained at'3s. 9'd..; in fact, a spinner has to be hard ..up? and- in actual want of 'the .article if he pay 6 tho price. Not much forward business is being done today;. -values; being as -very high, ,and- we find • a disposition to go more from hand to mouth than recently. The market 19 very healthy, commission woolcombers are still hard pressed, and considerable.delay is still being met with in every department. Crossbreds too are exceedingly firm,-'and there is more room for these to advance than even merinos. To-day 2s. 4}d. has been made for 40's prepared, and' in higher qualities, topmakers are.asking fairly stiff prices, and yet they are quoting a shade under what tops will,. :cost" out of wool bought in London--to-day. There is a more easy "feeling" thtiii last Thursday in regard to ; shipping,: all the wild rumours then cur-rent-remaining; still unconfirmed. English'.wools.;, are' also well held, and "a steady-business-is passing. We cannot -find.''a: great-deal 'of change in pulled . Xvoo3s,:but there is a healthy consumption" land-cm-the whole-fairly steady prices.