COMMERCIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2366, 5 December 1908, Page 5

COMMERCIAL.

GISBORNE WOOL SALES.

A RISE IN PRICES

The Gisborne Wool brokers’ Association held their opening sale of the season yesterday, when a fairly large catalogue of wooil, skins, and hides was offered. All the local firms were selling, but there was a very small attendance of buyers., tho following being present: Messrs Keai&ley (Murgatroyd and Go., Auckland), G. Arnold (M. F. Bourke and Co.), W. H. Smith, and Tidswell. Tho prices realised showed an .improvement, but owing to the absence of competition tho sale on the whole was not considered satisfactory by local brokers. Most of tho lots offered were disposed of, but a number which failed to realise the prices anticipated were withdrawn, and it is understood that a considerable quantity will be despatched from here to the next sale at Napier. As no buyers wore present, all the hides offered were passed in, but skins sold fairly well. The following are the reports of tho different firms:

Common, Shelton and Co., Ltd. — There was fair competition, and we sold everything offered with a few exceptions. Wool: Rough fleece wool brought from 43d to 6 J f d, bellies and pieces 33d, dead wool 41 d to 43d, crutchinsg 3 ; l f d to 3]d, locks 13d to 2 J-d. Skins : Well-saved -station skins brought from 4id to sd, medium 33d to 43d, inferior and badly-saved sorts from 23d to 3id. New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd. —Only four buyers were present; consequently there was little or no competition. A fair amount of wool was passed, as prices did not reach our values.’ There were no buyers of hides. The prices were: "Wool : Locks 2 3 el to 33d, crut-•chin-gs 3id to 33d, pieces and bellies 3id to 43d, dead wool 3d to 4-Jd, crossbred fleece 43d to sd, lambs sd, black 3id to 4-id. Skins: Good skins sold from 4d to 51d, medium 23d to 33d, inferior lid to 2id. Hides: All passed in. Tallow sold at from 17s to 18s Od per cut. Dalgety and Co., Ltd. —-AYo sold most of our entry, excepting hides (for which there were no buyers) at tlio following prices—Wool : Fleece--53d to 63d, erutchings 2£d, dead wool 43d, locks 2-id. Skins: Full-woolled skins up to od. Tallow 16s to 18s per cut.

Bennett and Skerratt. —Prices i<w wool and skins were higher than ai last sale. AYo sold fleece wool up to 6d, bellies up to 4pi, erutchings 3-Jo, dead 53d, and locks Z\ d. AY ell-saved skins-brought up to sd, and medium from 33d to 4.3 d. Tallow sold at 1/s 6d ner cwt. Williams and Kettle, Ltd.—Prices realised were slightly higher than last sale, but owing to the absence of buyers there was -little or no competition. A few lots wero passed in, and the following prices were realised: Fleece wool up to 63d, dead 5-Jd, hollies 4fd. locks 2]d to 2 3 cl, erutchings 31 d to 4d, nieces 4d to 4-kl. Skins: Best sorts *43d to 5Jd. Tallow 17s por cwt. Hides were all passed :;P; no buyers being present.

SMALL ATTENDANCE OF BUYERS

THE REASON EXPLAINED

A “Times” reporter inquired from a visiting lvoolbrokcr why there wore so few brokers from the Northern City present at the opening sale yesterday. Tho repay was that the corresponding sale last year- avas placed upon the woulbrokers’ list of sales, and a large catalogue was promised at Gisborne, but that when the pustoralists found that there was a •downward tendency in the price ol wool largo quantities were withdrawn from tlio sale. and. several clips did not coino to hand. The'supply avas, therefore, far beloav the anticipations of buyers, who offered a fair'price, and the pastoralists and local brokers afterwards saw the folly of withdrawing their holdings, because a further depression in' values folloaved on the Home market. AA'itli the recent animation in the woof market at Home and the uncertainty of a. full catalogue being offered, the Auckland brokers decided not to attend yesterday’s' sale. “Did the avool sale in "Wellington in any lvay affect the attendance ol buyers?” the "reporter asked. “I don’t think so,” the gentleman replied. “I think tho main cause for so few buyers attending the sale was the -uncertainty of tho size of the cataCo^uc.” “How did the prices ruling compare avit-li those in othor centres.-' avas the next question. “Very woll iii-dood, and tJio 'woolgrowers ought to he thoroughly satisfied,” avas the an saver. “Coarse crossbreds touched 63 d, and none of the best clips were, offering. The bulk of the catalogue comprised pieces and oddments, and the prices offered avere quite up to values.”

Tho Neav Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd. are,, in receipt of the 'following cablegram from their London office re avool, etc.: “As compared with last sales’ closing rates, prices are about 7\ to 10 per cent, higher for fine crossbred -and merino; about 15 per cent, higher for medium greasy crossbred and coarse greasy crossbred; about 10 to 15 per cent.'higher for greasy cross % bred lambs and crossbred slipe. America competing very keenly. Average current London value of the underacted" descriptions of Neav Zealand greasy aa-ool: Good merino 12]d, medium do 103 d, inferior do Bid, fine crossbred 12d, medium do 9id, coarse do (40’s) 73d, coarse do (36’s) 7-Jd. Sheepskins. —Total quantity to be offered 10,000, sales commencing 12th December, probable advance 5 to 7 1 per cent.”

WELLINGTON WOOL SALES. [Special to “Times.”] WELLINGTON, Dec. 4. The most conspicuous feature of the wool sales which opened at the. Town liall to-day was the strong American competition for the finest lines of crossbreds. The quantities offered by brokers amounted to 7603 bales, or 600 bales more than at tlie corresponding sale of last year. At the first Bale held on 13th November 1356 bales only were offered, which was the lowest quantity for the November sales of. the previous three years. Prices at fast sale, says the “Post,” went up to 8d for crossbreds in one instance only, hut crossbreds that

ranged from 7d to 8d then, changed hands at from lOd to ll]d to-day. The prices were more or less on a par with those of two years ago, when at the first sale of November, 1907, 93d to 10id was paid for superfine crossbreds that -went for from 7\ to 8d at the first sale of November of this year; while there avas a corresponding fall for other wools. To-day buyers avere present in full force, representing Bradford, Huddersfield, German, French, Belgian, Australia:-;, and American houses ;also irepr<.-sent%-tives from the Neav Zealand mills. For wools more suitor)Jo for focal requirements competition avas' keen from, the very start, the Americans going for tho top qualities, favoring crossbreds, -and especially those that avere well prepared. AYihile there might ho side by side tavo dips ol identically the" same quality, yet that which avas properly -skirted -and avcl'J get up generally would fetch from lUd to lid, avhile the others not so well classed avotiskl realise 7ld to 7|d. The reason for tho difference avas that in the case of Americans 3d per lb could not be. paid for dirt, the duty hiving to be paid upon the weight of wool.