THIRD WOOL SALE

Hokitika Guardian, 20 January 1921, Page 4

THIRD WOOL SALE

THE LAST CATALOGUE

[by TKLHfiRAPII—PER PRESS ASSOCIATION]

CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 17

The last catalogue of the third wool sale this season was sold on Saturday morning. The bidding was rather slow, the buyers apparently suffering from the effects of the late sale yesterday. One lot of Rydal Downs Corriedale ewe A readied 17d. One lot of the 1 same brand Corriedale hogget A was passed at 16jjd; Corriedale pieces in the sam« clip passed at 13)d ; Southdown ewe hogget was passed at IOJJd. A choice line of three bales super three-quarter-bred fStoneylea) made 15Jd (top price of the sale for three-quarter-bred). Friday’s prices were maintained.

A small sensation was' caused by a sale at 23 id for a lot of ten bales of S on side over J conjoined merino ewe, undone bale of wether, grown by -Mr J. Stevenson, Flnxton. There was a similar bench of buyers after the luncheon adjournment, and a slight tailing-off in the bidding. The sale of main lots finished just before 11 p.m. The sale of star lots followed. Mr J. G. Herdman, commenting on the sale, said there had been a good demand for super lots of half-bred, accompanied by an increase in the rates for light three-quartcr-breds suitable for the American market. Inferior wools and ordinary half-breds showed a decline. Competition had not yet gone hack to the old 1 days though there had been more animation about the January sale for good lots than there was at the two previous sales. The catalogue quittance all round was good, and the averag must have been between 50 and GO per cent for each firm operating. That showed that orders had increased con-

siderably since the December sale and that buyers 'were able to cope with a sale of size. Mr Herdman said he expected that by the ! time another sale or two was held they would again get the .animated competition they used to have. At present it took a long time to got through the catalogue. Before the war it had been customary to get through 400 or 500 lots an hour; now the average was between 200 and 250. The proceedings were apt to drag. “The sale was better on the whole than J anticipated, but irregular,” <said the head of a well-known selling firm on Saturday. “For anything over 50’s in half-breds there was an advance, and around GO it was still better. Of halfbred wool that was dingy and fatty there was a g<>od deal in the market, and the prices for it were not up to those'given a,t the last sale. For three quarter-bred there was a rise of fully 2d and over in the fine qualities. The ordinary three-quartcr-breds held their values well. Cross-bred wool was specially bright and and good, hut there was little demand. Merino, of which there was a very fair supply, did not sell up to expectations. The Dominion factories do not seem to require it at present. For pieces and bellies the demand was good throughout. “As regards the' Home buyers, they made an appreciable demand of a definite character which was lacking before.”