WINTER WOOL SALE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 221, 18 August 1937, Page 4

WINTER WOOL SALE.

CHRISTCHURCH MARKET STEADY. JAPANESE ABSENT. Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Aug. 17. Crossbreds arid threo-quarterbreds sold well, bul medium and fine halfbred? wore disappointing, at the Christchurch winter wool sale to-day. All main buying points except Japan and tho United States were represented, and competition was steady throughout the sale at rates that were early established. Tho catalogue comprised 2563 bales, mainly crutchmgs, but with a small selection of pieces. Tbero was very little fleece wool, and only odd lots of this were of attractive quality. The offering of crutchiligs was of medium quality and much of it was attractive. Quito an appreciable amount of good halfbred crutclimgs was included. The best price of the day was 24|d, paid for two very attractive lots of scoured halfbred pieces. Greasy halfbred fleece made to 21d and Merino to 19|d. Halfbred crutchings made to 15d and crossbred- crutchings to the same price. As the North Island winter sales have been almost exclusively of crossbred wools, comparison with to-day’s auction is not foasiblc, but tho small quantity of crossbred wool offered sold fully up to Norili Island rotes Thrco quart,erbred and coarse halfbred crutchings also sold steadily at satisfactory prices, but medium and fine qualities were Id to 2d below sellers’ expectations of tho market. The main reason for tho slacker inquiry for halfbred? was the! Japanese orders were entirely absent from* the market, and, for tho first tiino for two years, Continental and Bradford buyers had the market to themselves. Tho United States, which during tho main season and at the North Island winter sales since, has been a strong and regular competitor for lower crossbred wools, was not in the market to-day because the amount of suitable wool was too small. All fleece wools sold consistently well, though they did not realise spectacular prices. Passings wero heavy, more than 20 per cent of the catalogue being retained by owners. This was to a small extent due to tho ideas of growers having become nv tuned to a rising market, bit was mainly because a very considerable amount ot wool was offered on behalf of dealers.