COMMERCIAL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 3, 3 January 1877, Page 2

C O MMER C IA L.

The Colonial Agencv report as follows under date London, 16th November, 1876:— Wool. — The fourth and concluding series of public sales of colonial wool for this year commenced 31st October. The arrivals for disposal at this series comprised 173,292 ba'es. Of these about 9000 bales, chiefly Cape, have been forwarded direct from ship to Yorkshire and the Continent, but the wool held over from previous sales brings up the available quantity to, say 20i),000 bales. The sales opened with an unusually large attendance of both home and foreign buyers, who operated with much spirit, resulting in an advance of from 10 to 15 per cent compared with the closing or best rates of last series. Since the opening sale an increased buoyaucy has prevailed, and the market grown stronger from day to day, the rise from the c'osing rates of last series being:— 2d to 2.}d per lb on all Australian and New Zealand washed fleece and scoured; Id to l|d per lb on all Australian and New Zealand grease; Id to l£d per lb on Cape and Natal fleece aud scoured. Instances of a greater advance than the above figures represent are of frequent occurrence; a notable feature of these sales .-being the keen competition for good and indifferent parcels alike, while at last sales all faulty, lots were .very much neglected. A firm market, was, for some time, expected for these sales, but no one expected such a material recovery in value. There is doubtless a great revival of business in the wool cons-iming districts of Europe, and stocks are low; but manufacturers declare the advance , to .be out of all proportion to the improvement, but the fact remains that although quite one half of the available quantity has now beeu disposed of, yet the market, shows.no sign of weakness. Price current of New Zealand wool — Superior' washed fleece 1/8J to 2/0 per lb, medium 1/5 to 1/8, inferior and faulty l/0£ to l/4_; superior scoured 1/9 to 2/3, medium 1/4 to l/B_, inferior and faulty l/2_ to l/3£; superior greasy fleece 11 _d to l/s„d, medium 9d to lid, inferior and faulty 7£dtoß_d.