WOOL SALES.

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 37, 8 December 1894, Page 12

WOOL SALES.

London, Dec. 3. At the wool sales a medium catalogue was offered. The bidding was fair, and former prices were maintained. Napier, Dec. 5. The first wool sales of the season were held to-day. The attendance of English buyers was not so large as last year. Naturally a fall in prices was expected in sympathy with the tone of the Home market. Fleece wool suffered by comparison with last j ear’s prices to the greatest extent. For locks and pieces there was a good local competition, but of 400 bales offered only about a fourth were sold at the following prices—Light, bright, fine grades, crossbreds, and strong crossbreds, to 7-|d ; rough bush parcels were neglected, making only from s£d to 6£d ; merinos, from 4|d to s£d, all being of low grade; locks, from 2d to 3fd. The Otago Daily Times of Thursday reports :—The tone of the wool market at Home is evidently changing for the better. Late cablegrams to hand report the market firmer, and competition increasing. In expectation of large withdrawals, bidding had a hardening tendency, good sorts more particularly .receiving the most attention, and prices obtaining for such showing an advance of £d to Id per lb above opening rates. The French and Americans are said to be operating freely. There is nothing of importance being done meanwhile in the local max-ket ; the small sales effected are confined to odd lots of bags and fadges, which are disposed of weekly and are, as a rule, well competed for, sometimes fetching pi'ices relatively higher than those obtaining for lines o£ straight fleece. Owing to the weather continuing favourable, consignments of the new clip are coming to hand daily.