COMMERCIAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 211, 15 December 1910, Page 5

COMMERCIAL.

DUNEDIN WOOL SALES.

By Telegraph.—Press Afnooktion. Dunedin, Last Night.

The first wool sale of the season was held to-day, when 8072 bales were offered, as against 12,248 bales at the opening sale of the season last year. Speak- 1 ing generally, the clip did not posses# the character, condition, and soundness j noticeable in the wool offered at the first sale last-year. The effect of the, long period of dry weather waß very evident in many of the wools, and any falling off in prices may be- attributed to this fact, and not to any outside influences. Very ftiir numbers of buyers were present. Continental buyers oper-l ated freely, but the local mill pro-j prietors secured all the choicest lots ol half-breds and quarter-breds and merino breeds, the Continental buyers getting the medium qualities. Representatives of Yorkshire firms secured the bulk ol cross-breds and long wools offered., American buyers, who have been absent from the world's markets for the past nine months, owing principally to financial conditions in America and to a less extent to the big clip in America, were not present, consequently wools that they arc in the habit of buying, namely, those that are lightest in eondition, best grown, and most lustrous, showed a decrease in price. However, in many respects and all things considered, the sale was a very satisfactory one. Prices ruled as follows: Finest half-breds, 12d to 13d; medium half-breds, 9d to lid; best cross-breds, lOd to lid; ordinary cross-breds, 8d to 9%d; best merino, lid to ordinary merino, 9d to lOd; inferior merino, 7d to Bd,