THE WOOL MARKET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 173, 9 December 1912, Page 5

THE WOOL MARKET.

RECORD PRICES IN WELLINGTON

The wool sale held in Wellington on Friday was, in the opinion of both brokers and buyers, easily the best ever held in the city (says the Wellington Dominion). The catalogue was a fairly large one, comprising some eleven thousand bales. The attendance of buyers, of whom there were between fifty and sixty, representing Home, Continental, American, and New Zealand houses, was rather larger than usual, and the bidding throughout was spirited, the competition at times being extremely keen and exciting. These wool sales invariably attract a good crowd of spectators, and Friday was no exception to the rule, the gallery of the Concert Chamber 'being well filled with both men and women, who appeared to enjoy hugely the antics of the buyers below. The condition of the wool, particularly Romney wool from Wellington, Wairarapa, and Maiiawatu, was bright, but somewhat light in condition, due no doubt to the wet weather experienced. Some of the bales contained log-stained, damp, and seedy wools. On the whole, however, the'wool was well-grown, and the prices realised show an advance of 2d to 2%d per pound on the parity of the corresponding sales last year. The Americana did not operate to the extent expech-d, probably because of the likelihood of a lowering of the American wool tariff promised by the new President of the Republic. The buyers from the Continent were, also modest in their demands, but representatives of Bradford houses and local buyers were keen competitors. Tin; improvement in values seems likely to be maintained—the trade of the world is active, and from all accounts an industrial boom is one of the probabilities of the NewYear. If so, wool should be in strong demand, and the level of prices, instead of falling, should go higher.