THE LONDON WOOL SALES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3182, 6 May 1909, Page 6

THE LONDON WOOL SALES.

THE DOMINION'S NEW CLIP. SOME NOTES AND COMMENTS. (Contributed.) The new season's clip, portions of which have been sold in the Colonial and London markets during and since January show that on the whole this produce of our pastoral industry is in exceptionally good condition due in a great degree to the splendid season last year, fully bearing out the assumption that the clip of 1908-9 would be found well grown and sound. New Zealand is a country in which "crossbred wool" of the highest quality can be produced, and '< for soma time buyers and manufacturers have recognised this,'and the Americans have become fully alive to it, and bid keenly to secure the highest grades of such wool, ranging in qualities from 40's to 50's if light and well got up. Since the commencement of the sales in January prices have been steadily on the up yrade for nearly all descriptions of wool, and some of the prices obtained for superior lines equalled the last sales) the boom figures of a few years ago. The highest prices reached means a very considerable and welcome additional income, not only to the individual sheep-farmer, but to the wages fund of rhe Dominion, and | should do much to lift the cloud of I depression that is now banging j over us. There is one matter, howi ever which requires special comment, j viz., the careless manner in which a j large proportion of wool is prepared j for market. Erigiiah and foreign I buyers, even at *he New Zealand j sales in January, were loud in their denounciacions particularly so in regard to some clips at the Auckland and Wellington sales, on account of careless skirting, false packing, and the undue amount of dirt being left in the fleeces. These complaints are reiterated by brokers and correspondents, and have been forcibly brought under the notice of farmers in this caper. And yet it is amazing to learn that many wool growers still persist in their caieless habits, and take no steps to have their produce marketed in a better condition. This is not a matter requiring' an expert knowledge of wool classing, but simply the exercise of care, and can be classed out by any individual of ordinary intelligence. It would almost apnear that some of oar wool growers imagine that they can hoodwink buyers and that any thing will pass muster on the wool market. Could they but see the buyers sampling and ferreting and rooting into their bales of wool in search of bellies, skirts, and other foreign substances, they would arrive at a different conclusion. Would a farmer purchase grass seed or grain that was improperly cleaned, full of weeds and dirt? Hardly. The wooi buyers has just the same proclivities regarding wool, and does not favour purchasing and paying good money for dirt and foreign substances mixed with wool. In passing I might remark that one New Zealand grower received a salutory lesson last year. Hie London broker picked out a quantity of filth and foreign substances which had been included in the bales, packed them up and returned them to the owner with some rather caustic remarks. The clip was packed unskirted, without removal of beHies, in fact, almost as it came off the sheep. The price netted was 4?jd per lb. Further comment is unnecessary. Brokers in London are ever ready in their own interests, to give advice to their clients as to how to get up wool. And if farmers would take the trouble from time to time to corn-

municate with their broker they would receive some valuable hints, which, if acted upon, would result in better prices, and more satisfactory business for all concerned. The outlook for the coming sales in London this month is particularly bright and cheering, in view of the demand anticipated from the Continental market. One feature of the new clip is the very small amount of lamb wool catalogued, due to a large number of wool-growers not shearing their lambs. Whether, or not, this is a wise step, remains (o De seen. Several things will enevitably ensue —a great deal more labour will be necessary in dagging and keeping the animals clean, while quite a number of extra hands will be required to attend to hoggets, whicb may become cast, and this attention must be constant from almost the present time till ihey are shorn. It is easy to predict what will the condition of our next wool clip, but at present circumstances point to a heavy yield. Already the sheeu are carrying a large quantity of wool, abundance of feed coupled with a splendid season having brought about this excellent result, and should the winter prove mild there is every prospect of a record clip at next shearing.

Appended are quotations of prices realised in * London for some of the leading and best-known Wairarapa and East Coaqt clips, sold in the grease:—Anchor, halfbred lid, superfine crossbred hoggets 10|d, 10c, 9d, superfine crossbred, 8d; R —7£d, crossbred pieces, 6Jd. bellies, si£d; Anchor over Awatoitoi —Halfbred, lid, superfine crossbred, lOd, crossbred, 72d, pieces, (3d, bellies, 6d; RFM over M —lst crossbred, 9d, B crossbred, lOd, C crossbred, 9|d, D crossbred 9d, E crossbred. B£d; 2nd crossbred, Sd, 72d, Ist pieces, 6Jd, 2nd pieces, fid, bellies, 6d; AGP Hapua—Halfbred Down, 9d, crossbred hoggets, lOd, crossbred, 9Jd, beHies and pieces, 7d, crutchings, 6d; "Rewanui—Crossbred hoggets, 12Jd, E, Hid, lOd, 9d, pieces, B£d, locks, 4fd; Rewa Rewa —Ram hoggets, 9Jd, crossbred fine, 7d, crossbred, 7|d, 7£d; Cross Keys —Cm.bk. hoggets, 12$ d, cm.bk. 12d, superior combings crossbred, lOd, Ist crossbred hoggets, 11 Jd, 2nd, 10£ d, 2nd crossbred combings, lOd, 3rd do.,Bd,lst and 2nd crutchings B£d, Ist Rom, 7£d, Ist pieces* 7Jd, 7d, 2nd pieces, 6d, bellies, 6Jd; Te Whiti—2nd crossbred, B£d, pieces and bellies, s£d; Te Hoe—lst crosshred hoggets, lOd, 2nd crossbred W and E, B£d, 2nd crossbred hoggets, Bd, 3rd crossbred W and E, Bd, 3rd crossbred hoggets, Bd, crossbred pieces, sgd, bellies, sd, crutchings, 6Jd, 5Jd. 3d, locks, 3£d; FFF— Crossbred pt hoggets, 8d; PAW Te Wharau—Crossbred, 6£d; Otahuao A—Crossbred fine, lljd, B crossbred pt. A, 10-Jd, 9d, C crossbred, Bd, pieces, 6Jd, s&d;, FFJ Homewood —Rom. hoggets, 9Jd; Bramerton over M in circle—l2d to 7|ri, pieces, 7Jd, 6Jd.; Hikorangi—lOd toßd, pieces, 6£d, 6d; B White Rock —Crossbred, lOd, B£d, 7Jd, 6gd, pieces, s|d, bellies, (id; DC Glen Dhu—Crossbred, 9d, Bd, 7Jd, 7Jd, pieces, o£d; Bowlands—Crossbred, lOd, 9£d, pieces, 6|d, sid, locks. lOd, Bid; Flat Point—Crossbred, lid, 9Jd, B£d, Bd, 7?d, 7£d, 7d, pieces, 6£d, 6d, bellies, s£d; Glendonald—Urossbred, lid, lOd, 9Jd, pieces, 6Jd; Kahumingi—Crossbred, lljd, lid, load, lOd, SJd, 9d, Bd, necks, 7,fd, pieces, 6d; Wairere—Crossbred, 7Jd, 7d, pieces, s&d, s}d,; Mauawa—Fine Rom. Id, ll£d, lid, 10?jd, B*d, crossbred, 9d, 84d, Bd, 73d, 7id, pieces, 6£d,; Glenside—Crossbred, lid, lOd, 9d, Bd, 72d, s£d. bellies, 6£d,lambs, BJd; A Akitio—Halfbred, 12£ d, Ist threequarterbred, 12£ d, ll£d, 2nd do., lid,

9d, Ist Romney R, 9d, Ist crossbred pieces, lid—a cilp that is always well got up. MW Annedale—Fine crossbred, lid. The highest price recorded for North Island wool is the Maraekakaho clip, hatchet brand, (Hawkes Bay)— Superfine half bred combings, 13Jd to 14£ d, Ist halfbred combines, 12Ad to 13d, Ist fiveeighths, lid to Hid, three-quarter-bred, lOd to lid.