CHRISTCHURCH WOOL SALES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9673, 11 December 1909, Page 5

CHRISTCHURCH WOOL SALES.

The second of the current season's wool salea was held on Thursday There was a large attendance of buyers and a keen demand for all descriptions. American and Continental buyers operated freely; local buyers also participated more actively in the sale than at November. The auction catalogues offered aggregated 20,747 bales, as compared with 19,248 at the corresponding sale last season. Ih e condition of the wool on the whole was satisfactory, although thera were complaints of much of it having been shorn while the sheep were wet. The condition of the wool was heavier in grease than at the opening sale. When this is taken into consideration the prices realised must be considered a shade above those ruling at the November sale. Apparently in anticipation of even higher values ruling many owners place I heavy reserves on the clips These not being reached a fair amount was passed in. Following is the range of prices up to the adjournment:—Merino: Super, llgd to 12Jd; medium to good, 10£dtoll|d; inferior, 9fd to lOid Halfbi-ed-Super, 13fd to 14ftd ; medium to good, 10jd to 13|d; inferior, 9£d to 10id. Tbreequarter-bred—-Super, 12Jd to I3£d; medium to good, IOJd to to Hid; inferior, 7£dtolo£d. Crossbred.—Super, 13d tol3Jd; medium to good, 10gd to 12fd; inferior, 7Jd to IOJd. Longwool.—Super, lOd to llfd; medium to good, BJdto9|d; inferior, 7d to Bd. Down wool—Super lid to 12d; medium to good 10|d to lOJd; inferior, 9£d to 10£ d. Corriedale.—Super, J2£dtol3Jd; medium to good, ll£d to 12£ d; inferior, 10|d to lljd, Pieces-Merino, BJd to lOd; threequarterbred, s£d to9£d; halfbred, 5d to lid; crossbred, 5d to 9Jd; locks, 3£d to 6|d; bellies, s£d to B|d; crutchings, 5Jd to 6|d.

The opinion of buyers at the end of the sale was that fine wools were a shade easier and medium and inferior wools firmer. For these classes there was competition amongst iocal buyers and speculators. Top prices at the November sale for best halfbred was 15£ d. whilst 14|d was the highest prices reached. It is admitted, however, that the wool was in better condition for the November sale," and that the special clips that brought the highest pricjf) were paddock sheep, wlitre s most of the best halfbred and other fine crossbred clips offered were from front hill stations. On Thursday there was mor<i general competition among outride buyers. Two continental buyers who came over from Australia were promirent in the bidding, along with Anruiican buyers A certain amount of business was done for Bradford, but buyers from that auarter were not so prominent in their efforts to secure wool as Americm and Continental representatives. Most of the small offering of merino was token by Incal woollen mills, and local wool scourers secuijed the larger proportion of lines suitable for their business at the previous sale, and it was their competitionth that no doubt assisted firm prices for other than choice quality wools.