East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1911-09-16

limit was reached for the first time in
the year 1s06-7 and the past years
figures are nearly double those of the
year 1sO3-4.. IN fact, taking Austral-
in separately. they are more than
double. Considerably more wool was
also exported on sheepslins than dur
ing the previous year
The flocIs in Australia and New
Zealand now total ll6,17S head hav-
ing increased during the past u
months by the small number of 5OS,-
5s2 head. \ great many more sheep,
however. are now depastured in Aus
traIasia than at any period during the
past l. years, the previous record hav-
ing been in 1891, when the figures
reached 124.991,92O head. The past
years increase 81 considerably below
what had been expected, but the
.smallness of the increase is to some
extent due to the very large numbers
which have been slaughtered for ex-
port and local consumption. 1t is the
opinion that the absence of a mate
rial increase in sheep is not a detri-
ment to Australasia. since present
numbers are about as high as can be
carried safely. Although sheep
which were put through the past
shearing did not cut any more wool
rer head than in the preceding year
tAere has nevertheless been a general
all-round Improvement in the flocks
ana a very high standard has been
q general all-round improvement in
the flocks, and a very high standard
has been reached, Cs.,,~.a4.s III Iespec.
to merinos. Although there were
many more sheep to shear 20 years
ago, before the great drought, than
last year, yet the clip shorn during
the past season eclipses all previous
records.
The average price obtained for a
bale of wool was O6O.91 as compared
with S66.22 in l9O9-10, the average
for the year being thus per cent
below that of the previous year. The
bales were a few pounds lighter than
during the previous season, however,
and the average price obtained for all
the wool sold amounted to is cents
per pound. against 19 1-2 cents in
19O9-1O, a decline of over 1-2 per
cent.
That the clip was inferior to that
OF the year 19O9-1O is shown by the
fact that while the average paid for
the wool in Australasian markets was
I 1-2 per cent lower than in that year,
the average decline in the value of
merino tops for the year was but 1.53
per cent, and for crossbred tops 1856
per cent.
In the first sales of the wool year,
toward the end of September, the To-
cal markets showed declines of about
10 per cent, but the consumptive de-
mand was so strong that values grad
ually recovered, and before the sea-
son was half through wool was SELL
ing almost as we'll as at any period Of
the previous year. The Continental
demand, however, and more particu-
ularly the German demand, develop
ed some weakness, and during the
closing days of December and the
earlier half of January the market
declined to the extent OF to 10 per
cent Before the regular selling sea-
son was brought to a close a good
recovery had been made, and values
ruled very firm until just at the close
of the year, when there was a furth-
er weakening, more particularly as
regards faulty woods, which declined
10 per cent. Generally speaking, how
ever, for the year the markets were
favorable to sellers, and the level Of
prices of practically all sheep pro-
ducts was a paying one, leading to a
large acquisition of wealth for AUS
tralasia.