COMMERCIAL.

Ashburton Guardian, 5 November 1880, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Ashburton Retail ListButter, inferior to best, $ lb 6d to Bd. Eggs, 1? dozen, is. Cheese, prime quality, I? lb, Od to Bd. Bacon, prime smoked, *•' lb, lod to is. Hams in cloth, li? lb, is 2d. Flour in bags, loolb, 13s. Oatmeal. P 251 b, 4s. Lard, lb. ?d. The Christchurch Corn Exchange. The following is the report for the week ending Friday evening, the sth inst;— Trade continues to be exceedingly dull; any transactions taking place are of such a nature as to have no influence on prices. Returns from shipments of oats made to England continue to arrive, and so far are satisfactory. This has had a beneficial effect, and enquiries for this article of produce are more frequent. Prices, however, can hardly be said to have improved ; this, however, is probably attributable to the increase in the price of freight, and also the difficulty of obtaining the same. The weather, meantime, is all that can be desired, and harvest prospects were never better. Wheat.—Millers are in the market for good sound milling quality, which is passing into consumption at from 4s to 4s 3d. Certain qualities (viz., hard wheats), of very prime quality, will command a shade over these prices. 4s 6d is asked for prime milling quality f.o.b. in Lyttelton ; second class wheat 3s to 3s 6d ; chick wheat, is gd to 23 gd per bushel. Oats —Goodstout milling samlpesare saleable at from is 8d to is gd ; second quality of the same kind, is 6d to is yd per bushel. Good heavy Tartarians, not discolored, are worth is 5d to is 6d, ordinary feed samples is 3d to is Cd, and inferior feed quality is to is 2d. Barley. —Really prime quality is again being enquired for, but there is little or none of such to be had. Ordinary malting qualities are tolerably plentiful, but are difficult to dispose of. For the first mentioned 3s to 3s 3d would be given; the latter range* from 2s 3d to 2s gd ; feed quality, is 6d to is gd per bushel. Grass Seed. —A few small orders continue to he executed at from 25.6 d to 2s gd per bushel. For really well cleaned farmers’ parcels, town dressed, 3s to 3s 3d; badly cleaned light seed, is gd to 2s 3d per bushel. Potatoes. —A few insignificant orders have been fulfilled during the week at from 10s to I3S s'd per ton, at the country station. Sacks extra. Cheese and Butter. —4d to for the former, 5d to fid. for the latter. Auctioneers’ Report. Messrs H. Matson and Co. report on the live stock market &c., for the week ending Thursday, Novembet 4th, 1880, as follows : Owing to last Wednesday’s market representing the only auction for the next fortnight at the Addington Yards there was a large entry of prime mutton, mostly shorn, with a fair proportion of merinos. The rain fell in torrents up to midday, otherwise the supply of both sheep and cattle would have been much heavier. There was a large mustering of the trade, and the various lots of sheep, the best quality especially, commanded a brisk competition and ready sale, wi h an average advance of fid to is per head over the previous week’s rates. For a few lines of indiffeient quality biddings were scarcely so good, but, taking the market throughout, fat sheep were cleared at the advance before quoted. Stores at late rates. Woolly crossbreds brought 16s to 18s; light weights, 14s to 15s. A line of 420 shorn wethers from Longbeach brought 13s fid to 13s gd, Mr. Jas. Bell’s ios gd, Mr. McCutcheon’s lis gd to 12s 3d, Mr. R. Wrights 13s 3d. Messrs. Gould and Cameron’s woolly merinos were scarcely up to the mark, and realised lis to 12s, and a number - a large entry of fat lambs, and owing to the approaching festivities of the coming week, they were evidently “ wanted,” prices ruling higher, with a better demand, than has been experienced since the lamb season has fairly commenced. Prices ranged from 7s 3d to 13s and 14s fid, but 103 was about the average. In the beef market there were a few pens of prime cattle, hut the bulk call for no special comment. The entry was an average one and prices were unchanged, several lines of cattle being turned out unsold. In stores there were less good cattle than usual, but anything useful submitted found ready purchasers at full rates. Canterbury Horse Market. - On Saturday we had more bona fide buyers, more especially of light horses, in Tattersall's than we have had for a considerable time past. Our entry comprised—m horses, 5 drays, 3 spring carts, a hansom, and a consignment of saddlery, out of which we succeeded in disposing of the saddlery, spring carls, hansom, drays, and about 65 of the horses. The most noticeable feature of the day’s sale was the draft of light harness horses and hacks from the Longbeach estate, consisting of 21, all by Spot or Caledon, showing plenty of size, style and space. They were just broken before leaving the station, and did not show to so much advantage as they otherwise would have done had they not been so afraid of the people. Every one of the horses were sold without reserve (Mr. Grigg’s usual custom), and brought from L 6 ios to L2l ios, averaging Ll2 15s each.