COMMERCIAL NEWS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 195, 31 May 1934, Page 7

COMMERCIAL NEWS

GRAIN AND PRODUCE. THE ASHBURTON MARKET. Merchants report a fairly quiet period in most markets. Milling wheat is now heiilg stored on behalf of tlie Wheat Purchase Board. Fowl wheat is definitely weaker owing to the large quantity on offer. The market for oats is very dull in the meantime. Oatsheaf chaff is moving off very slowly. Large shipments of potatoes have gone forward to the North Island m execution' of contracts, and the market is in a depressed condition. The market', for Partridge peas shows no alteration. > Small seeds are firm at recent qubtations. The following prices are quoted to be paid to farmers, on trucks at country stations, sacks extra, unless otherwise stated:— / Wheat—New season's interim payment, Tuscan, good milling, 3s Ba,' Hunters 3s lOd, Velvet 4s (all f .0.b.); fowl wheat 2s 9d, wheat seconds 2s 3d. Oats—Algerians Is 9d to 2s, good heavy dark Duns Is 8d to 2s, heavy Gartons Is 9d to Is lid, B grade Is 6d. Grass' Seed—Perennial 3s 3d to 3s 6d, Wolths and Italian 3s to 3s 6d, cocksfoot 7£d to 8d for good quality Clover—Red* 9d a lb, white 9d to lOd a lb. Chaff—Good, bright oatsheaf £2 5s a ton. , Peas—No. 1 Partridge peas 3s 3d, f.a.q, 3s per bushel. Barley—Chevalier 2s 6d to 2s 9d a bushel. Potatoes—£2 5s for May-June de* livery.

' THE STOCK MARKETS.

ADDINGTON. ' CHRISTCHURCH, May 30. Entries were of normal size at todaly's Addington market, except in the fat cattle section, in which there was an over-supply. ■/. Store Sheep—A mixed, entry, of indifferent quality met a dragging sale with little change' in values. Ordinary 2-tooth |-bi-ed ewes sold to 27s 6d, medium 4, 6 and 8-tooth coarse wooled 20s to 22s 6d, ordinary fine woolled tp 19s sd, good s.m. halfbred to 21s. 3d, ordinary s.m. 16s 6d to 18s and f jn. 12s to 15s 6d. Forward halfbred wethers made 19s 6d to 21s Bd,\ medium 18s to 19s 3d, plain and backward 12s to 14s 6d, merino 8s to 10s Bd, medium ewe lambs 17s to 17s lid, oirdihary 15s to 16s 9d, ordinary stores 14s to 16s, others lis to 13s. Fat Lambs—2 800 were penned and met a keen sale, exporters paying the limit schedule rates. Extra prime heavy 25s 6d to 28s, prime mediumWeights' 22s to 255, light 16s 6d to 21s 6d. ■ . Fat Sheep—There was a heavier entry (5900) than last week, but a sound sale until • the ■> final; - stages/ when there was an easing for heayiei ewes. Extra prime heavy weathers made to 29s 4d, prime heavy 25s 6d to 275, heavy 22s 6d to 255, ordinary quality 19s to 22s and light 15s to 18s. Prime heavy ewes made to 23s Id, prime medium weight 19s 6d to 21s 6d, ordinary quality 16s 6d to 19s, and light 12s to 16s. Fat Cattle—The entry :of 600 head included north and west Otago cattle. The market was easier for the best cattle by 10s tj- head, and others by up to 20s. Choicest beef made to 24s per 1001 b, prime from 20s to 22s 6d, heavy from 17s to 18s 6d, secondary from 14s Extra prime heavy steers made to £-11 7s 6d, prime heavy £7 5s to £9 ss, medium-weight prime £6 5s to £7 15s, ordinary £4 10s to £6, and light to £4 ss. Extra prime heifers made to £8 12s 6d prime £5 to £6 10s, ordinary £3 to £4 15s, and light to £3. Extra prime cows made to £8 7s 6d, prime £4 ho £5 15s 1 ordinary £2 10s to £3 15s, <and agecT'to £2.' Fat Pigs.—There was- a medium entry of uneven quality. The demand was a little firmer. Seventy were bought for export. Choppers made to £3 13s 6d, baconers 47s 6d to 52s 6d, heavy 57s 6d to £3 12s 6d (average price per lb 4£d to §d), porkers 23s to 27s 6d, heavy 29s 6d t0,36s 6d (average price

per lb 4|d to sid). Store Pigs.—There was a good sale. Weaners; made 6s 6d to 9s 6d, slips 8s to lis, stores lis to 20s, and extra good to 23s 6d. \

BTJRNSIDE.

DUNEDIN, May 30. Heavier consignments of fat stock ' were forward at to-day's Burnside , market in anticipation of a stronger demnad for show week. In the yarding of 315 fat cattle there was a wide range of all weights and qualities. The sale was erratic and lacked animation, with values barely up to those, obtained at the previous sale. Cows were difficult to sell. Extra prime heavy bullocks sold at £lO 17s 6d, prime heavy £8 17s 6d to £9 7s 6d, medium £7 2s 6d to £8 2s 6d, light £5 to £6 7s 6d; best young heifers and cows to £5 2s 6d, medium £3 2s 6d to £4 7s 6d, light and plain £2 3s 6d to £3. „ •-'••». ' Of an entry of 2200 fat sheep a fair proportion consisted of well-finished heavy-weights, with a sprinkling of extra heavy wethers andT some outstanding ewes. In the opening sales wethers sold at fully last week's rates, but eased Is and Is 6d a head as the sale progressed. Passings necessarily were frequent, and all ewes made from ■ Is to Is 6d less than the previous week's values. Extra prime heavy show wethers sold to 33s 6d, prime heavy 27s to 28s 6d, medium 23s _ to 265, light 20s to 225; extra prime heavy 17s to IBs 6d, medium los to 16s 6d, light 10s to 14s. > , With few exceptions .the 600 lambs penned lacked quality, but the schedule rise was fully reflected in the prices obtained. Extra prime heavy lambs sold to 32s 6d, prime heavy 25s to 275, medium 23s to 245, light 19s to -22 s In the store cattle section 240 head were penned, including a line of three-vear-old well-bred station steers, which sold from £4 5s to £5 15s. Vealers were in moderate supply, and any good quality sorts met with keen competition at slightly enhanced rates. A complete clearance was effected of the usual assortment of cull cows. The dairy entiy was not an attractive one, and tne demand was confined to young cows close to profit. These were in a minority, and consequently values were dis-

tictly in vendors' favour. Late calvers and old cows were difficult to sell.

The fat pig entry totalled 112, comprising principally porkers. At the commencement of the sale values were equal to those obtained at .the previous sale, but prices eased towards the end. Only 29 store pigs were penned. These were disposed of at no material alteration in prices.

SOUTHLAND BUILDING SOCIETY. A SUCCESSFUL YEAR. INVERCARGILL, May 30. At the annual meeting of the Southland Building and Investment Society this evening, the president, Mr A. S. Froggatt, stated that, after making provision for some doubtful securities, profits, including £1842 brought forward from last year, amounted to £48,133, of which £44,116 was credited to borrowing and investing shareholders at the rate of 5| per cent, per annum, and there remained a surplus of £4017. From this amount the sum of £5lB was credited to office premises account and £266 to furniture •and equipment account, thus reducing the net profit to £45,505. The reserve fund was increased to £30,613, which represented for sixty-five years an average annual appropriation of little more than £460. For thirty years less than £25 had been withdrawn from the reserve fund.