COMMERCIAL NEWS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 126, 9 March 1935, Page 7

COMMERCIAL NEWS

FRUIT AND PRODUCE. THE ASHBURTON MARKET. » A sharp rise in tomatoes and a general increase in the price of stone fruit has taken place on the Ashburton fouit and produce market this week. Peaches are, in short supply, and nectarines are finished. Apples are easier, but wheat seoonds have .become dearer. Mushrooms and walnuts have appeared on the market. Values are as follow: Potatoes —Id and l£d a lb. , Bacon —9d and lOd a lb. Wheat—Seconds, 10s to 12s a sack. Honey—7d to 7id a lb. v \. Onions —Id and l£d a lb. Lettuces —4d to 5d each. Cabbages—6d and 8d each. Tomatoes—2s 9d to 3s a case. Peaches—3s 6d, 4s to 4s 6d a case (Freestone). Cucumbers —Hothouse 2s to 3s a case. Plums —2s and 2s 6d a case. Apples—Cox's Orange Pippin 7s to Bs, Jonathan 6s 6d to 7s. Pears—Boh Cretian 3s 6d to 4s a case, cooking pears 2s 6d to 3s 6d. Marrows—4s to 5s a dozen. Greengage Plums —3s and 4s a case. Chaff—2s 3d and 2s 6d a sack. Rhubarb—6d and 6d a bundle. Pumpkins —Id a lb. Quinces —2d and 2£d a lb. Mushrooms—4d to 6d a lb. Walnuts—6d to 7d a lb.

' GRAIN AND PRODUCE. CHRISTCHURCH MARKETS. (Special to the "Guardian.") CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Trading on the Christchurch grain and produce markets during the past week was marked by a further firming in prices for a number of lines. Potatoes, all lines of oats, partridge peas; linseed and red clover, are all advanced on last week's quotations. Wheat and all other lines are firm at previous rates. The top quotation for potatoes is now £4 5s a ton as compared with £4 a week ago. The demand has not yet reached its peak, and there is no certainty that the price will stabilise at the present figure. The crop is reported to be better in quality than was expected, but the quantity is not as large as usual. Oats have not been coming forward in any great quantity and the consequent shortening of stocks accounts for the further firming in price. The better prices now offering will probably bring a further supply of last year's and also present season lines on to the market. Gartons and Algerians are quoted as high as 2s sd. and Duns up to 2s 6d. The crops of partridge peas are light but the quality is good, resulting in better prices. . • Linseed crops are also turning out on the light side, but they are of a quality that has brought ready sales at £l3. Red clover is showing a firming tendency, the best lines being quoted at lid. . Following are nominal pnceß quoted to be paid to farmers on trucks at country stations, sacks extra unless otherwise mentioned:— Milling wheat (new season's)—March deliverv, Tuscan 4s, Hunters 4s 2d, Pearl and Velvet 4s 4d, f.o.b. Fowl Wheat—3s 9d to 3s lOd a bushel. • .. Oats—Gartons, 2s to 2s sd; Algerians 2s to 2s sd; Duns, Is lOd to 2s 6d, according to quality. Chaff—£3 to £3 ss. Barley—2s 6d to 3s 6d, according to quality. . _■' , , -, Partridge Peas—os to 5s yd. Linseed—£l3 a ton. Cocksfoot— Akaroa, 9£d to ll*d. Rvegrass—Perennial, Italian and Western Wolths, 2s 9d to 3s 3d. Clovers—White 6d to 9d, red 9d to lid. Potatoes (April, May, June delivery) __£4 to £4 ss. Onions—Prompt, £6. , . Bran—Local £5 15s, shipping £5 5s Flour—Local £l2 12s, shipping £ll 17s, with the usual increments to? Bmaller packings. DUNEDIN. DTJNEDIN, March 8. So far as this district is concerned, there will not be nearly the same quantity of milling wheat available as in previous years. Even on heavy land, such as the Taieri, yields are much lower than were anticipated. The berries in the wheat grown in the Otago district are well filled, and are in excellent condition. A great proportion of northern wheat is thin, and in other years a large quantity of it would not have been accepted for milling. Values of fowl wheat have declined to 4s 3d f.0.b., sacks extra. Locally there is not much fowl wheat available, as practically all lines coming on the market are being accepted for milling purposes. Values may be given as round about 4s 9d, ex store. There is a continual scarcity of oats on offer from growers, and few lines are being purchased by millers or merchants. Yields are light, and farmers are retaining most of their oats for their own_use. In addition, some farmers have to buy oats, as they have not sufficient for feed for their stock. There is little demand for shipment to the North Island, and only an occasional order is being received. The present quotation for A Gartons is 3s Id, f.0.b., s.i., with B's ruling at 2s 9d. These prices are equivalent to 2s Bd, sacks extra, on trucks, country sidings, and 28 4d respectively, for lines on short railage. The chaff market remains steady, with supplies being mostly drawn from Canterbury. The value of best quality is £5 a ton, sacks extra, ex truck, with a higher price obtainable for lots ex store. It is apparent that chaff values will rule on the high side for this season, in sympathy with the shortage in the oats crop, and as a consequence of some fanners requiring what they have krown for their own stock. Little interest is being displayed in the potato market, the tendency on the part ofi merchants being to wait developments, as the prices now being asked are considered by them too high. In the meantime the local market is being supplied with sufficient consignments, and as trade is on a hand-to-mouth basis these consignments are moving off slowly. Up to £6 a ton, sacks included, ex store, is the current quotation to-day. Most growers are Holding for higher prices, in view of

the anticipated shortage consequent on the dry weather conditions. The seed_ markets are now quiet, with little"business being transacted. The ryegrass crop has been to a large extent disposed of at prices ruling up to 3s a bushel on trucks for good, clean lines. The cocksfoot market remains steady, with certified seed quoted at Is 4d per lb on trucks, Christchurch. The first lines of cowgrass are appearing from Blenheim districts, and the quality is not as good as in previous years. The fescue market is stagnant. Merchants who purchased lines earlier in the season are now off the market, as they are unable to obtain orders from overseas. Fescue seed is still on offer from but merchants are not prepared to buy until they can see an outlet. MARKETS IN BRITAIN, LONDON, March 7. Wheat—Cargoes are dull, owing to fading out of demand and lower foreign competition. Parcels are quiet, little changed. Futures are quoted:— London: April 20s 2d per quarter, June 21s. Liverpool: March 4s B£d per cental,May 4s 11 5-Bd, July os 1 7-Bd, October 5s 3 7-Bd. The spot trade is quiet. Australian, ex ship, nominal. Fl oU r_Quiet. Australian, ex store, 19s 6d to 20s. . Q a t s —-Slow, Australian and Algerian, 19s to 20s; A Gartons 21s to 225. neglected. Tasmaman, 200 s. Maples, firm, Tasmaman 565; New Zealand 50s to 535. New Zealand beans—33s to 345. VICTORIAN MARKETS. MELBOURNE, March 8. Wheat—3s l£d. Flour—£B ss. » Bran —£4 15s. Pollard—£s'. Oats—2s 6d. Barley (English)—2s 9d to 3s. Maize—3s 7d. Potatoes—£B to £9. Onions (Globes and Brown Spanish) -—£s 15s to £O. THE SHARE MARKET. The following sales were made on the Christchurch Stock Exchange yesterday:—

DAIRY PRODUCE IN LONDON. LONDON, March 7. Butter—Bull. Danish, 107 s; choicest salted, New Zealand and Australian, 75s • exceptionally choice, 765; unsalted, New Zealand 88s, Australian 86s. Cheese —Quiet. New Zealand, white 45s to 45s 6d, coloured 45s 6d to 465; Australian, both 43s to 44s The National Mortgage and Agency Company, Ltd., are in receipt of the following cablegram from their principals, Messrs A. J. Mills and Co., Ltd., London: — Butter—Market steady at reduction. New Zealand finest, 755,* 765; New Zealand first, 745, 755; Danish 108 s (f.o.b. 90s); Australian, 755. Cheese—Market slow. New Zealand white, 45s 6d, 465; New*Zealand coloured, 465, 46s 6d; Canadian white, 625, 645; Canadian coloured, 58s, 60s. THE WOOL MARKET.

SECOND SALE AT TIMARU. TIMARU, March 8. The second and final Timaru wool sale of the season will be held at the Theatre Royal on Wednesday, when 22,148 bales will be offered. The offerings by the various selling firms have been tallied as follow: — bales National Mortgage Co. ... 6292 Canty. Farmers' Co-op Assn ... 5486 Dalgety and Co. 5408 Pyne, Gould, Guinness, Ltd. ... 4057 Loan and Mercantile Co. ... 900 Total 22,148 This ,total, although well below the aggregate offering of the second and third sales in Timaru last season, must be considered as very satisfactory, especially in view of the fact that a quantity of wool whjch normally would have been sold by the agency of local firms has been disposed of through other avenues owing to the deletion of the middle sale, and also that not a few clips have been withheld from the market on account of the low level of current prices. In previous years South Canterbury was allocated three sales, in December, February and April, but this year the February sale was eliminated and the dates for the remaining fixtures re-arranged. Whether or not

the experiment proved successful remains a matter of conjecture. Merino wool has been opened up in excellent condition. Cross-breds and half-breds predominate as far as quantity is concerned and the average condition of these wools is good. Back country clips are opening well, as also earlier shorn lots, but a certain heaviness is noticeable in some of the later shorn varieties, accountable for by the fact thai) the long spell of hot weather brought up the yoke in the wool. BRADFORD MARKET QUIET. LONDON, March 7. Bradford business is very quiet. Quotations are as follow: 7()'s, 26Jd ; 64's 23*d ; 60's, 22d; 56's, mdiSffs, 13*d; 46's, lOid; 40's, 9|d.

LISTED STOCKS. Sales on 'Change. £ s. d. 10 Com. Bank of Sydney 16 4 6 10 Bank of N.S.W. ... 30 0 0 200 N.Z. Refrig. (10s pd.) 0 8 11 100 Tooths Brewery 2 8 " 2 7 u 10 300 Dominion Fert. (3) 1 2 2 40 N.Z. Drug Co. 3 19 3 500 Big River ... (2) 0 2 2] 200 Gillespie's Beach ... 0 1 7 300 Golden Sands 0 2 2 500 Goldfields Dredging ... 0 0 6 500 Nevis Diesel Electric 0 0 u 1000 Maori Gully ... (3) 0 1 4 Sales Reported. £ s. d. 5 Bank of N.S.W. 30 0 6 300 Bank of N.Z. (2J 2 9 3 ]00 Standard Insurance (late sale Thursday) 3 12 3 300 N.Z. Guar. Corp. ... 0 6 0 400 N.Z. Refrig. (£1 pd.) 0 19 6 150 N.Z. Refrig. (10s pd.) 0 9 0 40 Southland Frozen Meat 3 18 0 100 N.Z. Breweries 2 10 8 100 British Tohacco (cum div.) 1 18 0 1000 Dominion Fert. 1 2 2 (3) 1 2 4 300 Gillespie's Beach 0 1 7 UNLISTED STOCKS. Sales on 'Change. x> « -3 300 E. Reece, Ltd. (pref.) £ s. 0 2 O. 6 250 Upper Watut (2s pd.) 0 5 10