COMMERCIAL NEWS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 37, 23 November 1939, Page 8

COMMERCIAL NEWS

GRAIN AND PRODUCE. THE ASHBURTON MARKET. Ashburton grain, seed and produce merchants report a quiet period on the local market, but retail orders should now come to hand freely owing to favourable sowing conditions following tho rain. Supplies of most lines of grain and seeds are in short supply and merchants will be anxiously awaiting tho new season’s crops. Garton oats are ,in demand, as also are Algerians and Duns. The supply of potatoes is now practically exhausted. All milling wheat has to bo dealt with before the end of tho month hut no supplies are available. The following are prices quoted to farmers, on trucks at country stations unless otherwise indicated, sacks extra, free ©f commission:— Wheat—Tuscan 5s lid, Hunters 6s Id, Velvet or Pearl 8s 3d, f.o.b. (3d bonus at end of season).

Oats—A grade Gartons 3s, 13 grade 2s Bd, Algerians 4s, Duns 4s to 4s Gd (according to quality). Grass Seed—Perennial 5s 3d, Western Wolths and Italian 4s 6d to ss, cocksfoot 7d lb, white clover Is 6d, red clover ,7d lb.

O.S. Chaff —£4 5s a ton. Partridgb Peas—No. 1 grade 8s 6d. Potatoes—Dakotas and whites £lB a ton. THE STOCK MARKETS. ADDINGTON. CHRISTCHURCH, November 22. Although a fairly steady and useful rain, tho first for weeks, fell to-day, it did not have much response in the market for store stock at Addington to-day. Store sheep maintained last week’s rates for best classes of owes and lambs and hoggets, but secondary and inferior were hard to quit. Fat lambs, of . which the entry was too big, eased and in the fat sheep section good wethers showed an advance. A heavy entry affected the fat cattle sale, good beef being down .by 10s to 15s. Porkers were firmer, but baconers wore easier. ; The yarding of store sheep, was ahout a normal' one. The sale for good lines was about on a par with last w.eek’s reduced rates, but ordinary or unfinished sorts were hard to sell, and many pens were passed. Fwos and lambs fetched 10s to 13s, 2-tooth halfand three-quarterbred shorn ewes to 235, 2-tooth shorn wethers to 16s, medium sorts 9s 8d to 13s.

The yarding of 400 fat lambs was too big for butchers and the sale eased off. Medium and prime lambs sold well between 8d and 9d per lb, with heavier sorts, slightly less. The .entry of fat sheep was 5500.* There were few lines from the south, but a good showing of Chatham Island sheep. The market was erratic, but there was an improvement up to Is 6d a head for wethers. A line of Chatham Islands wethers sold from 32s lOd ‘to 37s 4d, averaging 35s 3d. Values: Prime heavy wethers to 33s 6d, oi’r dinary to 255, light to 21s, prime heavy, ewes to 265, ordinary t£ 19s, light to 15s.

In fat cattle the entry was again large, and with a lessening in quality opened slackly at a lower level. There were individual cases in which last week’s values were maintained, but on the average the market was down 15s. Values were: Extra prime steers to £23, pi’ime heavy to £2O, prime heifers to £ls 12s 6d, prime cows .to £ll 15s, medium £8 15s to £9 15s.

The entry of store cattle was of normal size and contained a number of pens of yearling heifers. The demand was a little freer than that of last week but values were little changed. Shorthorn springing cows sold at £7 16s and £5 Is, yearling heifers at £3 11s, £2 18s 6d, and £3 7s 6d, yearling steers at £3 14s 6d, and empty cows £4 16s.

“There was a fairly heavy entry of fat pigs, but the penning included a big proportion of over-fattened sorts. Good class showed an advance of 2s to 3s a head, but there was no change. Values were: Choppers £2 13s 6d to £6 Gs, medium porkers £2 11s 6d to £2 16s 6d (average 7d to 7sd lb), light baconers £2 19s 6d to £3 9s 6d, heavy £3 19s 6d to £4 4s 6d.

Store pigs sold as follows: Weaners, small 14s to 16s, medium 17s to 21s and best to 255, slips 23s to 265; stores, small 2Ss to 31s, medium 32s to 355, extra large to 41s.

Sales by County Clients, The following sales wore made on account of Ashburton County clients at the stock market yesterday : Fat Sheep—Ewes: On account of W. J. Martin (Rakaia), 8 at 13s Id to 35s 4d; W. J. Baxter (Done), 12 at 19s 7d to 27s Id; J. H. Crigg (Longbeach), 99 at 12s 7d to 23s 7d; P. E. Dolan (Rakaia), 36 at 14s lOd to 18s Id: J. K. Lochhead (Rakaia), 10 at 17s 4d; G. Holmes (Rakaia), 32 at* 13s 7d to IGs'lOd; W. H. {Mulligan (Maronan), 50 at 17s Id to 21s lOd; A. Lister (Maronan), 15 s«b 14s lOd to 10s Tcl; Ashburton client, 34 at 14s lOd to 16s 4d; M. Stephens (Rakaia), 25 at 10s 7d to 22s 7d. Wethers—On account of J. C. Lochhead (Rakaia), 9 at 27s 4d. Cattle—On account of Kingsbury Pro;?. (Rakaia); cow at £l4 2s Cd. THE SHARE MARKET. Tha-following sales were made on th* Christchurch Stock Exchange yesterLISTED STOCKS. Sales on 'Change. £ s d 500 N.Z. Refrig. (10s. paid)

(-2) 0 9 0 300 Wool worths (Syd., ord.) 1 5 4 100 Mount Lvell (ox div.) 02) 1 11 0 00 Ngaliere 1 i) G Sales Reported. 100 Comm. Bank of Aus. ... 0 1G G 40 Union Bank of Aust. ... 8 0 0 300 N.Z. Guarantee Corpn. 0 3 10 100 N.Z. Breweries (cum div., late sale Tnos.) 1 17 0 00 Electro.. Zinc iprof.) 3 3 G 100 Howard Smith (late sale Tries.) 1 0 0 200 Woolworths (N.Z., ex. div.) 0 17 3