COMMERCIAL NEWS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 86, 22 January 1942, Page 7

COMMERCIAL NEWS

GRAIN AND PRODUCE. THE ASHBURTON MARKET Ashburton grain, seed and produce merchants report that there have been odd offerings of oats during the week, the varieties being Algerian and Dunn. An odd sale has been reported in the vicinity of 2s 8d a bushel. No Garton oats are available yet but a good demand is anticipated and they should command 3s 3d a bushel. Inquiries have been received for oatsheaf chaff but supplies of last season’s are short while the new are insufficiently matured to cut. Odd sales of ryegrass have been offered but no sales are reported. With the absence of actual business a range of prices is not available at present. The Egg Market. There is a heavy supply of eggs on the Ashburton egg market. Prices are firm, buying at Is 4d and selling at Is 6d. PRICE OF CORNSACKS

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. The price of new season’s cornsacks has now been fixed at Is 4|d for 46inch sacks and Is 5Jd for 48-incli sacks (on trucks, main ports, in each case). The new price, said the Wheat and Flour Controller (Mr R. McPherson) yesterday, was l|d a sack less than the price fixed for the harvest of 1941. The prices quoted were those to be paid by the farmers. Buying-back prices (when sacks were filled with produce) would be Is 2|d for the 46inch and Is 2£d tdr the 48-in when filled with wheat, or Is 31d when filled with other produce. The reason for this, Mr McPherson explained, was the need to discourage the use of the 48inch cornsacks for wheat. THE STOCK SALES. ADDINGTON. (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 21. There were heavier entries in all classes at to-day’s Addington market but there was a good sale, especially for store lambs. For the time of the year the entry of store lambs was exceptionally large, numbering 9.794. The prices realised for good lambs have scarcely been rerecorded since the boom times. The quality was very much better than usual for this time of the year. Most of the pens exceeding 21s 6d were , bought for freezing, and pen after pen, quite large lots, sold from 17s to 18s 6"d and others from 19s to 23s 7d. In the main prices ranged from 16s 6d to 19s and fewer than six pens at less than 12s. Lambs for freezing, sold from 21s 6d to 23s 7d. Forward rape lambs made 19s to 21s, medium 17s 6d to 19s, ordinary 16s to 17s 3d, inferior 14s to 15s 3d, culls 9s to 12s. The fat lamb entry was 3750 head and the quality was good. A big proportion ranged from medium to prime sorts. The drier feed of recent weeks has been having the effect of topping off lambs in increased numbers. The export trade bought most of the offering at rates bordering on the schedule, but a big proportion made 24s to 25s 6d. About 3800 fat sheep were yarded. The quality in the small proportion of wethers was good, and there was a shade of improvement on last week’s values which improvement eased in the final stages. Young ewes advanced in price by up to Is 6d a head. Exporters advanced their limits a shade, paying up to 12s a head. All round there was an improvement on last week’s rates. Best wethers made to 355, medium 26s to 28s, best ewes 24s Id, prime 16s 6d to 19s 6d, medium 12s 6d to 15s, and export sorts 10s to 12s. Fat cattle had an entry of 499 head, but the quality was not as good as at recent .sales. There was a substantial showing of cull dairy cows but fewer prime steers owing to military requirements. An advance in values was recorded of up to 20s a head. Good steers made £l6 to £l9 17s 6d and best heifers £lO 5s to £l4 17s 6d. i Good beef ranged from 39s to 41s 6d per 1001 b, medium 36s to 38s, ordini ary to 35s 6d and inferior down to 27s r 6d. The store cattle comprised a skeleton entry of 50 head, no lines of 1 straight colours being included. For 1 the few pens there was a good inquiry. ! Heifers made £4 16s and cows about £4 to £4 7s 6d. i The fat pig entry was of medium i size and prices for porkers, which were l up 2s to 3s a head at the commence- ' ment, eased later to last week’s parity. > Baconers were forward in medium ; numbers and pigs of more than 1701 b , were practically unsaleable and had to , be diverted to the works at chopper t price. The average per lb for porkers 1 was 6ftd to 7!d and for baconers 5Jd to s 62d. i Store pigs sold as follows: —Small t weaners, 8s to 10s; best, from 12s to f j 14s; slips, 18s to £1; small stores, V bos to 22s 6(1; medium stores, 23s to

BURNSIDE

DUNEDIN, Jan. 21. Larger entries in the fat cattle section at Burnside resulted in a decided easing in all classes. Fat lambs maintained the improved export schedule, and the sale w\as firm throughout. The yarding of fat sheep was comprised for the most part of ew r es of medium quality, wiiile butchers’ wethers and porkers sold at prices a shade easier than last week’s ruling rates. The fat cattle yarding consisted of

370 head. The quality generally was good. On the average prices were down 30s on last week. Prime bullocks made £l4 12s fid to £lB 17s 6d, medium £ll 7s 6d to £l2 17s 6cl, light £8 17s 6d to £lO 12s 6d; prime cows and heifers £7- 12s 6d to £ll 17s fid, medium £5 12s 6d to £6 12s 6d, and light from £3 17s fid.

The entry cf fat sheep numbered about 1850. Prime wethers made 25s 3d to 31s, medium 23s fid to 24s fid, light from 21s; prime ewes 13s fid to 20s, medium 10s fid to 12s fid, and light from 9s fid. An. entry of 2000 fat lambs was offered, for the most part of prime quality. Prices ranged from 21s to 28s fid. There was a fairly large entry of both baconers and porkers. Bdconers made £2 17s fid to £4 16s, and porkers £2 fis to £3 os. N.Z. REFRIGERATING COMPANY. The directors of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, in their annual statement of accounts to shareholders for the year ended October 31, 1941, state that the balance available for appropriation, as shown in the balancesheet, is £89,984 Is 7d (including the amount brought forward from last year of £40,479 11s), which the directors recommend should be disposed of as follows:—To pay a dividend of 5| per cent, on the paid-up capital. £34,997 Is; to add to the reserve for rebuilding, renewals and extensions of buildings and plant, £15,000; leaving an. amount to carry forward of £39,987 0s 7d—total, £89,984 Is 7d.

THE SHARE MARKET. The following sales were made on the Christchurch Stock Exchange yesterday:— LISTED STOCKS. Sales Reported. £ s d £SOO Springs Ellesmere Elec. Power Board, 3| per cent., 1/10/06 101 15 0 200 Woolworths, Ltd . (late sale Tuesday) 015 9 100 Woolworths, Ltd., 015 9