COMMERCIAL NEWS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 122, 5 March 1942, Page 8

COMMERCIAL NEWS

GRAIN AND PRODUCE. THE ASHBURTON MARKET

Ashburton grain, seed and produce merchants report that the condition of wheat was satisfactory toward the end of last week, but owing to unsuitable conditions on Monday, delivery of lines headed since then has not been satisfactory. Old lines of Carton oats have been offered, and up to .‘ls 6d a bushel has been paid for heavy lines suitable for milling. A few lines of Partridge peas have been delivered, but owing to uncertainty of freight, merchants are not inclined to operate. There is a good demand for cocksfoot. Perennial and 'ltalian ryegrass are also inquired for. Oatsheaf chaff is meeting with a limited inquiry. Following are the prices quoted to farmers on trucks, at country stations, sacks extra: Wheat—Tuscan 5s 6d, Hunters 5s Bd, Velvet and Pearl 5s lOd, Marquis and Garnet 6s (all f.0.b.). Oats—A grade Gartons 3s 3d to 3s 6d, B grade 3s to 3s 3d; Algerians 2s 6d, Duns 2s 9d to 3s 6d (according to quality). Grass Seeds—Perennial and Italian 3s 6d to 4s, cocksfoot lid to Is, white clover 2s to 2s 6d, red clover Is to Is 3d. Partridge Peas—ss 9d to 6s for No. 1 quality. Chaff—G.b.o.s. £4 a ton. The Egg Market; Prices on the Ashburton egg market are firmer than last week, the buying price being Is 6d and the selling price Is Bd. The buying price for pullets’ eggs is Is 3d. THE STOCK SALES. ADDINGTON. (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, March 6. Store sheep were yarded in large numbers at Addington to-day and values at the ewe fair were pretty well maintained. Store lambs also sold well. Prices for both fat cattle and fat sheep showed an improvement. The entry of store lambs was 3858. Quality with the exception of a few pens was lower than for some time. Good lambs sold at last week’s rates hut inferior and culls at reduced values. Best lambs made 20s to 23s 3d, rape lambs 17s to 19s, medium 13s to 16s 9d and inferior to 12s 6d. There was a keen demand for store sheep and a much wider selection. The two-tooths totalled 4147 with a considerable showing of Romney cross. Best halfbred two-tooths made 28s to 345, others 24s to 26s 6d and backward and small 18s to 22s 6d. Best Romneys brought 38s to 41s, others 35s to 38s, and a few pens down to 30s. The entry of fat lambs approximated 1500 head and for the heavier lambs there was a firming tendency as the sale progressed. The schedule was unchanged and exporters bought at up to 83d per lb for firsts. Heavy made up to 30s a head, a few pens from 32s to 355, medium from 26s 6d to 28s 6d and others from 23s to 265.

The entry of 3000 fat sheep was the smallest for some time. Wethers were up to Is a head better than a week ago and light wethers and ewes by Is 6d. Ewes were bought freely for the works, exporters paying to 14s a head for them. Extra prime wethers ■made to 32s lOd, medium to prime 25s 6d to 31s, light and ordinary to 255. extra prime ewes to 24s 4d, prime 17s to 19s 6d, ordinary 15s to 16s 6d, and export 12s Gd to 14s 3d. Fat cattle, totalling 494, had the smallest entry for some time, with a rise in values for prime steers of up to 15s a head. Good heifers also sold at improved prices but all medium classes of cattle and cows were from par to a shade easier. Best quality beef made 42s to 42s 6d per 1001 b. Extra good prime steers made to £2O 17s Gd, medium to heavy £l4 to £l7 17s Gd, light and ordindry £lO 10s to £l3 10s, prime heifers £ll to £ls ss, medium £7 15s to £lO, light to £7 ss, best ■cows £ll 5s to £l3 10s and medium £6 to £8 ss.

A much more attractive display of young cattle in the store pens gave a stimulus to the competition. Prices compared well with those ruling for fat stock. Hereford and Polled Angus two and a-half-year steers sold at £lO lGs, £lO 6s, and £9 18s Gd. Good coloured young heifers made £G 12s. The brighter inquiry extended to fresh young cows for fattening, these making up to £4 11s Gd. There was double the entry of porkers and the market was firm throughout, although values were slightly lower. Choppers were numerous and values were lower by 10s a head. The bacon entry was the largest for weeks and there was an easing in price of 7s to 8s a head except for exportable types. Heavy porkers made from 68s Gd to £3 3s Gd, light and medium 41s Gd to 57s 6d (average price per lb 6§d to 83d), heavy baconers £4 4s 6d to £4 12s Gd, light and medium £3 5s Gd to £4 Is Gd, over-fat £2 15s to £3 15s (average price per lb 6d to 7£d). Store pigs sold as follows: Small weaners, 4s to 9s; best, 10s to 14s; slips, 15s to 18s; small stores, 20s to 2Gs; medium and large stores, 28s to 3Ss. BURNSIDE. (P.A.) DUNEDIN', March 4, There were heavy entries in most of the sections at Burnside to-day with a result' that practically all classes showed an easing in prices. The fat cattle yarding numbered

355. The sale opened for prime and heavier grades at 15s a head below last week’s parity. Prime light did not show the same drop. Prime bullocks made £ls to £lB 2s 6d, medium £l2 to £l3 17s 6d, .light £<> to £lO 2s 6d. prime cows and heifers to £ll. 2s Od. medium £5 2s 6d to £6, light and inferior from £3 10s.

Fat Sheep—There was a yarding ot 3200 head. The sale opened under poor competition at prices 2s below last week’s parity, and was a dragging one throughout. Prime heavy wethers made 25s Od to 30s, medium 22s to 22s Od, prime ewes 11s to 16s 6d and medium 10s to 11s.

Fat L'ambs—The yarding was approximately 1600 bead. Prices ranged from 20s to 295.

F«-t Pigs—There was a, large entry and prices generally were easier by 5s to 7s a. bead. Rest haveners made to £1 4s, medium £2 17s to £3 ss, best porkers to £3 Is and medium £2 7s to £2 17s.

GERALD! NR. Fully 1500 fat lambs and an overflow penning of fat sheep comprised the fat section at Geraldine yesterday. Quality was very good, and competition was exceptionally keen. A moderate yarding of store sheep and lambs realised values on a par with recent sales, four to five-year breeding ewes being keenly sought after. Yallies were: — Fat Lambs—Prime heavy 24s 10’d to 27s lOd, prime 21s lOd to 23s 1 Od, medium light 10s 10d to 21s Id. Fat Sheep—Prime ewes 13s Id to 1-1 s lOd,'light to medium ll.s Id to 12s lOd. Store Sheep—Four-year Romney ewes 13s to 16s, medium ewe lambs to 15s 7cl, medium rape lambs to l<s, two, four, six and eight-tooth Romney ewes to 20s 6d. TIMARU WOOL APPRAISAL. THE RANGE OF VALUES. TIMARU, This Day. The fourth wool appraisement of the 1941-42 season at Timaru was completed yesterday, when 13,367 bales were offered. , The wool was not as attractive as compared with the similar sale last year. It opened up showing tenderness and a fair amount of discoloration, dry yoke stain, and cottoned fleece. The only super-wools offered were back-country Merino clips drawn from areas not affected by snow. The following is the official range of prices: Merino—Extra super to 20Id, super to 183 d. average 14d to 163 d. inferior 12d to 133 d. Fine Crossbred, 56-58—Extra super to 173 d, super 16d to 17d, average 14d to 153 d, ordinary 12d to 133 d, inferior lid to 12d. Medium Halfbred, 50-56—Good to super to 163 d, average 14d to 143 d. Fine Crossbred, 48-50 Super to 14£d, average 13d to 14d, ordinary lid to 12$d. 1 Medium Crossbred, 46-48—Super to 143 d, average 123 dto 13}d, inferior 103 d to 123 d. Pieces—Merino lid to 143 d; halfbred, good to 13-id, average B.LI to 10}d; crossbred, 9}d to 123 d, average 8d to 93d. Bellies—Merino 103 d to 13d, halfbred 9d to 113 d; fine crossbred 8d to 103 d, crossbred 8d to 93d. Cmtchings Merino 8d to 93d: crossbred 8d to 9d, extra good 8d to 103 d, inferior 6d to 73d. Locks—Merino 5d to 73d, halfbred 5d to 6d, crossbred 5d to 6d. Necks—Merino l2d to 163 d, halfbred lid to 14d; fine crossbred lid to 133 d, crossbred llid to 123 d.

THE SHARE MARKET.

The following sales were made on the Christchurch Stock Exchange yesterday:— LISTED STOCKS. Sales on 'Change.

£ s d 100 N.Z. Breweries, Ltd . . 1 12 G 100 N.Z. Breweries, Ltd., 1 12 9 Sales Reported. 17 Bank of New South Wales .. • 25 0 0 10 Colonial Sugars 37 0 0 300 Dominion Fertilisers 1 2 G 200 Beath and Co., Ltd. .. 0 19 9 200 N.Z. Breweries, Ltd 1 12 G 150 N.Z. Breweries, Ltd. 1 12 9 300 Wool worths (N.Z.), Ltd 0 12 O