COMMERCIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 143, 18 June 1891, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

Veby little change has taken place in the grain and produce market during the past week. In flour, businese is nob brisk, as bakers sue still working on supplies obtained at the time of the laeb advance. As these are now nearly exhausted, improvement may be anticipated. Best qualities of factory cheese are becoming scarcer and prices are firmer, and slightly higher values may be expected during the next three months. The rise of one penny per buahel in wheat in tho South is now being felt here. Latest advices from the South, principally Otago, indicate heavy withdrawals for London atiil going on. Thi3 combined with the operation of a few rather powerful speculators who have been operating on the Invcrcargill and Dunedin markets, together with the ascertained light crop all point to higher rates. Winter crops from North Canterbury and North Otago are also abnormally poor, and the large flocks of sheep must be provided with winter fodder ; therefore, oats being the cheaper food, larger quantities will be kept back for that purpose. Oatmeal has advanced 10s por ton, and fowl wheat commands high prices. Barley is also inquired- for aa a substitute feed. Tho old crop of xnoizo is practically done, and new is now in tho market at 2s Sd. A heavy crop of fine quality is reported from Giaborne. Everything points to a low market in maize.as crops are heavy and exporb markets closed. The arrivals of potatoes have been much lighter lately, consequently stocks are not so heavy. Busine«3 is being done at 453 and 50s. and prime samples at 5s more. In dairy produce prices have advanced, best fresh butter being Is wholesale and Is 2d retail. Eggs are more plentiful, and are now retailed lit Is 2d per dozen. Fruit commands higher rates as the season advances, good apples realising 2d per lb. The new Japanese fraib, persimmon, brought Is 8d per dozen this week, and local oranges B£d to 10d per dozen. MbAtJDC. Aetksw, auctioneer, reports: Business brisk to date, with but little ohanpe in valuos. Mondays sale of Island fruit was favoured with an unusually laroe attendance, and, although pricos ruled against shippers, were better than was expected. Three thousand bunches bananas to hand were over ripe. They sold as follows :—Green bunches, Is 6d to 3s β-ch • ripe, Is to 2s Id ; cocoanuts, 7a 6d to Bs'per sack ; peanut?, 2*d ; potatoes remain at pieviona values, viz., £2 5s to £2 15s and up to £3 for small lots. Kidneys fo- seed • Many orders have been booked for forward delivery at £3 10s to £4. Shepherds, no sales to report Onions: Prime, §d to gd j poor, 2s to 3s per cwt ; potato seed onion?, l*d to 2d ; garlic, 2d ; carrots in demand at 25s to 30s por ton ; mangolds, 20s fco 21s: pumpkins Is 6d to 3s ; new kidney potatoes, £d to Id ; fabophcrds, 2s to 5s per cwt; wheat, oa _9d. Maize: Larjje orders booked for consignments advised at 2 8 ICd to 3s; new, 2s 5d to 2s 6d. Barley: Gooa feed in demand boyond supply at 2s 6d for wholesale parcels, and 2s 9d for small lots ; bran, 4s ; sharps, Sβ to 5s 6d. Bacon and hams are qS Prime bacon, 5d to 6Jd; hams, 5d to 7k!; poor lots, 2d to 4d ; cheese prime, ; factory loaves, 5d ; honey 3d to 4idi section. 4d : lard, 3d to 3&d. Butter : Priino fresh, iOd to lid ; starling brand Is; tinned, Iβ 2d. Keg butter moves fairly well : Prime, 5Sd to 6£d ; one line of really choice cleared at 7£d ; ordinary, 4d to~4Jrl ; inferior, 2d to 3d ; eggs, Is Id to Is 3d, with downward tendency. Poultry: There was a- good muster_ at TuQsday'=salo, when first-class fowls realised from Is 5d feo Is lid ; poor, Is to Is 3d ; roosters in condition, Is 8d to 2s 3d ; turkeys 3s r.o 5s ; ducks, 2s to 2a 3d ; geese, 2s 3d to 3s 6d : dead rabbits, Is 3d to Is 6d per nair Fruit came forward in good quantities. The'feeling of buyers was slightly against bnvins at previous rates in expectation of arrivals from Hobart, but all were got through at full rates. Stone pippin, to 2d '• Adams' pearmain, 2d to 2£d ; other choice varieties, lgd to2dj medium, lgd to l*d • poor, to lid ; lemons, 5d to lid ; Capo gooseberries, 3d to 5d ; suavas, 2<i ; persimmons, Is Sd per dozen ; local oranges, Bid to 10d.

Me Richard Arthur reports that during the week potatoes were very plentiful, selling at from £2 to £3 per ton ; onions, M to |d per lb ; pumpkins, Is 5d to 2s per cwt; frceh butter, lOd ; fresh ejrgs, Is 3d per dozen ; keg butter, 3d to 5d per Ib, rather scarce ; maize, 3s per bushel, better supplies now coming to hand ; apples, to 2d per lb; lemons, 8d to 9d. Shrubs were sold ab low rates, aud sales of furniture realised good price.*.

Messrs Esam and Arthur's Report.— Produce : Prices remain steady at quotations published in Saturday's issue of the Star, bo thab ib is unnecessary to reiterate detailed prices. Fruit: Bananas, ex Taupo, arrived in very green condition, and realised from Is Id to Is 6d per bunch. Apples: The bulk of consignments received since Saturday have been placed privately at id to 2d according to condition. Simmons' Winter, Adams' Pearmain, and Ohinemuri top the market.

G. W. BiNNEY and Sons report that at their hide, skin, and tallow sale on Tuesday last, an extra large catalogue wa3 offered and cleared afc satisfactory prices. Hides : Extra prime stout ox realisod from 5d to s|d ; extra heavy, 4j;d to 4sd ; heavy, 3|d to 4d ; medium, 3|d to ; heavy cow, 3d to 3.-rd; medium, l(Jd to 2gd ; kip, 2d to" 2Jd ; calfskins, 4Jd to 4jjjd ; stag, Id to l£d; damaged and cat, Id tolAd per lb. Skin*, local butchers', up to 53 ; average price, 4s 8d for good crossbreds ; small, 3s lOd to 4s ; country saltod, from 3s 9d to 4s 3d each. Tallow, 17e to 18s per cwt; rough fat, ljd per lb ; bones, 43 9d to 5s per cwt.

Messrs A. Buckland and Sons report thab at the Haymarket during the past week loose fodder has rangod from Is to 2s 3d the cwt; maize, 2a 8d ; oats, trom Iβ 6d to 2s Id; rye grass, 3s 4d the bushol. Boue manure, £3 10s ; bonedust, £6 10s bo £7; chaff, 50s to 70s: catrots, 26b; potatoes, £2 10s the ton. On Friday horse stock yarded in usual number kept tboir values. Useful horses in condition ranged from £8 to £17 each. A waggon sold for £16. On Tuesday hides were at higher values than hay« been obtained for some time. Heavy oxen ranged from 4Jd to s?d the lb, or from 2Gs to 39a each ; the Red Horse brand bark, £11 the ton ; skins, at fully late values ; hoggets 'oroughb from 2a 6d to 3s 2d ; sheepskins, from 2a 6d to 4s Id ; tallow, 15s 6d to 17s 3d the cv?t. At the country cattlo sales held respectively at Pokeno and Drury the musters were smaller than usual, but prices were good throughout.

W. J. Hirass a\d Co.'s Report.— Owing to the line dry weather farmers have been fully occupied during the week in preparing land for their spring crops, and a fair inquiry has ensued for seed wheat, oats, and barloy. Our remarks with regard to maize and potatoes in last week's report still hold good. In continuance of our review of tho statistical returns from Canterbury, we have now before us the whole returns for the colony, and cull the following:—As against 1890 a deiic.it of nearly 2J millions of bushels of wheat, and nearly 32 millions bushels of oats for the present year. We can hardly see) the result in the same light aa the RegisfcrarGeneral, who, we understand, reckons the loss to the colony at not less than half a million sterling. Evidently he does not tako into consideration tho difference in the valuee obtained in 1890 as against 1891. However, we leave that problem to somo of the readers of the New Zealand Farmer to solve. The Southern (Christchurch) and Sydney quotations are ac follows for the two years 1890-91 for wheat and oats: — Wheat: 1890 — Fowl to best milling (Southern), 2s 4d to 3s 4d ; beet milling (Sydney), 3s 8d ; 1891—Fowl to best milling (Southern), 3s Id to 4s od ; best milling (Sydney), ss. Oats : 1890—Southern (Canterbury), Is 8d to Is 9d ; Sydney (best), 2s ; 1891—Southern (Cantorbury), Iβ 6d to Is 9d ; Sydney (beet), Is 10d to 2s. Tho abovo shows that with the decreased quantity of wheat grown in New Zealand this season tho price for export is 20 per cent, advanced, whilo for oate, With a larger deficit by tho returns, the export value (N.S. W.) is hardly as good as last year. In tho South this week oats show a slightly downward tendency, possibly only temporary, and wheat, flour, bran, and sharps as last advised.

Ma Thorses, land agent, 81, Queenstreet, reports tho sale this week of Lot 60, section 94, Gladstone Road, 34 x 99 feet, with cottage thereon, to Mr Taylor for £225 on behalf of Mr Gilmer ; also small cottage in Clarence-street, Ponsonby, allotment 40 x 87 foot, to Mrs Dromgool on behalf of Mr E. Tomlinson for £75.