COMMERCIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 130, 1 June 1908, Page 7

COMMERCIAL.

PRICE OF EGG-S. T *s he Co-operative Egg anfl Poultry Co., and 1/8 for duck eggs this week. PRODUCE NOTES. (From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, April 24. clos^ofT? , ? b ? tter tone man "est at the tnlnt? the , Lona °n sales hns not been maintained, and a general feeling of uncertainty again prevails as to the immediate triS, i" Bradford business has been exanfi w?« Of , Orders on Continental account, ana with tops all round lower—4o/ beiuquoted at BJd, and 60;s at 1/10-a further decline in values of the raw material, at mc sales to commence here on May l"lh must be looked for, unless a radical change in the position takes place. Tnilow.—There have been three public /.'I Since my last report ' no sales being held this week owing to the incidence of mort^ S , eT h ° lida y s - Th ° demand has been moderate, and prices show but little change whilst 'J erades meeting the best en,,uiry wuilst values for inferior descriptions ti-nd f™ ye , rS /avour. Business in Australasian tor arrival has been restricted as colonial meas of values do Dot coincide with those or buyers here. Hard mutton has been sold I at ot)/6 to 31/ per cwt., c.i.f., whilst no colour mixed brings 27/3 per ewt., c.i.f. Current quotations:—Finest mutton, 33/6 to «w?i rto sood - 30/G t0 Sl /O; edible beef, B> r \°-t ' and fa r tO SOOd, " 3/<i t0 30/3 Cocksfoot.—There'Is little demnud, and the transactions that have taken place have been of v retail character. Prices still rule on a high level, and as advices from the Dominion state that there will be little seed for export, it is hardly anticipated mat values will alter until the outturn or the American and Coutiiental crops becomes known. At present 171b seed is worth 00/ per cwt, ex warehouse. New Zealand Hemp.—Since my last advice a fair business has been passing at gradually increasing- prices, whi.-h mark at Ihe close an advance of no/ to 70/ per ton. A decided recovery iv the Manila market, combined with moderate offerings from the Dominion accounts for this improved condition of affairs, but there is a quieter feeling at the close. The N.Z.L. nnd M. quote:— Good fnir spot, £26 15/ to £27: April-June, i-ii: fair spot, April-June, £26: common, April-June. £23 to £23 10/; and fair current, Manila. £2G per ton, c.i.f. Tow is in fair request at £D to £9 JO/ per ton, c.i.f. Frozen Meat.—A slow trade has again to bo advised for mutton, and with larger quantities offering, more particularly secondary New Zealand values have slightly declined. While not up to expectations, there lias been a fairly good demand for New Zealand lamb, though In face o; heavy arrivals sellers have had to accept less money. Australian meet n good enquiry, and values ! for medium and inferior qualities have ruled ! higher. Smaller supplies, parti:uln:lv from the United States, of chilled beef, have- enabled holders to obtain considerably higher prices, up to sid and 4d having boon lealised for prime hinds and fores respectively, but to-day's quotations are not so Ilrm.' For New Zealand there has been ft fair demand, and influenced by the higher rates ruling for chilled, a marked ndvan?e in prices hns to be recorded. Quotations per II) "off the hooks" at Smithfiold to-day:—Cnnterlrary mutton, Sid to 4>.d; Kiver Plate chilled !>oe( hinds, 43d to fijd; North Island mutton, :ijd to 4d; IHver Plate chilled beef fores, 3 5-.H.1 to 33d; Australian mutton. 3 a-8.1 to ?,ld; Uiver Plate frozen beef hinds. :! 5-& d "to 3 7-8 d: River Plate mutton, 3 :!-8d to 3Jd; River riate frozen beef fores, .-.J to .'! 3-Sd; ewes, B}d to 3id; New Zealand beef hinds, .■'.3d to 4d: Canterbury lamb, fid to 53d; New Zealand beef fores. 3Jd lo .'! 3-Sd: North Island lamb, 43d to 54d; Australian beer hinds, 3jd to 4d: Australian lamb, 4 1-JJd to 4 7 Sd- i Australian beef fores, 3Jd. Grain.—A dull tone hns characterised the wheat market owing to largo shipments and ruuiours of financial embarrassment amongst some operators her", but a better feeling now prevails ronsequiMit upon a marked falling-off in the quantity fiuont, and prices have advanced nbout 1/ per ouarter. r,itrle hns been doing In Australasian for arrival; 3(i/ per 4SOINs is asked for a February T ill I of lading, with buyers at Xi/li to 35/9. Yesterday v cargo of Si.iuh Auslrn- 1 lian. per Castleton, sold "off the oosist." at 35/0 per 4tiOlbs. c.i.f. 'J here has been a better enquiry for oats. nu:l prices tend iv sellers' favour. The New Zeulojd Loan and Mercantile quote:—Australian wheat, 37/ to 37/0 per 40lilbs: New Zealand wheat (longberried), 3G/ to 30/ti per 4!if>lhs; New Zealand wheat (shortberrled), 3.1/ to 3T./U per 4!)6lbs; New Zealand barley, 2."/ to 30/ per 4iSlbs; New Zealand oats, spnrrowblll.s, 22/ to 23/ per :tS4lbs; New Zealand oats, finest do., 2.'V to 25/ per 3S4lbs. Itabbits.—Considering we are now well into April, the Australasian rabbit trade keeps remarkably good, .tnd prices, especially of large, are better by 'id to !)d per case than they were this time last year; the cold wenther and sparse arrivals have largely contributed to this result. The projected plan of drying rabbits and sending them here is looked on by t be trade n< br-'iig a very doubtful enterprise. The taste fur rabbit pemiuicnn will take n lot of developing, and the classes for whom It Is Intended to cater have never favoured any other description of food in this condition. Fr.un Melbourne pnpers one gathers that Mr. Swinburne (the Minister for Agri- lKurol thi,-Us there is a ring In the London rabbit trade. Personally, I am not aware of any, but I do know that a number of firms are going, and have gone, out of the business owing to its unprofitable nature. As Mr. Ta'nor. the wellknown Lcndenlmll market salesman, snys, competition to buy c.i.f. in Australia, and the consequent pressure to realise lion' promptly, has mndp the trade of very little good to anyone, barring perhaps the trapper. Butter.—Since my last report prices have kept fairly steady, although at the close a slight rise has occurred, more especially for Australian, the later shipments being less heated and of better flavour. A iioticothe period under review N-mv Zealand hns commanded a premium of 2/ per cwt over Danish. Current quotations: —Now Zealand, 112/, occ. 1/ more; Australian, 102/ to 108/ per cwt.

LONDON CABLE. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Received 8 a.m.) LONDON, Slay 31. Consols: SB. Copper, spot: £57 13/; '.hree months, £0S 5/. Tin: Spot, £120 15/; throe months, £12S 12/0. Lend: £12 17/6. Hemp: May to July shipments, £2(5 15/. Copra: Steady; South Sea. £l."> 17/0. Wool: At the sales tue following : t re the average prices realised for the lleece portions, of clips, named: W.D., Gid; Arnpata, 7 5-S'd. Rabbit Skins: At the sales 1037 bundles were offered, n;:d 172C> sold. New Zoulnnd winters advanced three halfpence. Following are the Frozen Mont Trndesi Association's Snilthflcld market quotations for the undermentioned classes of frozen meats based on actual sales of not k'ss than 100 carcases of mutton or lamb or 2.i carcases of beef of fair average qunlity: these quotations are not for selected lhios;, but f<ir parcels f.nirly representative of (lie bulk of the shipments now on the market: New Zealand sherp, crossbred wethers and maiden ewes, Canterbury light. IS-~.GU>3 •I l-8d; heavy. <H-721bs, SJd; other sorts nnd lambs unchanged. New Zealand beef, ISO to 2201b5, fnir average qunlity ox fores :u\; ox hinds, :; ivSd. Hiver Plate sheep unchanged; beef fores, 2 7 S'l: Hindu, 34d.

LONDON WOOL SALES. New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd.. have received the following cable from their London house:—"Wool: Bales closed firmly. As compared with last' sale's closing rates, prices are about 5 ppr cent to ~k per cent lower for crossbred slipe and fine crossbred, nnrt for crossbred lambs about par to 5 per cent higher."