COMMERCIAL,

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 53, 2 March 1916, Page 8

COMMERCIAL,

■ ..: MARCH 'BOOKINGS GOOD. GKBATLT EXCEED EXPECTATIONS. "Auckland-Star" Ofllce, Thursday. March 2, 1916. The amount of business booked and delivered for March account has greatly exceeded expectations. The annual stocktaking for most -firms comes at the end of the present month, and, as a rule stocks are allowed to run as low as possible, bnt this year is quite an exception. Buyers very wisely seem to take advantage of every opportunity of securing imported- good*, for not only are the landing costs continually increasing, but shipments are becoming- more ■ irregular and - uncertain. Eart week records some line or other as "unprocurable." , • The main attraction in retail circles is - centred in the drapery sales, and report i 'indicate very satisfactory results Otter lines seem to be keeping very steady, 'but. generally speaking, money, is not coming j to hand, just as freely as it was three ! months ago. In the local market some big advances have taken place in the following llnes:Nestlc's and Caillcr's milk and nnt milk chocolates, from 4/6 to 6/6 per box. This has been unavoidable, owing to further heavy increased cost of raw material, also Increased freights and Insurances. Sylvia starch, up £2 per ton; some of the cheaper brands of laundry and household soaps, up £2 per ton: "Highlander" milk, up; 2/6 1 per case: Nestles milk, up 2/6-per case. - Other lines, such as pines (cubes and 1 sliced*, sago, tapiocas, safety matches. , haricot beans, and blue..peas, are all : costing considerably more to ■ land, and prices are accordingly higher. 1 Tea.—Owing to shipping space being un- '. procurable for Acstralia and New Zealand, • our supplies will be limited -and prices * higher. . Benzine is up another shilling per case. J POTATOES EASIER IN PRICE. t Farmers in the Auckland district are . now digging ihc crop of late potatoes, and . prices here are in consequence a Htyfc easier- It Is expected there will be ample '. supplies- of potatoes to carry on- with until the new ones from the • South reach this market towards the end of this . month. ' The quotation for potatoes to-day, ex •' store. 1 is £B'lo/ to £!> per ton. A large i- quantity of. potatoes have been imported to Auckland from Hawke-s Bay and : Rangitikei .districts, but some lots were [ of poor quality, the tnbers showing v evidence of blight. The Sydney. market i for potatoes has now collapsed, the price s being down to £6 per ton. This effectu- -. ally precludes the possibility of export y from the South to that market: therefore i- lower rates may be expected to rule in il the Dominion in the near future. ONIONS.

Locally the market for onions Is a little t firmer. The new crop from Canterbury isK due to arrive here next week. The price |»j remains at fi/6, ex store. Local supplies arc about done. - < MAIZE. i Nominally the -price of maize- is unaltered, but owing to the heavy stocks J held ■ locally; lines arriving have been , offered at lower figures to save taking into store. ~ . Now that fowl wheat is easier in price, . there seems no reason to expect the present price of maize to be maintained much longer. " ■' -■ • t " • . WHEAT. Milling wheat is not quite so firmly : held as it was. bnt very little business is passing in this cereal, as millers :.nre: content to hold off for the present. :=*":,', Fowl wheat is easier in- sympathy, bnt at the moment there is some difficulty in securing space from the. South, as, owing to steamers having been Commandeered for military purposes, smaller vessels have taken up the.running for the Now Zealand coastal trade. OAT MARKET STEADY. The local market for oats continues steady at 4/4 to 4/6. ex store. Stocks In Auckland are somewhat light, but further shipments • are due to arrive by the nanalca early' next -week. To arrive oats are being quoted at lower- rates! Harvesting is. in full swing in Southland, but the new- crop is not yet ready for S?JT& 't is anticipated for the next trip of the Wanaka from the South lower prices will be quoted for oats. The kanaka this trip, brings small lots .of new oats, as well as a good cargo of old erain A small, demand ExistsT for Algerian, • Sparrowbilhs. and .Dun- seed oat s for planting to provide green. feed h^H»v Ut , Umn: , r J™?h>. veitches and Cape bOUShtto " BRAN AND SHARPS.

The. price of bran-has eased to £-. -/« awr'AAftasjiw . CHAFF. " " ," . , lo ' to fS is asked ex store Th» market is steady for chaff A large' onan* o\ , tafned ,o xorV t h^^om are pic < gn e<l thaD iS GRASS AXD CLOVER. SEEDS As numbers of > farmers have had successful burns of felled bush, orders are se«if __HMJW. ■-«»' 8«» andclover. wu-k tw J iws continue firm in price, and. Is-not anticipated there is any chance of prices easing this antumn. Paipalum dihitotum. a grass that is toeing very largely Planted in .the Auckland, district; is now in very short supply. Owing -to the dry weather in WScs; 0 the ' crtp there is expected to be very light this season. • The new seed will not fie available until about the end of this month WJBOLBSAkn CURRENT PRICES. Farm and Dairy Produce.—Factory' but-

tcr, 1/3J .per lb; farmers' butter, lOdfarmers' cheese, Sd per lb:-factory cheese' Mto 9}d .per lb; Hams, lid per lb; hS' ' lOid per lb; eggs, 1/1 per.dozen. Flour. £14 5/. less 2J per cent discount ' per ton (2001b sacks); "sharps, £S 10/ ? per ! «5 nct i„ bran ' c T >'6 per "ton. net;.oatmeal (25 s). £21 per ton. - . . - • i Grain.-Oats 4/ to 4/6 per bushel: milling wheat, 5/3 f.0.b.; -fowl wheat. 6/3 to 6/5, ex store; 'maize, :4/6,?. wholesale ■ lines : on .the. wharf. ... . ■ Chaff.—Prime Southern; £7.15/ "to £8 per : ton. * - --- .;' .- v^ Onions.—6/ to 6/6 per cwt. . ': Potatoes.-Ttß 10/..t0 £9. ... FERTILISERS. .- I A steady demand is reported for all lines ! of fertilisers, chiefly for top-dressing grass and putting down new pasture. Owing to the high freight rates now ruling the cost of fertilisers' rules high. A sniau'shlp; i ment-of bonedust arrived from Sydney, -but the next .cargo from Calcutta is not due until May next. ' Blood' and bone manure is in short. supply, and the price has. advanced. ■ . KAURI GTJ3I A-ND FLAX Difficulty in getting space for shipping flax- to London Is hampering operations or merchants at this end.. This Is the more to be. regretted as .the London market is keeping up well. Large quantities of hemp are in store here-awaiting-opportunity to be shipped. Supplies of kauri gum were heavy for February, totalling over 800 tons. - An evidence that -the tone of the market has improved is seen in .the .feet that the • greater part of the gum sent in has been ' sold. ON 'CHANGE. Investment stocks are- firm in price but • comparatively lew transactions have taken ■ place since-last-report Sales were, how- • ever, reported of old issue Bank of New Zealand at 213/, and more-were wanted at 211/, but no seller quoted.. Paid ■ issue : were ateo in request at 32t>/, but holders . asked 330/. All insurance shares were In , steady request, and buyers of South British • advanced to 100/ at .the late call yesterday Ualgety. Ltd.,' shares. have been inquired for at 110/, but no seller quoted, and for Loan- and • Mercantile Agency stock 79i is regularly offered Coal shares are meeting with all-round inquiry at late rates, with '' the exception of Northern, which stock ; was- neglected this week. Gas shares haa , l buyers at late mites, also shares in shipping - j coiupaules. Inquiry set In for Milne aus thoyce pref. issue at 24/3: and N.Z. Paper, ; Mills at 16/. Retmers. Ltd., -ordlnarv issue ' '.sold yesterday at 6/6, and there was still I j.i a buyer at sixpence under that figure j .Sharland's. Drug cotild he placed at 24/6.! ' 2H?iliL Dniir . at 44/6 ' but case' I did eellers. quote. -. Mining shares; continue-''WBrjr, duß,. __$]

•U'SLi* 11 * nrrhtngri tor nearly + all otoek. Shareholders la the WaihlGjZ si