TRADE IN AUCKLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 34, 8 February 1917, Page 3

TRADE IN AUCKLAND.

GENERAL BUSINESS QUIET. ;„. "Auckland Star" Office, Thursday, February 8, 1917. General business lv the city must be described as quiet, as the first orders have now ■ all been cleared up, and are beginning to put their bouse in order" for tbe annual stocktaking next month. Country trade continues very steady. Drapery sales are doing well, but the effect is rather disastrous on the other retail branches of trade as far as cash is concerned. Hardware Is reported quiet. Shipping is fairly brisk. Local Markets.—All jams have advanced i Id to Jd, according to variety. I Rice at last moves up £1 per ton. Pie Fruits.—Very scarce; prices a record. Salmons. — This market Is most uncertain. Prices are high, stocks limited, and. future shipments cannot be definitely quoted. Sardines are very firm, and stocks are worth holding. Grease-proof Paper and Safety Matches. —Owing to the interruption of shipping in the North Sea, both these lines show improvement in value. Pineapples are scarce and dear. New season's honey will be coming forward about the end of the month. POTATOES ADVANCING. potatoes lias shown a firming tendency, as the iheavy downpour of rain interfered ■with, digging operations. The extraordinary nature of this season is shown <by the fact that blight lias made, its appearance in the late crop of potatots at a time -when, under ordinary conditions, tot weather with ample sunshine would have prevented' its occurrence. It is now expected .that prices for potatoes will firm, as farmers are holding out for higher ngnres. Latest advices also point to a probability of supplies not being so large as was anticipated earlier in the season, if this proves a correct' estimate of the position, local supplies may not be sufficient to carry on with until the" southern crop is Teady for market. So far the southern crop of potatoes is .reported •to be doing all right, but a good deal depends upon the weatSier conditions for the next moffitih. OXIOXiS D'EAKEU. (During the past week the market for onions has finned considerably', the price being now £9 to £9 10/. per ton. A. quantity of local onions'nave .been 'bought for shipment to Vancouver. The southern onions are ibeing, offered" for delivery ott this market for February,,-March and April, The yield is expected to'be less than for the last two or-three seasons. The heavy rains Iα Auckland district have not been good for drying off the onions Which were already ipulled, but it is hoped no damage has been done to the tubers. maize. . : Arrivals of maize during the past week have been equal' to local requirements, bnt the price remains steady at 4/9 for wholesale lines on' the wharf. '.«'■■* OATS VERY FIRM. The southern market for oats is advancing, and the price locally now rules from 4/ t0.2/1 per 'bushel. Owing to small yield of oats in Canterbury i farmers in, the -Dominion are asking higher figures', for their grain, dt would seem 'that there have ibeen light yields o{ oats right throueln the -Dominion down to Southland. • Under such circumstances there seems little probability of there being any cheap oats this season. Stocks locally are very light, but the Te Anau is expected to arrive next week with: a fair cargo from, the Bluff. . ' ■ i WHEAT PIBICE 'FIXED. , lAs a result of ithe several conferences in Wclltn-stou, the Board of Trade has now» fixed the price of wheat at 5/U tor Velvet, 5/8 for 'Hunters, and 5/7 for Tuscan ana other varieties. Sufficient details have not, however, yet been made public to enable inj-chants to do any -business. Fowl wheat is still firm at 'J/10 to 7/ per bushel ex store on the local market. CHAFF. '■•'-' The Calm a small shipment, of chaff from -Picton to Onehunga, which was readily absorbed by .this market.- ■ 'X'he Kurow is expected with another cargo next week. Small Supplies of local chaff.are also being sent in. Beit Blenheim is quoted at £7 15/ to £S per ton, and local chaff sells at lower rates, according to quality. The southern market for-chaff Is reported to be very firm, and it seems certain prices will advance shortly for forward business. There ihas .been a gpod yield -In' Marlborough this year, but there will be, a heavy demand to -makeup the shortage iv the .North Island. . - GRASS AND CLOVER SEEDS. *'■ Business in grass andTclover seeds has been interfered .with by the heavy downpour of rain,'which has put an end for the present, to any chance -of successfully burning off felled ureas of bush. ■ Unless there is very soon a spell of fine weather to dry up the felled bush, .there will be no hope of a good, clean burn off this season, «nd farmers will suffer serious loss" All markets continue, firm for grass and clover seeds. The new crop of. cocksfoot is'very firm In the Akaroa Peninsula, growers holding out for higher figures. It is therefore probable the pric%for cocksfoot will again advance before tmr-autumn demand sets in. Rye grass seed has also advanced since last repor(,° and it is probable that prices for all lines, including Italian,' will go higher. Imported seeds still continue Very firm, and an; likely to do so In face of the high freights ruling. BBAN AND SHARPS. " These lines are not meeting with much demand just now, as there is plenty .of green feed this season, owing to the frequent downpours of rain; Export of pollard ha\ now been prohibited from Australia,' ' . . - J KAURI GUM AND FLAX. The market for flax still rules firm in. London, but as far as tbe "local market is concerned it is impossible at present to ship the hemp to England. The local price is now given as £37 for good fair, £36 and £33 for the lower grades. On December 5 an advance of £1 per ton took place In London. Good fair vwas reported very, scarce. High point fair was quoted at £52 10/, and fair £51 10/-for shipment during the succeeding three months. < Kauri gum is somewhat neglected, as the scarcity of shipping space tends to check, operations of buyers] Stocks of poor grade gum are accumulating in the stores': UNITED STATES STEEL MARKETS. Messrs. Mailler and Queareau, of New: York, report:— " In the steel industry there is .continuance of great activity, limited only by the ability at the steel manufacturers to supply goods. All of their works are running to full capacity, some of them through the 24 hours, and yet there is extreme delay in gettiug goods and shipping them. - Ihe report of the United Suites Steel Company shows the largest bookings for any one month in its history, over one. million tons, and their total forward bookings now exceed eleven million tons. This will be a very large portion of their entire output for the coming year, and the company Is very reluctant to accept any new business, and none before the last half of 1917." Already they are making. extensive bookings for 1918 at full prices, and without - privilege of cancellation;" All of this indicate! a very active and strong market'for the coming j-ear, and.we can see no probability of any -decline, in prices for any .lines' of steel goods. Owing to. the extreme cost at the present time, and high freight rates, there appears to be very little buying for cither-Australia or New Zealand, and shipments have fallen off to a large extent, so that much less than ' the' usual quantities are going forward. As this Iβ the largest article, exported from the United States to Australia the decline In this line is being seriously felt.- Fig iron has had a further very sharp advance of live to seven dollars per ton, and prices are now higher than we have known them in half a century. Good quality of pig iron is selling in carload lots .as high as 35 dollars per ton, and even at this price it is difficult to get orders filled." . ON 'CHANGE. ", A few sales' were reported, at the late call oil the Exchange yesterday afternoon Waihi shares had been sold at.35/,-Northern Steam paidMssue at 15/6, and Union Steam ordinary shares at- 4073. AIU insurance stocks were in demand at late- rates, and sixpence .advance iwas recorded.ln respect to Nationals, which were' wanted nt 53/6, ■but sellers asked 55/6. Inquiry set In for Tauplri Coal at 10/9, and Auckland Gas paid shares could have been placed at 28/3 ex div. Inquiry was also» made' for Hill and Plummer; Ltd., at 21/; for Takapuna Trams at 11/G, and for Wiseman pref. Issue at 20/. WHOLESALE CURRENT PRICES. Farm and Dairy Produce.—Factory butter, 1/6 per lb; farmers' butter, lid per Ib; farmers, cheese, 9}d per lb; factory chee«e, 10/ to 10} d plr lb; hams, lid per lb; bacon, 10d per lb; eggs, 1/2 per dozen. Flour, .£ls 7/6 (less discount of_2|. percent) per ton, in 2001b sacks; sherpiij_*«; per ton net; bran, *4 10/; p»tmt»l .(«*>. £19 10/ per ton, . . ; v.?.~-^~\;

Grain.—Oats, 4/ to 4/X per bushel; mlUing wheat, 6/6 to 6/7 f.o.b. southern ports; fowl_wheat. 6/10 to 7/ ex store; maize, 4/9 (wholesale lines on the wharf). Chaff.—Prime Southern, £7 15/ To £8 e_ store. | Onions.—9/ to 0/6 per cwt, ex store. Potatoes.—£B to £9.