THE POTATO MARKET.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 188, 9 August 1924, Page 7

THE POTATO MARKET.

i AUCKLAND BUYERS ACTIVE. CANTERBURY .STOCKS BOtKMIT. (!!y Ti-lejxapli.— Own r*orrcKpomleut..i CHRISTCHURCH, Friday. ' I Auckland merchants have now entered upon the Canterbury markets as keen ! purchasers of potatoes to fill their , j order*. The available space on the , Wanaka, to leave Lyttelton this evening, has been filled up, and trade is proceed- | ing apace in respect of shipment in the ■ Wingatui. The market rate for prompt j j shipment is £0 a ton f.0.b.. s.i., while a ■ I small lot changed hands yesterday at £f> 10/. Advice had just been received of the withdrawal of a vessel or so from the Melbourne market, and it looked as though the inflow of Australian supplies had been clo-sed for <i month at least. Over-sellers immediately became as busy as beavers, and, under the pressure, the market rate-? shot upwards. Then came a sudden reaction, rumours were circulated that Australia was not cut off from the New Zealand market, and prices sagged to £5 15/ a ton, fo.b.. s.i. The Karori is able to load at Tasmania, but Tasmanian potatoes are dearer than Victorian, and the quantity hoimr bmu.jht Ito the Dominion is only 100 tons, so on , Tuesday buying orders began to come to band from Auckland, and they have continued steadily, although no deluge lias taken place. The market, which reflects in its rales . (lie improved demand, now is on a belter footing than it has been for weeks. -All the same, operators are affected by no spirit of exaltation; they are keeping a weather eye open to detect any signs of gathering squalls. The track of navigators this season has been beset by storms and reefs, and although smoother waters have been entered upon, merchants are proceeding with caution. The August-September price is the same as for prompt delivery, rales having dropped a few shillings from last week. Xi.w that Auckland is looking to Canterbury for stocks if potatoes, attention turns to the pos-ii.l>> size of stork-; Ikml by ffrowers. Merchants still are finding growers firm sellers, a state of alfairs which does not suggest that t hoy are holding large supplies—larger, that i<s, than is held normally at this period. They are being subjected to offers of £4 7/G to £4 10/ a ton at country stations.