MARKETS AT A GLANCE

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 302, 21 December 1937, Page 4

MARKETS AT A GLANCE

HEAVY TRADING

FINAL CHRISTMAS RUSH. ALL RETAIL SHOPS BUSY. "Auckland Star" Office, Tuesday, December 21, 1!)37. Extensive and heavy trading is reported in both town and country by retail storekeepers. and they are finding it exceedingly difficult now that they are in the final stages of Christmas trading to cope with the amount of business offering. Stocks of most Christmas lines, as far as wholesalers are concerned. are now exhausted, and it is fully expected that the retail will be quickly cleaned up on many lines owing to their inability to replenish their stocks from Die wholesale. General News. The demand for all canned goods is < Xceedingly heavy, and at this stage is i (insidei ably m excess of previous expectations. Ihe existing shortage of numerous lines has been the means of creating a fair amount of inter-house buying. llieie is always a hcav\ demand lor i aimed pork and beans at this time of the year, and turther supplies have been bi ought, forward to cope >vith the demand. An innovation to this market is a small shipment of sausage and beans. This particular combination has proved most popular in other parts and is expected to take ou well here. .Merchants were fortunate in receiving shipment, of new season's bulk pitted and packet, dates ex the Wiitaki last week. Prior to this arrival the market had been particularly bare, and with this arrival merchants have been able to till retail requirements earlier than usual. Unfortunately pai t of this shipment was damaged in tiansit. but sufficient stock is ;;\ailable to enable most merchants to fill all orders on hand in full. Supplies oi local canned peas are now available and are already in demand. Dried apricots and peaches have been selling particularly well during the last few weeks, with the result that spot stocks are rather light with further supplies not expected until early next year. Lima beans are in sh >rt supply. the seasonal demand for this commodity lasting much longer than usual. A small shipment of 21b lins of English golden syrup came to hand last week. The market has been bare for some weeks, and this consignment proved very welcome. Two new lines from Australia, viz., lloz jars of lemon butter and passionfruit butter have now arrived. The prices are quite reasonable, and a good reception is anticipated to fill the demand for sandwich spreads and fillings for sponge The first shipment for some months of shrimps in tins and jars has now come to hand, and is moving out rapidly. A new line of magnesia, packed in tablet form under a well known brand, is being offered. The bonus of one free per dozen on a well known brand of Lnglish sauce has been extended to operate until the end of January. 1038. Many brands of cigarettes in Christmas packings are now in short supply at wholesale. The retail trade generally, however, has anticipated this position and have eovcred their requirements earlier. Mail Reports. Mail reports state that all rice markets . continue steady, although with the approach of the end ot the season, stocks held in all exporting countries are nowlight. In regard to tapioca, there lias not been any change of inn.-ortanee since last report. Spice line*? remain stcid\ with a shortage of supplies oi some lines, particularly ginger, while nutmegs and niac-e are difficult to obtain. Coffee markets declined during the month prior to writ--1 ing. and there is every possibility ot [unusually low prices ruling the coming season. Stocks of seeds held in Australia at the moment are light, and there does not seem to be any prospect of the position being relieved until new season s supplies commence to arrive about February. Arrivals to band from overseas and coastal ports during the past week comprise consignments of breakfast foods, tea, fine and coarse oatmeal in 5 s bag:*, rolled oats in 4's, 5'9 and 100's, floor polish, soap and soap powder, tobacco, curry powder, Epsom salts, castor oil, capers, isinglass and magnesia, olives, 14oz herrings in sauce, 100's drums red herrings, condiments, safety matches, cigarettes, I%'s cartons table salt, both plain and iodised, also 14's bags plain salt, gra\y browning, health saline, fish pastes, baked beans and spaghetti, salad cream, mayonnaise, l's pilchards, l's and % s tins salmon in red. pink and cohoe varieties, wax matches, cheep tongues, malt extract, golden syrup in 2's tins. etc. Owing to the delay in discharging cargo from the s.s. Orford in Sydney, the transhipments of new season's Sicily almonds 'which were expected per s.s Awatea yesterday, did not come to hand and will not arrive until after Christmas. The local market is now almost bare of supplies. Resin. While quotations for American resin have been at a high level for some time, late cables are now showing an easing tendency, a reduction of 11/ per ton being noted on "G," while "N" grade is quoted at 1/ per ton higher. In view of the difficulty of obtaining shipment, local buyers cannot expect to benefit from to-day's favourable market for some weeks yet. Turpentine. The market for pine tree turpentine continues steady with little or no fluctuation experienced for the last six weeks. Spot stocks are becoming short, but further supplies are expected early in January. Canary Seed. ' There is very little to report in connection with the market for Argentine canary seed just at present, prices remaining fairly steady at last quotations, in mail reports just to hand sellers indicate that dealers are not anxious to otter newcrop owing to their experience last year when supplies were late in coming on to the market, consequently many shippers were caught short and unable to ship within the contract time. In view of this difficulty sellers this year are holding off until they are able to get a better idea of what the new crop is likely to be. Tea Report. \ mail report from Colombo under date November 9, states that fairly liberal supplies were available on the during October- In four auctions /,839,/981b came under the hammer, as compared wuh 6 374 0681b in September, ami 0,414,/361b in October. 1936. The strong demand tor common tea continues to be in evidence, and all price levels were fully maintained. Persian Gulf and United Kingdom operators were again the principal supporters, and all offerings were readily taken up. With the exception of a slight weakening in prices at the auction of the 19th the better kinds sold well, whilst medium teas were in good demand throughout the month. Australian buyers took a large interest in medium and high grown Broken Orange Pekoes, the quality of which was very useful for the time of the year. The north-east monsoon has now set in. and all the producing areas have experienced heavy rain. From forward musters it would appear that there will be a falling off in quality in the near future, whilst crop should be coming in rather more freely. If the present strong demand for medium and high-grown types continues, however, prices for these are unlikely to decline to any great extent, although common tea prices may react in sympathy with the recent irregularity in London and Calcutta, but here again, if Persian Gulf buyers continue to take the same interest prices may be fully maintained. The distribution of export calls for rio particular comment, whilst exchange continued unchanged.

Dried Fruit. | Advices received from the Australian Dried Fruit Control Board are to the cffect that all lines, including seeded raisins, are withdrawn, with the exception of 2 Crown sultanas and 1 Crown currants. Quotations "or ioese two lines are unchanged since the quotation of October 20. and business will be accepted for December shipment, only. The withdrawal of seeded raisins without an opportunity • to book for January shipment was quite 1 unexpected, and as a result some intending buyers are likely to be caught short. I Sicily Almonds. | Cable advices received from London | last week state that there lias been a j reduction of 10/ per cwt in the Sicily almond market. This will be particularly | welcomed by buyers, as ever since the j commencement of the Spanish hostilities the almond market has been particularly erratic, and prices ruling have been very high. There has also been considerable difficulty in obtaining shipments, and it >s ! most unfortunate that the bulk of new season's crop will not arrive in Auckland until too late for the Christmas trade. Jordan Almonds. London principals advise by cable that j they have secured further small supplies ] of Jordan almonds, which they quote at ; prohibitive prices. It is anticipated, how-j ever, that there will be little interest now t in this line as they are little used othea than for Christmas trade. Walnut MeatsA further cable just to hand from one of the largest Tientsin shippers of Manehurian walnut meats advises still hii.'her prices tor all grades. Canadian and American buyers are operating vc.> lively, and large quantities of light and light amber qualities have been sold to these countries during the past few days. A further advance of ?id per lb is advised, and as the cable states "Market is advancing daily" it a ould appear that higher prices are likely to rule as the season advances. Corks. Information to hand from Spanish cork manufacturers is to the effect that owing to greatly increased costs of production and 40-hour week regulations, all prices of corks have had to be advanced by 20 I per cent. \ Wholesale Current Prices. | Butter.—Finest grade. 1 2',-i per lb; first! grade factory, i 2'i; second grade factory, ! 1. 1 74 : whey. 1,1 VS. j Cheese.—Export 180'sl, crate lots. 894 d ■ per lb net, less 9d per lb net; medium j (40's). crate lots. !)d per ".b net, less OVid I per lb net; (20s), crate lots. O'-ad per > lb net. less 9?4d per lb net: loaf, crate i lots, iOd per lb net, less IOVAd per lb j net. | Bacon.- Ham. 1. 2 per lb: rolled boneless j ham, 1 4 per lb; cooked whole ham, 1 (i I per lb; cooked rolled ham. 2' per lb; i cooked pressed ham. 1 0 per lb: baron i s'des, 1 OVS per lb; rolled sides. 1. 2'i per lb; rolled middles. 1 '374 per lb: lard, bulk, Sd per lb: pats, 3d per lb; dripping, pats. 4 1 s<l per lb. Linseed. Crushed, 23,'G per 1001b; whole, 23 li per cwt. Flour.—Local, 2001b sacks. £14 I.VO per ton: 100's, £15 12/6: 50'.=, £15 17 6; 25's. £16 7 6; 12Vs's, £17 per ton; 6'4's, £17 17 fi per ton. Malt.--Crushed. 11 '3 pgr bushel; whole i white. 11/; whole black. 12/6. j Bluestone. —35 6 per cwt. I