COMMERCIAL.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16404, 26 December 1918, Page 10

COMMERCIAL.

(By Cable—Press Association.—Copyright) {Australian and N.Z. Cablo Association.) , METALS. LONDON, December 23. Tin —Spot £253 15s. Copper—Spot £111 15s, forward £Sa. Lead—Spot £10, forward £39. Other metals are unchanged. AUSTRALIAN MARKETS. • (Received December 35th, 10.15 p Jn.). SYDNEY, December 24c Oats —Algerian feeding, 4s 6d to 4s 7d; milling, 4s 8d to 4s 9d; Tasmanian, 5s to 5s 4d. Maiie—6s 6d to 6s Sd. Potatoes Tasmanian, £16. Onion? —£11 to £13. MELBOURNE, December 24. Bailey—Chevalier, 5» 6d to 5s 9d; Cape, 4s to 4s 3d. Oats—Algerian milling, 4s 3id to 4s 41d; feed, 4s Id to 4s 2d. Potatoes—ill to £12 10s. Onions—£lo 10s to £11. COMMONWEALTH WOOL CLIP. (Received December 25th, 5.5 p.m.) MELBOURNE. December 24. It is unofficially stated that the wool clip up to July, 1920, has been sold to the British Government. CLARENCE BRIDGE SHEEP SALE. The first annual dry 6heep sale held by the Marlborough Coast Settlers' Association, Ltd., in their Clarence Bridge yards, too* place on Friday, and proved a distinct success in spito of the fact that, owing to tho postponement through tho recent epidemic, several lines of sheep that had been entered were sold previously. Out of a total entry of close on 10,000, only a few lots were passed, all sheep belonging to members of the Association being sold without reserve. Following was tho range of prices:—Twotooth wethers, 31s 3d, to 23s 2d; four and six-tooth wethers. 25s to 325, tho latter price being obtained for u particularly good line of about 900 halfbred six and eight-tooth wethers from Woodbank; two-tooth ewes made 27s to 30s 3d. A line of six and cight-t-ooth Merino wethers was passed at 255. Noticeable features of tho sale were that all straight station and farmers'. lines met with keen competition, and all the sheep wero bought by graziers. At rv meeting with the auctioneers it was arranged to hold tho Annual Ewe Fair at the latter end of February. , POULTRY MARKET. Messrs J. B. Merrett and Co. lield their final Christmas poultry sale _on Tuesday. Prices wero exceptional, especially for goslings, which realised 7s to 16s. Table chickens were also in. good demand at is to 12s 6d, ducks 6s to lis, hens 3s to <3, pijpons 2s to ss, pullets Cs to Us, nil per pair. EGG MARKET. The Christmas demand for eggs at 14 6d firsts, and Is 5d seconds, is practically over. This week's listings will be one penny a dozen less, Canterbury Egg Circle iirst grades being Is sd, seconds Is id per dozen.

PRICE OF CORRUGATED IRON. Corrugated iron, which soared to about £100 per ton, is coming down with a rush (says Tuesday's "Dominion ). A moivth ago it was still being quoted at £80 per ton, but on receipt of advico from Homo an Auckland firm lowered that quote by £30. Advico has been received locally that London is prepared now to ship ordinary 26-gauge corrugated iron at £28 per ton, f.ofb., which looks like a big slump. Ii is thought that tho reason for the drop in price ia that tho British Government is releasing largo stocks o? black (sheet) iron, which is being secured in big lots by manufacturers of corrugated iron. Iwo or threo months may see a big cliango take place iu tho iron market all over tho world.

' ' THE MOTTEY , MARKET. It its current issue, tho "New Zealand Trade Kcview" says:— . ~ "We aro now Hearing the cloeo ot tlie December quarter, which is the period when the demands on the funds in tlie nands of the banks are heaviest, as largo sums aro -needed to gather in and send to moxket the season's produce. The prompt printout by the Imperial Supplies Ljeparunent on its purchases relieves .the banKs ot .i great amount of this financing, but this season, owing to the .delay, in the settlement of the uurchaso of dairy produi-e, 'hero were fairly heavy calls made by tho da,ry factories to enable them to pay out to Ulcir suupliera. However, the Department .ia now making payments "" 8 ,. e!13 °" I \' ter and cheese, and already theso P, a >"» cn have reached about a million. Larlj u October about three millions was pa.d out oi\ meat in etore, and sinco then pother million has been paid out 6a wool, so during &e current quarter • fully five milhons. has been put into circulation from this ( l u " t ° r " Imports have been on a moderate scale fos tho last two months, and consequently, the money market is in a. fairly easy condition for tho time of .year, and thl3 , ' tion appears likely, to continue for the timo being.' In another, month or two wo should bo getting a fair amount of shipping space to remove our produce. thougli jt a. long time to clear out all the heavy accurrulations of all classes on hand. ' This, with the operations of the Imperial Supplies Department should keep th« money market fairly steady. ■ ernment will, however, bo _ raising a loan hectare very long, £13,500,000 being wanted, but as remarked before the. market should be ablo to stand thiS without discomfort."

THE EGG MARKET; The weekly egg sal© of the Canterbury Egg Association was • held on Tuesday afternoon, at the rooms of Bros., auctioneers, Hereford street. There was a fair entry, and nearly every lot was sold at the following heh eggs (2oz and over), Is 4d, Is 2d, le Sd; /second grade, Is S|d, J 9 d; Competition eggs la Id, duck eggs Is 3*d, Is 4d. 1