FINANCE AND COMMERCE.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16585, 26 July 1919, Page 12

FINANCE AND COMMERCE.

Itcports from mo.«t Quarters indicato that r< satiafrictolT' volume of business, wb being Cc:ic during tho wcei. Ia tho hardwaro trado country trade has shown a marked imcirco tho Citiicns' Railway Trao- : it. Committee got to work. The committee I.D-.C in fnl! swin?, and on Thursday and F-.idiy it dealt with a daily average of 60 _ Jn conEoquczco of GOO tons - / -. commoditioo for tho city being 1 i/.cclicd at Timaru and 400 tons at Aehburton iho committee has now to look afteT inward i,3 v.-fcll as outward railway freight. Mr J'iccr returned to Wellington la3t night v.cil i atisficd, it ia understood, with, tlio way in . 'iiich tlio system of co-oporation between tho i:ai:way Department and the Committee ia wrkiug. . . i'irat-class investment are e.:ll i.i r-i.-c.T_,' titmaiid. Liu;i soared aio Bought uiler „:.d 7/x.ion lia&Ju, oid issue, bavo ctiangcd. ii.i.'idn -it iCO l'Js. insurance all acta arc 6iiil i.'.iict but ;vre tialcii oi i*Ationb-A lni>u:icccii at £-1 have Until reported during t.'io v.Lei:. t>ov.- Ze>iiand Ir.aurunoes liaprovcd £14 lis to £14 15s. Tho propo&ou. divi<:'jh i;i tl.y £10 bharfj paid to £1 nj'.o £1 snares paid to fcs, and tho declaration vt a of '-is per ehur to meet a call of u euiilar amount have uo-.v been authorised h? the stiarcholdeiß. AVhen theso transactions arc completed the* ciipito-i oi coinpany 'a v ,-m bo £.1,500,000, divided into 1,600,000 .-liarcs, paid uj? to lto. Huddart-i'arkers havo not been brisk, but sales have taken plnco at 403 ifd, equal to the prico at tho «nd of la»t week. Dalgety's shares aa« always :n demand, and buyt-ra are offering £Us without any sellers appearing. Goiasbrough llorts have sold at 40s 3d during tho week. Kational Mortgage shares havo changed hands ;i t £5 23 Cd. Th?" highcßt point yet touched by ll.'l. Refrigerating shares was reached during tho week, when many sales took place st 72s Ed. Colonial augais a£o strong, local iiuven oiioring £io. A sale is reported from Sydney at £25 15s. N.Z. Farmers' Co-op. •ihai'cs with the end of tho financial year in fii*-lil,' are wanted at 455, eellers asking 47s (id! The Westport-Stocktoa Coal Company is lssain" 4557 •jreforence shares of 10s, preferential as *1o dividend and assets, and tarrying a rate of 8 per oent. per ajinuna which is non-cumulativc, at a premium of tkl. iliuing shares havo not l>een buoyant, tut. Waihia have sold at 44s Cd and Grand Junctions at 13s. It was reported yesterday that cable advice had been received from Calcutta of a further advance in tho rate of Indian exchange, the ruree now being worth Is 9d as against la ted tho limit of the recent advance, rhis will no doubt slightly affect the price of all Eastern goods. "Word was also received that tho rate of exchango on New York had fallen to 4doi. 23 cents, to the £1 sterling. . According to London cables of the 9th mat. recoivcd iu Australia, tho strong movement in tho metal markets was Japanese buying Sellers admit that thoy nro puzzled. They do not believe that great Tantitic* of copper and lead aro requued for industrial purposes, though is not discounted. Japans main purchase are materials required for munitions of war. It is believed that, the main quantiUoa ait. <le*2?nod' for Admiral Koltchalr, the anti Bolshevik leader ir. Eussia, with whoin Japa® has u eubstantial Since Japan started buying copper, wmcn . » month P ngo was at r76 IBs a quotation has risen to f94 » te A leaajng Australian seller staten that ho has soW more lead to Japan in the laattendays than to 33ritain in the last ton weeks. London newspapers were att«nti to Japan's readiness for the invasion ofthe Grid's market, with fancy goods, cheap crockery, toilet ware, clones andnmnT si3^:3«fiWaa?s gtrictiona weio aboliah«l -nAn English manufacturing company an P^Py^f n e tmled in oT Scarcely any wood will bo used in the extraction of the car tho principal material being o. new sub. Uancl wiich is described as a ±ini of conrxete, light, but ftronff and dura;ble, from waste material such as slag clinkers S«™ sawdust, and covered with a motal s<> Jution." All parts, including wheels and ehaasiij will bo etamped out, each complete in on© piece. The manufacturera expect to compoto with cheap American cars. Ufldcr date of June 3rd John Diuiii, f soiS and Co., of New York, report that continued and sustained activity in the stock market, with a volume of eales scarcely before equalled, has taxed tho machinery of tho exchanges 'to the utmost during the past month. Speculation in oil and motor share® has boen rampant, and prices have advanced by leap® and bounds* All other cl&Mea of stocks and some of the~ more speculative bonds lav® shared to some extent in the movement, but bonds of the better sort have remained neglected, though firm and strong. Tho "Victory Loan" of £900,000,000 was oversubscribed by £125,000,000, and immediately this waa out of the way tho market waa offered many corporation and other securities, which were readily takes. The money market has withstood tho combined strain of financing business activity and hcovy speculation in stocks, grain, and cotton amazingly well; so well, in foot, that' critics have raised the point that possibly the American banking system ia too perfect in its credit facilities, as the seemingly inexhaustible flow of funds might foster undue speculation.

GENERAL MERCHANDISE. GROCERIES, Etc. Bice has farther advanced in prioo, and io-day'a landed coat would .fee 50s per cwt. Orders for largo quantities axe being refused in Australia at that price. The retail price is now 6d per lb. Stocks of sago and tapioca. an becoming? very light. A report from a reliable source states that the prioo has risen again by 6a ■to 6a per cwt. At the Colombo # sales this week, according to cabled advice, lower grade teas *vdranccd two to three ccnta, and many finer grades eix to seven cents per lb. If is reported that cocoa to land will show an increased cost of 2d per lb. New season's prices for canned fruits have been named, and show an inere boo of about 25 per cent, on last season's quotations. The duty-paid cost in warehouse of standard pears will be about 27s per doecn, and of "Water grade," the cheapest, about 2I« to 22s per dozen. Poach* will coat about 3a and apricot* 2a per dozen leas. During tho wools thero has been a. good demand for Thompson's seedless raisins, -which arc now being sold at lees than they coat to land. All round, there has been something of a flutter in dried fruits.* There has been a keen demand for all kinds from Auckland, which is usually a seller on this market. ( Somo of the biggest packcrs in California have not yet quoted raisins, looso or in packets. Supplies of New Zealand pio fruits are available at reasonable prices, and in view of the prospective price of imported canned fruits, next season's domestic supplies will no doubt be drawn largely from this source. The iactthat lemons are SO per cent, dearer in Australia than they were last year, isresponsible for the advance in lemon peel, noted last week and for a slight increase in the cost of Australian lemon squash.; Freeh supplies of sugar by the KoromOco, which left Auckland on Tuesday for Lyttelton. will relieve the shortage experienced by several xotailers. Cornflour has been in strong demand, and lines of good quality have been eagerly eought for. Any good brand of Indian soils readily at TJd. Caustic soda is very scarce. Some is due to arrive, but so papers have yet come to hand. Quotations are out for sew season's Hawaiian pineapple. They a*e a little in advance of last year's. From present appearances this will be the cheapest canned fruit on the market. Castor oil in bottles is praotically unobtainable, though every firm in the cfty has * quantity lying in Sydney awaiting means of shipment to the Dominion. HARDWARE. Practically no alterations in local prices have taken place since last week. English cables received this week report an ocnance of 30s per ton in bar iron, and °l roughly £25 per ton in copper tube® and sheets. There is an all-round tendency to higher prices at Home. ■ A s!? cia X^ U Bteto fencing wire is firming a little. 6 A fair shipment of shelf goods ia on board the liatatua, which left Colon on the 15th, and is due at Auckland about the Sth of next month. Letters and invoices by yesterday's mail give no indication of any AecUne .in the prices of English and Awrican manufactured goods. Stocks of sheets and platsa are

DOMINION'S TRADE AND MARKETS. (By Otm Commercial Editor.)

to hand, and prices in cocsciju«nce must noon show a decline. Thero is still some difficulty in securing ccrtain lines from British manufacturer®, notably wiro rope_ leather belting, elcctrical appliances of every description, engine mounting:;, and varioU3 steam appliances. On tho other hand materials for coachbuilders, painters, blacksmiths, and« moulders aits easily available, and many shipments are at present cn the water. Further stocks of bolts, nnts, rivet?, set-screws, and kindred lines are just arriving, but in no caee is there any relief in price, while lead ij still advancing, and is quoted at Home at a further r*se of £2 per ton. Ra?.- linseed oil in drums, Koveraber-De-I cernber eliipment, is quoted to-day at 10s 3d j per gallon. I Australian advices of a fortnight ago quote | reports from India, to the eflcct that tho I price of linseed had advanced to tho pheno- ; cier.al rate cf £122 per ton. In May, last . year, tho quotation was £58. It waa dei cla'cjl :n Sydney that tho latest quotation j v.-ss prohibitive of importation of eeed into ! Australia. Cable advices from Great Brij tain o? the same date gave the net naked I f.o.b. prico for raw linseed oil at 10s Id ; por gallon, equivalent to a landed cost of I nbout 32a 3d per gcllon, in drums. The ■ rneseago fedded that export of linseed oil had I again been placed under Government control. Thero is . a distinct improvement in the position of the British galvanised sheet trade. The total shipments from Great Britain during tho first quarter of this year amounted to 10,066 tons, compared with 2210 tons during the corresponding period of 1918. More mills are being brought into operation, and tho output ia likely to be considerably increased. Authorities in tho United States estimate tho world's output of copper for 1918 at 1,395,160 tons of 22401b, or about 40,000 tons below the 1917 production. It is stated that rapid as has been tho expension in North and South America, tho rest of tho world is not falling behind, although its contribution to tho total is only about 23 per cent. Tho great bulk of tho supply cornea from American plants, although part of tho-raw material i 3 imported. Japan stems to bo tho only other country making noteworthy expancion in production. The world'a output of copper in 1916 was 1,406,352 tons, in 1915 1,083,729 tons, in 1914 899,513 tons, and in 1911 677,825 tons. Tho recent efforts of tho United . States Government to buoy up the iron and steel interest by fixing maximum prices has apparently ended in failure, for Messrs John Dunn, Son, and Co., writing from Now York on June 3rd, stated that "tho final abandonment of tho Government plan to fix iron and steel prices has apparently made little chango in tho situation, despito tho fact that mills are operating only about 50 por cent, of tlieir capacity." Messrs Dunn and Son went on to say that the automobile interests had mado heavy purchases, deliveries of some goods being reported to extend over into next year, but it was understood that prices had not been absolutely fixed, but wero dependent upon market conditions at tho time shipments wero made. Buyers were not convinced that the present level of prices was permanent; it seemed probable that further price eonceeioas must be made by tho steel interests before buying would take place on any considerable scale. Ono of the disturbing influences was the quantity of Government-owned goods hanging over the market. Somo of this material was in the hands of tho Government, and somo in the hands of the speculators, who "had bought it expecting to resell at a profit. There was one lot of 25,000 tons of barb wire lying in New York and shipping points on the Atlantic Coast. The wiro waa part painted and part galvanised, but it was all made into long barbs and put up .on reels of various patterns, so that tho cubic measurement would be Considerably more than of regular commercial wire. Very low prices wero being mode for this and other material, but in every caee tflo goods are more or less undesirable for regular commercial" purposes, and it was . doubtful whether a buyer would get any real advantage in the end. Until euch material waa absorbed in some way it must be reckoned with e« * bear influence. SOFT GOODS. A London cable, received yesterday _in CSiriatokuroh, notified that all Hoyle's prints had risen in price by a half-penny per yard. Hessians have advancod 10 per cent, in the week. Mail .advices from London firms eitate, among oilier things, tha.t luto ribbon, which not long ago was obtainable at la 11H now costs '4s &J. The price of stockinette, in the middle of May, was 2s 6Jd. Ribbons had advanced-10 per cent., a.nd all silk goods were keeping up in price, while furs of all kinde were showing an increased ccst of 100 to 150 por cenit. , With th« exception of 15,000 yards, the whole of th« kuge stock of army flannel in the possession of the Australian. Defence Department was eold a few weeks ago to a retail firm in Prahran for £22,083. Hhia is probably one of the largest transactions of the kind ever effected in Australia. The flannel was of Australian manufacture, and. waa originally putchased by the Department for soldiers' shirts and singlets. The average retail price of similar material would be between 2s 6d and 2a 9d a yard-. Tho total quantity purchased by t3io firm was 235,000 yards, or approximately 134 miles, the prices

paid for tho various grades being:—For] 100,000 yard®, -No. 1 grade, 2s a ya*d; for 100,000 yards, No. 2 grade, la lOd a\ yaird; j ami for 85,000 jjards, No. 3 grade. Is 8d yaad. j The .purchasers agreed to re-eell the whole | of tho flannel to the' public at the same price aa they paid for it. Th» condition w»e, in fact, made by the Defence Department a! part of the contract of purchase, at the request of tho firm. j JUTE GOODS. . Laiest quotations arc as follows:—Oornsacka, 4Sin by 26Jin, 19s lid "per dozen, No-vember-December shipment; wool packs, 6s Id, ditto. These prices are baaed on tv rate of freight of £6 and oxuhang* Is 83d to the rupee. The latter, however, was imported yesterday to have advanced to Is Od. Business locally is dull, and only hand-to-mouth. transactions aro pacing. Tho Control Powers axe eaid to be buying heavily. A recent cable message from Calcutta stated that the preliminary forecast of the Indian jute crop is placed at 10 per cent, over the final figures of last year's production. The official estimate last year gave the area under jute at 2,497,214 acres, and the yield at 7,009,060 boles of jute. CORN BROOM. The Comanomveolth Government, in Maroh, placed an. embargo on tho export of millet, on tho ground that the crop far 1919 was insufficient for homo requirements in the way of corn brooms. Tho New Zealand Government managed, on tho representations of New Zealand makers, to induce the Commonwealth Government to permit enough millet to bo shipped to keep tSe Dominion .industry going until supplies were available from America, and even then a lush price was charged for tho Australian article. The New Zealand manufacturers are now landing their first American shipments, at considerably less than the Australian rates, aci from August Ist the price of New Zealand-mado oorn brooms will bo reduced by Ss per dozen. NOTES FROM WELLINGTON. (rnou A STEOAL COIUHSPOSDENT.) WEIxLINGTON, July 23. liiv93tot3 ore undecided as to the proibaile effect of tiie labour disturbances in Britain ond Australia on eeenrity values. TSiat Ciero will be some adverse e if cot i 3 realised, but there is not likely to bo any precipitate action. Investors will most likedy wait a-whila and soo how matters develop. P. and O. deferred stock have apparently felt the shock, for sales have been made at £472, which shows a decline of £12. Ilnddart-Parker ■Viw« are easier ;»» 43s Od, but this is due to weak holders realising. Many anticipated amalgamation with tho P. and O. Company, and this not having been realised thero is a disposition to quit. New Zealand Refrigerating shares have advanced, nnd aro now quoted at 72s 6d. Meat Export shares continuo firm si 655, Mount Lyell chcre3 have advanced, sales li&vinjr been made at 2Es 3d. All other shades axe without quotable change. Speaking at the meeting of shareholders of the Wellington Investment Traeteo and Agency Company tn-day, ;ho chairman said: "Without being pessimistic, the Board thinks < the general conditions col! for considerable ! caution in tho disposition of funds, and' in this respect has had regard more to absolute safety than to obtain a high rate of interest ior investments. The »nes«ures | which it adopted have curtailed. the profit I of tho year now under review, but will, it is anticipated, benefit the period at present current, and also the future." Generally, the Dominion's position so far was very satisfactory, he went on to say, but it oould not be ignored that the future depended upon markets beyond the Dominion, and that these must be affected by the conditions of labour generally, especially in Europe and America. Sir Waller Buchanan having decided not to seek re-election to the directorate of the Wellington Meat Expert Occn-

pmv, it is tir.'is73icoa tia-1 Ur A. r~ Ma&rn, of Levin and Co., ■ Tri'l be clcctai to £il the vacancy. .vsr COMPANIES. E«jris l .ratio:'. cf tho following _ r.cw companies is announci-d in this weei's "Mercantile Gazette":— j Tho Standard Optical Co. o£ Australasia, If id. Ecgd. as a private Co. June 18th, Ofir.co: Cashel atrvet, Christchurch. Capital: £15,000 into 15.000 chares of £1 <-aeh. Subscribers: Christchurch—B. Falck and E. M. Sandston 7500 each. Objccts: To acquire carry on the business oi tho Standard Optical Co., lately carried on at Christchurch as opticians, merchants' manufacturers, etc. W. H. CoiliTiS and Co., Limited. Kegd. as a private oomcar." July l'Jth, 1919. Office: 157 Easr etreot, AshbnrtO", C. Capital: 1 £16,C00 into IS,OCK> «harw of £1 caeh. Subscribers: A«hbur!on—Trustees of tho late Wm. H. Collins (S. J. Collies, R. A. Collins, and C. 11. Collins) 14,077, R. A. Collide 17®, Emmelir.c M. Collins 154. Objccts; To acquire ac£- csrry on as a going concern tho bufiinosa of wholesale and retail ironuiongets 2nd gvnorul. Till; COP'EA JfARKET. AX EXPERTS VIEWS. In tho c.mrst- of an interview with a representative of Tho Press," O. h. Tacou, who recently returned from a buainess trip to tbo tiolomon lslande, dealt with the prospects of the copra market. Mr Tacon. founa that through tho waj 1 period tbo plantors experienced u rather bad time owing to low pr:o?3 for tho staple products of tho islands--copra and .pearl and other sheila, ior shells, Germany the cli-.cf market >n pro-war times. Restricted oh-pping facilities tbe islands and Australia, and between Australia and Europe, resulted in low prices for copra; the fact that tho output, of copra from tho islands was controlled in Sydney was also a factor in TMpsct of the low prices. Whereas, in August, 1914, copra vrae aold at £2t) por ton, in tho islands, it was being sold for £13 per ton f.o.b in tho islands, and £50 in London, when he returned r. few months ogo. A few months after he arrived tho price uent up to £26 f.o.b. in tho islands, and £60 in London, an increase duo, Mr Tacon understood, to American competition in the Sydney market. Dealing with tha fuluro prospects o! copra, Mr Tacon said that, on leaving London lie was conimissioned to purchase in tho islands all the> cocoar.ut producing properties that wero available at reasonable nxices, and did so. 111 London tho prospects of copra wore considered to bo exceptionally bright, and that even the present price, £00 per ton, dcies not represent its value. The neutral countries of tho world havo been debarred from supplies during tho war period, as well as enemy countries, which are amongst the largest consuniors of corara. During the war countries such as tho United States, Ja#an, China,, and others have become consumers, and t'he English and French markets have been widened by circumstances. During l the war, in addition to destruction cf animals, the fats of tho world hare been exhausted, and as a consequence of of neutral and enemy countries :n the market, the prices of fats have increased, and copra is, perhaps, the form in which fat can bo most widely adapted to various uses. Tho general opinion is, therefore, that tho demand, for fata, including copra, will increaeo enormously.

KAURI GUM fOPw AMERICA. (special to "the press.") AUCKLAND, July 05. - Supplies of kauri gum continue Tery e\ort, and thoro has 'been 6omo keen speculation in securing sufficient for a vessel loading for New York direct, which will bo taking- in cargo during the nest few days. The railway interruption has most interfered with supplies .just at the very time when on opportunity has shipping a largo quantity at a cheap rato of freight. The increased demand for thia vowel haa caused values to harden eomewliat, jbut it ia moro than likely that after this shipment has pone tho market will resumo its normal condition! again. Even as it is a very largo shipment is going away, and it will be interesting to seo if the American market cai» absorb thij quantity without values giving way. BUTTER SHORTAGE IN AUCKLAND.' (SPECIAL TO "THE F2ESS.") AUCKLAND, July 25. Intense disappointment is being experienced this week in regard to tho shortage of butter. Several shops m Auckland have not a single pound in etock, although this does not no ceesarily mean that any householders have to go without, aa they can temporarily transfer their custom to those shops that do havo a little. This facility does not exist in those distant settlements that depend on a supply from Auckland. «. Yesterday several coastal steamers ioit with general cargo that did not include butter ordered. THE PRICE UP GOLD. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Ctbto Association.) (liecerrod July 25th, 8.10 p.m.) LONDON, July 24. The announcement of an increase in the price of gold is inaccurate. The actual facts arc that the Government is permitting the Transvaal gold producers to sell gold in tho open market within a certain period after its arrival in England. Tho Transvaal sold fifty thousand ounces to New York at 85s 6d per . oz as compared with the English price of 77s Od. SHARES. (Received July 25th, 6.10 p.m.) LONDON, July 18. WMhi Junction—Buyers 13s, collets 14s. LONDON WOOL SALES. (Received July 2oth, 8.10 p.m.) LONDON, July 24. There w«a. keen competition iufc merinos at the wool gales by home and French buyere. The W.O.E. (N.Z.) clip mado up to B€d, and averaged S-td. PACIFIC CABLE SERVICE. LONDON, July 24. In the House of Commons, tho Hon. H. Pike Pease (Assistant Postmafitor«Goneral) announced that the Pacific Cable Board was considering tho question of duplicating tho cablo. SHORTAGE OF GROCERIES. (By CabU.—Press Association.—Copyrieht.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received July 25th, 11.5 pjn.) SYDNEY, July .23. There is a groat shortage in tho grooery markets, owing to tho strike. ?#w Zealand orders, especially for tea, are not being [ filled. AUSTRALIAN MARKETS. SYDJTEY, July 25. Oats —Algerian, feeding 5« Ed lo 5a 7d, milling 5s 9d; Taamanian, 6s to fa 2d. Barley—Caipe, 5s to 5s 3d. Maize 7s 3d to 7s 6d. Potatoes—Tasmanian, £17 to £18. Onions— £20. ADELAIDE, July 25. Oats—4s Gd to 4s fid. MELBOURNE, July 25. •Barley—English malting, & 61 to Sa 9d; Cape, 3s lid to 4s Id. Oats—Milling Algerian, 4a lid to ss; feed, 4s 3d to 4s lOd. Potatoes—£l2 to £13. Onions—£lß. CHKISTCHUBCU STOCK EXCHANGE. YESTERDAY'S TRANSACTIONS. Salea reported:—Hud dart-Porker, £2 3s 3d; National Mortgage, £5 2s Gd. ■ LATEST QUOTATIONS. Buysrs. Sellers. £ s. d. £ s» d. DEBENTURESN.Z. Government 4$ p.c. I Bonds, 1938 .. — 96 5 0 ! N.Z. Government (laecribed) .. .. — 96 5 0 I BANKS— Union of Australia 60 0 0 61 15 0INSURANCE— Farmers' Co.-op. Assn. (pref. £5 paid) .. 7 10 0 — Farmers' Co.-op. Assn. (pref. 60s paid) .. 3 15 0 — LOAN AND AGENCY— Dalgety and Co. .. 11 2 G — Goldsbrough Mort (Melbourne) .'. .. — 2 6 S National Mortgage .. 4 15 0 5 5 0 SHIPPING— Hi'ddart-Parker .. 2 3 0 2 3 6 FROZEN MEiT— N.Z. Refrigerating . 3 12 0 S 13 0 COAL— Taupiri .. .. 0 IS 0 0 19 0 Westport ... .. — 1 10 0 WOOLLENS— Kaiapoi .. .. — 8 6 0 GAStristohurch . M 0 6 1J S BREWERIES— CroTv-n .. .. — 1 11 6 UISCELLANEOUSBritish Tobacco (Australia) .. ! 10 0 — Buna, Philp (Sydney) — t IS 0 Colonial Suga* .. 25 0 0 — Eclipse Petrol dally paid) .. .. — 2 0 0 Mason, Struthers (14s paid) .. 0 17 0 — N.Z. Fanners' Co-op. (£2 paid) .. .. 3 5 0 — "Whitoombo asd Tomba 6 5 0 — MINING— "VVaihi Grand Junction 0 14 0

YESTERDAY'S BUSINESS ON OTHER EXCHANGES. (TRESS ASSOCIATION TTLEGRAM.) DUNEDIN. Sales:—Mt. Lyell, 36s 3d, "6s; P. and O. (deferred), £473 (four : _Weslport Coal. 29s 6d (six sales); New Zeaktnd Coal and 4s 3d. Sale reported:—Waihi. 435. w CANTERBURY MARKETS. Friday Evening. The grain, and produce mar beta lave not ye; reoorered from the quietness that followed tho curtailment of tie railway scrvice, j and the Peace celebrations. There is very little of anytiing oflering from t.ao ooun-try. arjd at. the same time the demand is limrt<xl for almost every line. ( The wheat business is very quiet, and there continues to be a good dttmaad for ! few} wheat, though many poultrvfceep«r9 are using oa>ts on account cf tfeir rele-tiva cheapness. The nominal price of oata is aijout 2s 3d to 4a, at country stations, but no business is passing between growera and merchants. O&isheaf chaE is quiet of sale, the demand not being active in consequent* of tho weather keeping to dry, and mild for the time o; year. Up to £6 10s par has been paid for chaS wanted immediately, but buyero generally are not offering more than £6 at country stations, though at the latter figure there are few sellers. There. a,re no changes in. the Tv.ioea of clovers and but they are still firm. Partridge peos aro in gttod demand, and price® are a little firmer, 7s to 7s 3d now the ruling raics. Owing to a speculative demand from Wellington" potatoes have shown a further advance. and £7 15e to £3, at country stations, have bean paid. Tia tone of tho market is now a little easier. It is reported that Auckland lisa bwn supplied with a shipment of potatoes from Oamaru and Timaru, but another boat » expected to load at Lyttelton for Auckland at the end of next week. Onions have also firmed, and are selling at ill 10s to £12, at country stations. The following aro prioes paid to farmers at country stations, free of commission, at eke extra, except where otherwise stated:— Milling Wheat—According to Government price; South Island, July, 6s 74d; August and after, Ca £d, f.0.b.; North iß'and, 4d per bushel additional; totrl wheat, 5s Gd -to 5s Od. Oats (nominal)— A Gartoas, 3s lid to 4s; B Gartons, 3s Od to 3s lOd; Danish, 4s; Algerians, 3s 9d to 4s; 4s. Barley—Prime malting, Ss Gd to Se; Cape barley 4s 3d to 4s Gd. Flour—£ls per ton; 1001b bags, Jls 15s; oOlb bage, i.16; 251b bags, £16 ss. Bran—Shipping, £5 10s; local, £3 1S« per ton. Pollard—£i 10s per ton. Oatmeal—2slb bags, £28 per ton; 7lb b*;», £32 per ton. Oatshoaf Chaff—£6. Italian Ryegraes—U to 4e Sd. Perennial Ryegrass (nominal) —6d to 4s Od. Cocksfoot—9d to lOd. Red Clover—ls 3d to Is QdAVhito Clover—ls 2d to Is 4d. Linseed—£23 per ton. Peas—Partridge, 7s; White iTones, 8s; Blue Imperials, to 3s. Beans—7s. Onion*—£ll 10a to £13. Potatoes—£7 15s to £8, for July delivery. DAIRY PRODUCE. There appeam to be a of butter throughout the Dominion, but the local market continues to bo fairly well supplied. Wholesale prices are:— * Butter—Factory Is Od net, fanners' eepar rater Is 4d, dairy Is 3d. .... Cheese—Factory lid to Hid, dairy l&Jd to lid. Bacon (net)— Sides Is l&d, rolls la 3id, haaio Is 25d. ' Honey—Extracted: &Jd per lb, sections <s per dozen. Eggs—Hen egs» 2s 2d per dozes. FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. Vegetables aro in good supply, and meeting with an active demand a.t unchanged, piroes. Both dessert and cookmjr apples we eeißreg well. A side abipment of Cook Island oranges and baxuuiaA arrived from Auddand, and met with a good sale, also a conaignmeist of pasrnoivs, tree toma-toee, Auckland lemons. In the first week in August a Shipment of Yrfoco lemons ajid VeJeticia# i® due, Cook Island orajigeo, 'bananoa xnd tooaa-tosa are' expeoted by tiho same boat. Abcmt a week later a shipment of Fiji bananas xs • cxpected. Nothing camo to iKtikl during t3>e week froen Sydney. The average wholesale prices on the tveek were:— FrniV—Apples, deesente, 14e to lte per case, cooking 11« to 12s, peart 13» to l&J, Fiji banan&s ISa to 20s, Cook Island oranges 19a to 21s, marmalade oranges 16a Gd, cocoanuts 20s to 22s ipor a«ck, walnuta lOd to la sS Veßeta.U€e—Beet Is 61 to 2a 3d per doten bundles, carrots 1b 3d' to le 6d, parsnips Is 6d to Is 9d, turnips Is 8d to to Gd, swedes 5a to 5a per aack, cabbages Is 6d to Ca per dozen, cauliflowers 4e to 12s, oelery €•1 to Sd petr brawHo, lae-ics 4a to sa, jjcjia* toes S& Gd to 4s per smgar bag, 17s to 31a •per eack, oniexns 14« per cwt. TTMAEU. (SPECIAL TO "THE FRIS9.") TIMAItU, July 25. With two holiday* in the week and a, badly dislocated train service, business in the local grain and produce markets has been very dull since previously reporting. Tho position in regard io wheat remains unaltered. Vary few oats are offering. Garten* are ! worth 3s 9d to Ss lOd, and Duns 3« lOd to j Oatsheaf chaff ia not in quite such good demand as formerly, Mid is quoted at £5 10s to £6 MM per ton. I There is an enquiry for hay from Auckland and from tho West Coast. A little laia been I sent lately from Tiwaru to Auckland, and a shipment will go shortly to Groymouth. It is quoted to-day at £4 10s to £5 per ton. Corrgraas and white clover are enquired for. The former is worth Is to Is 3d per pound, and the latter Is 3d to Is Gd. The'potato market is still very firm, out very few are offering. Buyers ere giving £3 to.£B Ida per ton. There is a strong enquiry from Dunedin. DUNEDI2T. (SPECIAL TO "THE PRBS3.") DUNEDIN, July 25. There is nothing doing in wneat »t present owing to the railway restriction, which practically prevents anything coming forward. Dunedin miliars have plenty af wheat on hand for immediate Uee. 'Fowl wheat is not so plentiful, as the railway will not carry it, the result being that prieee have firmed during the week. Any r . good lines aro now worth 6s 2d ex Store, sacks off. ' So far as oata are concerned there is nothing doing in this line, as most of the speculators have secured sufficient for their July commitments. From all accounts oata must be very ecaroe, and it is generally anticipated that a rise will result as soon s« the speculators go into tho mniket-for their August supplies. To-day's price 3 are nominally : B'e 4a Cd and A's 4s £s f.0.b., e.i. Prime quality potatoes. are almost unobtainable at present, and are readily saleable at £10 ex store. Chaff is eaeier, is considerable quantities have oomc forward from the country during tho week, and prices have decreased. It » now difficult to got £7 103, sacks extra, cx truck, for prime, heavy, well-cut lines. SOUTHLAND. (SPECIAL TO "THE PRESS.") INTEKCARGILL, July 25. Kva oats market fs quiet, owing mainly to the railway restrictions. There arc at present few farmers willing to sell, but on the other hand there ia only a moderate enquiry from the North Island. Values may be quoted nominr.ily at S3 7d for A Gartons , and Ss 6d for B grade. The local potato market continues firm, up to £3 5s on trucks having been givsn. There are now only light stocks in growers' hands. All classes of eeed are in good demand. There is not much chaff offering, but in any case business is hampered by tho railway restrictions. Prime is worth up to $& on trucks at country siding. There is a good demand for anything he«vy in the way of perennial, and for well-marked Italian ryegrass. The quantity of good seed in farmers' hands, however, is comparatively email. Light seed is still very difficult to sell. There is not much doing in hemp for Epct deliver. The new season will open m about a month's time, but the difficulty seems to be to get contracts sufficiently remunerative to enable millers to 6tart for another season. j AUCKLAND. (SPZCXAL TO "THK MESS.") AUCKLAND, July 25. The price of potatoes continues firra at £12, es store, with supplies gradually dwindling. Only small quantities are arriving from the South, as shippers are holding out in expectation of farther opoortunities for getiicj their potatoes to Sydney. The .marked impiovsment in the weather is expected to result in an increased demand for esed toes. Several of the popular varieties are in short supply, but shipments are on the way. Prices for onions are only nominal. A few southern aro being carefully repicked and sold at about £19, but the whole supply is insignificant. Higher prioe3 are being quoted in California, to it » doubtful if