COMMERCIAL.

Evening Star, Issue 14638, 7 August 1911, Page 6

COMMERCIAL.

i " There is a serious scarcity of mutton in South Canterbury .at the present time." So remarked a prominent stock agent in conversation with a Tbnaru ' Herald' reporter. Mutton, he continued, was now quite as difficult as beef to procure. The position was assuming a rather serious aspect, and meant that the housewife would find meat eveu a dearer necessity in the near future than it is now—meat, indeed, would soon have to be regarded as a luxury. At the Pleasant Point sale last week there was a yarding of only 76 so-called " fats." and at" Temuka next day there were 150, all inferior stuff. Even these realised up to £1 0s 7d, a reasonable price for a good wether. Good mutton postitively could uot be got. " What, then, would the butchers do for their supplies ?" queried the reporter. "It is simply," the stockman replied, "a case of going to the bigger centres, and even there you will find mutton costly." "What had brought about such a state of affairs?" was a further question asked. " Over-exportation is the cause of it," came the ready reply —"that is the whole sum and substance of it." ROYAL HORSE SHOW. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. SYDNEY, August 6. At the Royal Agricultural Society's annual horse parade and show New Zealand is well represented. Mr Daraley again secured first honors in the stallions' aged class, and Mr James Grant's Baron Grant secured second prize. For active farm stallions, aged, Messrs Mitchell and O'Brien's Sir William secured first, and the same owners' Douglas second. In tbo class for three-year-olds Messrs Mitchell and O'Brien's Premier Maclean was first. In the class for aged mares Mr James Grant's Lily was first, and in that for miscellaneous draught pairs Mr James Grant's Rose and Lily were first. THE MEAT MARKET. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON. August 5. Sheep.—Canterbury and Southland are '< unchanged; North' Island, 3gd ; best brands, 1 " 3Jd ; New Zealand ewes, unchanged. Lambs.—Canterbury, light, 5 3-16 d : medium. 5 1-lfcxl ; heavy, 4fd ; Southland and North Island, unchanged. Beef.---Fores. 2J.d ; hinds, 3£d. Australian Sheep.—Light. 3fd : heavy and ewes, unchanged. Lambs, unchanged. Beef, fores 23-16 d. hinds Sid. South American Sheep.—Light, 3 9-16 d ; heavy, 3|d ; ewes, 3 l-16d : lambs, _ unchanged. Beef, frozen fores hinds 33d.' South American chilled meat is quoted at :—Fores, 3d ; hinds, 4-^d.

THE MARKETS. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, August 6. (Received Angust 7, at 8.40 a.m.) (kipper : Spot. £56 7s 6d; three months, £57 Is 3d. Tin : Spot. £192; three months, £IBB 10s. Lead. £l3 17s 6d. Wheat : A cargo of Australian sold at 54s 4i,d. Copra : The market is more active. South Sea, bags, £23 10s. Hemp : Slow and unchanged. Jute : Au>gust shipmenty £l9 15s; September, £IS ss.' Rnbber, 4s 7d. Cotton: August and Septebraer shipment, 6.52 d. Hides : Neglected and unchanged. Leather : Declined jd. First New Zealand, 15Jd. Basils have declined J,d to|d. First New Zealand. 83d. Rabbits : A steady demand, and improving. GRAIN AND PRODUCE. Donald Rekl and Co.. Ltd., report: We held our weekly auction sale of grain and produce at our stores to-day, when prices ruled, as under: Oats.—Consignments have slackened considerably, and as stocks in local stores are light, shippers' orders are not readily supplied, and prices are firm at a slight advance on late quotations. We quote tfl Prime nulling. 2s 5-jjd to 2s 6d ; good t j A< best feed. 2s to 2s s£d ; inferior t(* medium, 2s 2d to 2s 4d per bushel sacks extra. Wheat.—There is good demand from millers for prime velvet and velvet-ear, while owing to a reduction in freights shippers have been able to bring about some business in Tuscan. There is consequently a better tone in the market. Wo quote: Prime milling velvet, 3s 7d to 5s 8d : velvet-ear, 5s 6d to 3s 7d ; Tuscan. 5s sjd to 5s 6|d: medium. 5» 5d to 5s 5' 2 d ; best whole, fowl wheat, 3s 3d to 5p 4£d; medium, 2s lid to 3s 2cl; broken and damaged, 2s 6d to 2& lOd per bushel (sacks extra).

Potatoes. —Local stocks are now somewhat reduced, and the quantity of prime potatoes coming forward is not great. There has therefore been rather better demajid, confined almost entirely to prime, lots. We quote: Best table potatoes, £3 to £3 ss-: medium, £2 10s to £2 15s; interior, £2 to £2 7e 6d per ton (bags included). Chaff.—The market is more heavily supplied, and only prime qualities have, any attention, prions ruling a shade below late quotations. Wo quote : Prime oaten.sheaf, to £4 ss; choice, to £4 7s 6d; medium to good. £3 10s to £4; discolored and light, £3 to £3 7s 6d per ton (sacks extra). HIGH COMMISSIONER'S BEPOET. The High Commissioner cabled from London on August 5 (the quotations, unless otherwise specified, are the- average market prices on spot) : Mutton.—Market weaker, with tendency downwards. There is poor demand, and an inclination to force sales. Quotations: Ciinterbury, 3Jd; North Island, 3|d. Lamb. —Market steady. A good demand continues, but some holders are anxious to sell. Canterbury—light weight sid, heaw weight 4|d ; other than Canterbury, 43d;' River Plate. 4^d. The beef market is dull, and stock is accumulating. On tho whole there is a slight improvement in demaud this week, owing to reduced offerings of chilled. New Zealand hinde, 3^d; fores, 2|d. Butter.—The market Temains firm. Several steamers cannot discharge, on account of the strike, which does not affect the market so far, which is using stock from cold stores. Australian, 112s per cwt; Danish, 1225; Siberian. 109s. firm. White, 60s; colored, 61s. Hemp.—Market dull; very little business doingv New Zealand, good fair, on spot £2O 12s 6d; fair grade, £l9 10s;. failcurrent Manila, £2O 10s; forward shipment New Zealand, good fair, £2O 15s; fair grade, £l9 15s. The output from Manila for the week was 14,000 bales. The stock of New Zealand hemp on hand is 868 tons. Kauri Rum.—Market steady, with a very good demand. Stock, 437 tons. Quotations : Dark brown, selected, rescraped, £7 2s 6d; dark brown, three-quarter tscraped, £4 7s 6d; dark brown, chips, drossy, 35s to 455;, rescraped palo amber, £l2 to £ls; three-quarter pale scraped, £7 10s; diggers' chips, good, 40s to 50s. Wool.—The market remains firm, and fair demand contunres. Current quotations : For Bradford tops, 36's, low crossbreda, Is l£d; 40's, low cross-breds. Is 2d; 44's. medium cross-breds, Is" 2|d; 50's half-breds, Is 6-id; 56's, quarterbred s, 2s 9£d ; 60's, merinos, Is 2d. Biver Plato shipments of-mutton and lamb received during July, 1911: Carcasses. Mutton. Lamb. At London 60,646 9,940 At Liverpool ... 127,327 40,998 At Hull ...... 10,000 1,000 At Newcastle ... 13,434 1,000 At Southampton ... 13,665 5,500 At Cardiff ' 5,000 Totak 230,071 48,438 For July, 1910, the totals were 237,028 .'carcasses "of nmttoa>And 46,741 carcasses of lamb- '"."•"'