COMMERCIAL.

Evening Star, Issue 15817, 31 May 1915, Page 1

COMMERCIAL.

THE MARKETS. LONDON, May 29. Frozen Meat.—North Island mutton, ordinary, 7 7-16 d; ewos, 6d; Australian mutton, light 6|d, heavy 6d; ewes, s?d; Raver Plate mutton, light, 40-551b, 6W; heavy, 56-721b, 6d; owes, 5Jd; Canterbury lamb, light B£d, second quality 8d; North Island lamb, selected B£d, ordinary 7|d; Australian lamb, best brands 73d, fair quality 7J,d, inferior 7gd; River Plate lamb, first' quality second quality 7|d; River Plate beef, chilled fores 6Jd, hinds B^d. Jute.—May and June shipments. £25 10s. c Hemp.—June and August shipments, £32 JL5s. Copra.—May and June shipments. £22 10s. Cotton.—May and June shipments, sd. Rubber.—Para, 2s 7.U1; plantation. 2s <H-d; smoked, 2s 4£d. * _ Wheat.—lnactive. Chicago Jnlv options, 126 i to 128J cents: September options. 120f to 121} cents. Silver, 23 5-16 d. Quicksilver, 255s to 257s 6d. The total quantity of wheat and flour o cnnJ 0 * the Unitwl Kingdom is a : im')C£ quarters, and for the Continent 4,100,000 quarters. The Atlantic shipments total 503,000 quarters, and the Pacific shipments 6,000 quarters. The totals are: Europe 1,270.000 quarters, India 190,000, Argentine 414,000. GRAIN AND PRODUCE. Messrs Donald Reid and Co. report : We held our weekly auction sale of grain and produce at our stores this morning when valves ruled as under: Oats.—'L'lie advance reported last week has been well maintained, and there is ready sale at quotations for ;dl -rood lots offering. Special seed lines also have good inquiry. We quote: Prime milling as Id to 4e 2d; good to beet feed, 4s to* 4s Id ; inferior to medium, 3s 9d' to 3s lid per bushel (sacks extra). Wheat.—Prime milling lots meet with better demand. A large proportion of the •ator threshed lines arc barely in milling condition, and these arc r.ot readily dealt with. Choice lots, however, are "readily taken up by millers. Fowl wheat is fairly plentiful, and meets moderate demand. We quote: Trime milling velvet 6s lOd to 6s lid ; Tuscan, etc.. 6s B<l to 6s lOd; best whole fowl wheat, 6s 6d to 6s 8d; medium, 6s to 6s 4d per bushel (sacks extra). Potatoes.—There is a better tone in the market, due- chiefly to the prospect of a little export trade being done. Only prime, sound, well-picked lines will be considered by purchasers, and so far only a moderate quantity is required We quote : Best table potatoes, £4 15s to £5 -' choice, to £5 2s 6d per ton (sacks included). Chaff.—With strong inquiry from shippers all good to prime lots 'offering continue to meet with readv sale at-"prices somewhat in advance of'late quotations'. Inferior and discolored lines are'not in Tequest, but straw chaff meets good demand. We quote: Best oaten slieaf £6 10s to £6 16s; choice. £6 17s 6d to£7medium to good, £5 10s to £6 ss: straw chaff—oaten £3 5s to £3 10s. wheate.n £jo to £5 5s per ton (bass extra). and Co.. Ltd.. report as Oats.—There has been more activity in the market of late. Shippers and me,-, chants have been operating more extensively at advanced rates, and the market remains firm at quotations. We quote ■ Prime milling. 4s 2d; good to best teed. 4s to 4s Id ; inferior and damaged 3< 9d to os lOd per bushel (sacks extra). Wheat—There has been a little more inquiry oMato for good milling samples, and millers have shown more '"disposition to operate for any suitable lines. Fowl wheat is oflermg freely, and meets with a moderate demand at quotations. We ouolcPrime milling velvet, 6s lOd to 6-.'] IdTuscan and red wheats. 6s 8d to 6s lOd '■ best whole fowl wheat. 6s 6d to 6s 8d ne'bushel (sacks extra).

I otatoes.—Consignments have not been coming forward quite so freelv. Shippers have been operating more 'freelv and values show a firming tendency. \l'l wellgraded. freshly-du ff samples in good are meeting with a readv sale on arrival' VYe quote: Best tables.' £4 15s te £o ■ choice lots, to £5 2s 6d ; medium to good' £4 7s 6d to £4 12s 6d. hj Chaff.—The market has been barely supplied 0 t late. There, is a strong inquiry for all good oaten sheaf coming forward at prices in advance of late values Straw chaff has been offering freelv, and meets with a steady demand. We quote : Choice lines to £7: good oaten sheaf. £6 10s to ±.o los; medium to good, £6 to £6 6d per ton (sacks extra). TEA PRICES IN ENGLAND So far as may be gathered from statements recently published by or for good authorities ,n the wholesale tea trade, say. tho Keighley (Yorkshire) 'News,' retail purchasers have for many weeks past been supplied with this uninebriating drink at wholesale cost price or something less I ho wholesale cost without duty has gone lipoid or 3d per lb almost alike, for inferior and superior kinds, until lid per i™s t }^ m a H a " ali - r °und price. Add 8d for duty, and we get Is 7d—showing that tea at Is 6d is impossible even if botn wholesaler and retailer go without profit whilst Is 8d leaves a profit for only one of the two, and a very narrow profit at that, allowing for unavoidable loss in dividing the pound weight into retail quantities. Then how do the large quant-' ties of actually retailed Is 6d and 1* 8d tea get through? Because many merchant--made large speculative purchases before the rise occurred; and inasmuch as some of these speculators have extensive special clienteles and a. reputation which cost much to obtain, they continue to sell at tormer prices until their stocks run out or until something haopens—say a further war emergency increa.se in the duty