COMMERCIAL.

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 July 1916, Page 7

COMMERCIAL.

• —— -r 1 CANTERBURY PRODUCE MARKET. J. Meagher, produce broker, Christchurch, reports for the period ending 19th • J uly ns follows ; 'Hie wheat market is still firm and all grades have improved in value during the month. The demand for pearl is very keen, and a sale of 2000 busaels of this variety at 5s 6d per bushel at a country . station is reported from Timaru. There . is a marked difference in lire value of pearl and velvet as compared with Tus- , can, which is fully 9d per bushel less and of which there is a plentiful supply. The official threshing returns up to 20th June exceed six and a-half million bushels; or a quantity nearly equal to the entire haw', vest of last year and well ahead of the two previous seasons. There should therefore be no grounds for anticipating a shortage, and in view of the fact that Australian flour is offered at £lO 7s 6d per ton f.o.b. Sydney wo cannot see why there should bo an inclination to the opinion that values can further improve for some time at least. Oats are practically off the market as far as export orders are concerned, and for seed purposes fairly large qualities of Southland oats are being railedww Canterbury. There is a good local demand for oatsheaf chaff, and values are fully maintained. The local consumption is not as heavy as was anticipated, and with a mild winter it may be found that wo shall have an exportable surplus later on. The potato market is weak as compared with last week. Prices ranged up to £7 per ton at country stations, or an equivalent of £C per ton f.0.b.5.i., and on this basis' transactions have taken place for August delivery; • Within the last few days, however, importers refuse offers at these figures, and local merchants have reduced their limits by. fully 10s per ton. Farmers are not prepared "to accept the reduction, with the result that very little business has taken place during the week. The following are approximately the current quotations f.0.b., sacks included:. Wheat—Milling Tuscan 5s 3d to 5s 6d ; Hunter’s, 5s 6d, and Pearl 6s 3d to 6s 4d per bushbl. Oats—Nominal. * Barley—iMalting 5s Sd to 6s at stations. Flour—£l2 10s pc:- ton. Bran—£s. Pollard—£B. Oatmeal—2slb bags, £l7 per ton. Oatfshoa chaff—£6 5s per ton. Table Potatoes—£7 7s 6d for July delivery. All varieties of farm seeds maintain full values as per recent quotations. ,