COMMERCIAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 15 January 1927, Page 10

COMMERCIAL.

SOUTHERN .PRODUCE MARKETS. IBY I'iiIiEGKAJfH—VKESB ASSOCIATION.) CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 14. The grain and produce trade has settled down after the holidays, and although there is not a great deal ol business to record there is a fair amount of ■inquiry. A more advanced stage of activity has been prevented by "the bursts of unseasonable weather, which have altered what promised to be an early harvest into a fairly late one. Merchants are offering 5s 6d a bushel for wheat, though February parcels would probably bring a couple of ponce more. This is not appealing to growers, who. however, would accept 5s 9d. A fair amount of fowl, wheat has been bought from farmers at 5s 9d, f.0.b., sacks extra, The oats crops will he unusually heavy. Values are very much in the melting not. though some forward business is taking place. Growers have offered A Gartons at 2s. 9(1 on trucks. The normal quotation is Sa 3<T for A. Cartons and 3s Id for B’s, f.o.b . and the equivalent of 2s 7d to 2s 8d and 2s 5d on trucks. There are fair supplies of Algerians left over from last season, and these are mentioned at 2s 3d on trucks. Chaff is dull in sympathy with oats. Ouotations are £5 ss, f.0.b.. sacks in' and some trading has been done at this figure. Quite an amount of* business was done early in the month; with the export of eowgrass, which helped to reduce stocks. Th<? season has been a favourable one for white clover, and some oromising fields are to be seen. As far as npnearances go the potato cron §hotdd again be an exceptionally heavy one, but some allowance has to made for the probabilities of blight. There have been several purchases from here on Sydnev account ft £6 a ton. f.0.b.. sacks in. conditional on no extra duty being imposed. AVFJJJNCTOISr WOOL SALES. The third sale of the season opened on Wednesday with a very rgrge attendance of buyers, representing all woolconsuming centres (report Murray, Roberts and Co., Ltd.) llie quantity allocated for this sale was 27,QU0 bales, and the actual total submitted in an catalogues was a little in excess of this number. Our own offering consisted or 3970 bales, principally crossbreds, with a sprinkling of halfbred and corneclape-, and one or two small lots of merino. Several choice lots of crossbred wool were offered, and our catalogue was on the whole a very attractive one, eliciting spirited competition throughout. Bradford buyers lud very strongly, and secured tire bulk, but it is probable that America wi'L have taken a fair proportion of some of the best wools. Continental support was in evidence on the lower grade clips, pieces and 1 ambs, which made extr meiy good figures for the best lines. The lambs wool on offer was haully as showy as usua 1 ,, bearing evidence of the wet spring. The tone of the market was distinctly encouraging, and the buyers evidently weie in possession of some good orders at enhanced limits since the last sale here. Coarse- wools showed the least advance, and may be quoted par to a half-penny stronger than December rates, whi'o anything showing quality from 48’s up showed a distinct advance, in the case of very showy lots a penny and sometimes more up on last month’s prices. Until the present saie very few lots of lambs wool have been offered, and these also showed a ranch strong, r tone with more competition than at the earlier sahes. Pieces and bellies were in keen demand, and prices may he said to be in sellers’ favour when fairly free of seed. We catalogued a nice line of t'oi riedale woo. It om Pelorus Sound, which realised up to I9;fd for the, ton lot. The sale, so far as it has gone—tines catalogues being disposed of at the evening salemust be highly satisfactory to growers. We sold in the room 97 per cent, of our offering, the few 'ots passed carrying reserves which prevented a sal, being made. Messrs Da go tv and Co.. Lid., report 'Hie third series of wool sales op ned on Wednesday night, when we offeied 4570 bales, selling 97 per cent, under keen competition. The buying was well spread, Bradford, as usual, being the chief comp titors. a rich lilting a heave weight of woo'. Continent was keenly interested, hut _ generally the wools offered were- not suitable for their trade, running too much into preparing quality. America is buying sparingly, taking as usual super wools of from 44’s t,n 48’s oua-'ity. French competition was limited, with the exception of lambs’ wool, in which France was keenly interested, buying most of the super lines offered. As compared with last sales rates prices generally for medium crossbred« can he rinoted in sobers’ lavom . Fine wools 00/58’s id to Id appreciation. Merinos were very firm, ami sold in sellers’ favour, and at times for any super lots J-d to Id advance. We offered* several exceptionally good clips from the Maryborough district, one especially good clip being Craiglockhart. the' top line- of which made 22id. A further line branded GH B. a good warp merino of 60-64’s quality, light in condition, made 213 d. For -'iambs wool a line branded M./Fernlea, 46/50’s, of light condition super, brought 16-rd. In crossbreds, a specially good lot from the Pahautanui district, branded T M, a bulk of 50’s, made IRJd : 6 bales K/Tikitapu, from the Masterton district, 50/48’s, well grown and light in condition, brought the satisfactory price of 17-cl; 4 fin es of super hoggets branded F.nstry also made 163. On the sale bring resumed the following day, prices showed no variation from opening rates, the firm tone remaining tin to the end of the hist catalogue. I I Ii.XT)OX WOOI. SALES. The X, w Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency, to., Ltd., have received the following cabegrarn from London under date of 12th inst. “Wool sales lists closed .January 10. Horora-ta and Ruapehu available. Bunhine shut out.” DA IMV BRODLCF. 'l.ii New Zealand l.oan and 'Mercanti'e Agency C'o.. Ltd., have received Llie following cablegram from London under date 12th inst.: —"Dairy produce (last week’s quotations in pa-ien-tlieses). —JJuttir: New Zealand, very quiet. Controlled quotations unchanged; stored, 2s lower. (Controlled 172 s to 1745), (stored 1.665). Cheese: Market steady. Ouotations unchanged. (Coloured 945, wliita 945). The Bank of New Zealand, Produce Department, has received the following advice from its London office under date 12th inst.: —“Tallow: There-is an improved demand, with prices steady).” Messrs Dnlgefcy and Co v Ltd., -report having received the following cablegram.

from London under Cute of the 12th jinst. ; ‘Bsß casks tallow offered; 429 sold. Prioeei unchanged.” , DAIRY DIVISION’S REPORT. The figures of the Dairy Division, of the Department of Agriculture show that the salted butter graded for December, 1926, were 11,175 tons, and the unsalted 454 tons, a total of 11,629 compared with 10,182 saw ted and 773 tons unsalted, a total of 10,958 for December of 1925, an increase of 6.1 per cent. For the five, months ended December, 1926. the respective quantities were 34,557 tons and 1058 tons, a total of 35 615 tons compared with 30.860 tons and 1922 tons, a total of 32,782 tons for the corresponding period of the preceding season, an increase of 8.6 per cent. The cheese graded for December, 1926, comprised: White 8551 tons, coloured 4324 tons, n total of 12,875 tons, compared with 8249 tons white and 4733 tons coloured, a total of 12.982 ton* for December. 1925. a decrease of 0.8 ner cent. The quantities for the five 'months ended December, 1926, wet : White 22,616 tons; coloured. 11,223 tons, a total of 33.839 tons, compared with 21.583 tons white and 11,890 tons coloured, a total of 33,473 tons, foi the corresponding period of the preceding season, an increase of 1.1 tier cent. Converting these figures into butterfaf equivalent, there is an increase of 6.2 nor cent in hutter-fat .production for the five months, as compared with the corresnonding neriod of the 192526 season. Stocks held in the various grading ports at December 31. 1926. were : Rutter 10.747 tons, cheese 10,045 tons, as compared with 5735 tons butter and 8136 tons cheese he’d on December 31. 1925.