COMMERCIAL.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 203, 11 August 1927, Page 7

COMMERCIAL.

SCREENED COAL REASONS FOR INCREASED PRICE. Wellington, Aug. 10. Afzter the transaction of formal business in the House this afternoon the Hon. J. A. Young, on behalf of the Hon. A. D. McLeod, made a Ministerial statement on th© subject of the recent increase in the wholesale and retail price of coal. In the course of his statement, he Minister said all the West Coast mining companies, including Jie Westport Company, have raised the price of screened coal by 2/- per ton. Inquiry reveals the following as some of the reasons for the increases:— Installation of and cost of working ston© dusting plant, increased stringency of regulations applying to use of explosives, and increased rates f or accident insurance. An inspection ol the accounts of one leading coal company shows that costs have advanced considerably since 1925. The 2/- increase in wholesale prices has been made in respect of screened coal only, which constitutes approximately 20 per cent, of the total output of the mine. POTATO STATISTICS. Wellington, Aug. 11. The Hon. R. F. Bollard made a statement in the House to-day on the subject of potato statistics. He said that early inquiries made by the Statistical Department proved that farmer© were over optimistic as to crop results and that their estimates had not been borne out by actual results, especially in Canterbury, Otago and Southland, where weather conditions had considerably reduced the yields anticipated. It therefore has been decided, so far as future years are concerned, that interim estimates for potato yields will not be published, but every endeavour will be made to complete th©'verification and collection in time to include in the interim returns for agricultural production the verified results for potato yields. It is intended also to obtain in the verification and collection particulars as to the yield of table potatoes separately for inclusion in the statistics. VICTORIAN SHIPMENT RETURNED. Auckland, August 10. A shipment of 100 tons of Victorian potatoes which arrived bv the Kartigi on Julv 22 is to be reconsigned back to Australia bv the Ulimaroa on Friday. The new regulations regarding the importation of potatoes were gazetted when the shipment was on the water. Tn resjx>nse to cablegrams, the Australian exporters forwarded certificates complying with the regulations. Samples were forwarded to Wellington with the. necessary papers Several davs elapsed without anv word from the Government, and the Auckland merchants who were to take deliverv decided to cancel the order The Auckland agent of the Victorian company then received instructions to shin the potatoes hack to Australia. Before the necessary arrangements were made the Department of Agriculture issued authority for the landing of the potatoes. The agent then sought further advice from the company, and to-dav a cablegram arrived confirming the previous instructions to the effect that the potatoes should bp returned io Victoria.

STORTFORD LODGE SALE. A BIG YARDING. The Associated Auctioneers held their weekly sale at Stortford Lodge yesterday, when a large yarding of both sheep and cattle came forward. Cattle sold well at late rates, practically the whole yarding being sold under the hammer. Some heavy pens of prime ewes and weathers came forward and sold up to last week’s prices. The whole of the yarding of store sheep was sold' at prices equal to last week’s sale. Following is a range of prices:—Fat bullocks £9 to £lO 7s, prime cows £8 to £8 Ils, others £4 6s, fat heifers £8 to £8 7s, fat weathers 30s 9d to 355, prime ewes 25s to 28s lid, fat ewes 19s to 24s 6d, fwd. ewes 17s to 18s 6d. aged ewes in lamb 14s 6d to 255, wed. hogts. 15s to 275, ewe hogts. 21s to 26s 6d, 2, 4 and 6-th. weds. 27s 6d, 2-th. weds. 26s 9d. The various brokers report sales as under:—

H.B. Farmers’ Co-op. Assn.—2 fat bullocks £lO ss, 2 do £lO 7s, 2 do £lO ss, 3 do £lO, 7 do £8 ss, 2 fat cows £4 Ils, 2 do £4 16s, 2 do £4 Bs, 2 do £3 14s 6d, I 'empty heifer £3 ss, I do £2 15s, I spg. heifer £7, 1 do £5 15s, I do £6 ss, I do £5 15s, I do £5 ss, I do £5 10s, 1 do £2 15s, I do £6 ss, 1 heifer in profit £5, 1 do £3 ss, 5 fat ewes 2 Is, 25 do 20s, 10 do 19s, 31 do 18s 9d, I I do 265, 22 do 19s, 13 do 22s 6d, 20 do 25s Id, 60 do 255, 2 fat lambs 22s 6d, 10 do 21s 6d, 106 2-th. weds. 27s 6d, 20 do 26s 9d, 180 ewes in lamb 255, 194 do 23s 6d, 87 do 14s 6d, 3 do 255, 15 fwd. ewes 17s, 35 do 18s 6d,21 do 18s 6d, 18 store ewes 12s 6d, 25 do 10s 6d, 27 woolly lambs 23s 6d, 27 do 22s 6d, 17 do 275, 8 do 17s 9d, 2 do 7s 6d, 14 ewe hgfs. 26s 6d, 10 do 21s. Williams and Kettle, Ltd.—loo fat wethers 33s Id, 3 fat cows £8 Is, 2 do £6 10s, 1 do £7 4s, 3 do £B, 1 do £7 18s, 2 do £6 2s 6d, I store cow £1 15s, 1 do £ 1 ss, II m.s. weaners £3, 1 vealer £4 15s, 10 cows, calf Hereford bull £4 6s.

Murray, Roberts and Co., Ltd.—2 fat cows £8 Ils, 2 do. £7 7s, 3 do £7, I do £6 15s, I do £6 10s, 3 do £4 I Is, I do £5 16s, 3 do £4 7s 6d, I do £8 10s, 2 do £7 15s, 1 fat heifer £5, I do £4, I do £3 6s, I store cow £2 10s, I do £2 ss, I do £2 2s 6d, I dairy cow £8 ss, 23 fat ewes 28s lid, 20 do 27s 1 Od, 27 do 27s 6d, 40 do 28s, 40 do 23s 6d, 13 do 21s 6d, 36 do 24s 3d, 17 do 23s sd, 27 fat weathers 31s 6d, I do 31s 3d, 149 m.a. ewes R. rams 255, 83 store ewes 15s, 28 m.s. hoggets 255, 128 wether hoggets 18s 6d, 29 cull hoggets 13s 6d, 2 wethers 275.

Daigety and Co., Ltd.—2l9 4 and '5-yr. ewes (S.R. rams) 27e 6d, 71 m.a. ewes (S.D. rams) 27» 3d, 84 m.s. hoggets 23s Id, 26 fat 2-ths 21s 6d, 1 fat ewe 225, 62 fat ewes 21s 4d, 16 f. and f. ewes 20s 3d, I lamb 19s, 100 fat wethers 30s 9d, 97 fat wethers 30s 4d, 3 fat cows, £6 10s, 1 do £6, 3 do £4 19s 6d, 1 do £5 13s, 2 do £4 15s, 1 dairy heifer £5, 1 dairy cow £4 12s 6d, I do £3 10s, 1 do £4, 1 do £4 10s, I do £2, I do £4 ’lss, 1 do £2, I do£6, 2 dairy heifers £4 15s, 3 yearling steers £l 4s, 1 empty dairy heifer £2 ss. De Pelichet, McLeod and Co., Ltd. — 1 dairy cow in profit £2 10s, 1 dairy cow £3 ss, I fat weather 355, 25 at 31st 6d, 24 fat ewes 18s 3d, 42 at 20s 6d, 34 at 22s 6d, 34 at 24s 3d, 34 at 245, 37 m.s. hoggets 15s, 25 ewes in lamb 22«, 63 at I 7s, 4 store ewes 8s 60.

N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd.—lo fat bullocks £lO ss, 5 fat heifers £5, 2 fat steers £9 1 Is, 4 fat heifers £8 7s, 4 at 7gns., 3 at 7gns., 2 at £7 3s, I at £8 7s, 20 fat wethers 275, 105 mixed sex woolly hoggets 245, 8 fat ewes 23s 9d, 6 at 23s 9d, 83 wether hoggets 24s 2d, 75 syr. ewes Rom. rams 20s 9d, 48 ewes S.D. and Rom. rams 21s, 24 mixed six hoggets I 7s, 20 S.D. hoggets 15s 3d, 41 mixed sex hoggets cull 13s 6d, 16 cull 2-th S.D. 16s 9d, 12 shorn hoggets 17s sd, # H.B. Farmers’ Co-op., Assn., Ltd. report having sold on account of Mrs L. L. Reid, Otane:—Dairy cattle ranged from £3 to £9, 2-yr. empty heifer £3 15s, 3yr. heifer in calf £4, weaner heifers £3, porkers 37s to £2 Ils, slips 30s to 355, sows m.a. £4 5s to £lO 2s 6d, weaner pigs 265. ' PEDIGREE CATTLE SALE. Hamilton, Aug. 10. Fifty-six head of pedigree, cattle were disposed of at the annual sale of- the Ruakura State Experimental Farm to-day, when the highest price, 50gns., was realised by the yearling Jersey bull Dominion Ferino. Ayrshires realised 23|gns., yearling Shorthon bulls 23|gns., and yearling Jersey bulls 22|gns.