COMMERCIAL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 437, 7 February 1912, Page 5

COMMERCIAL.

—.». HIGH COMMISSIONERS' CABLEGRAM. Wellington, Monday, The High Commissioner's cable, dated London, February 3rd, is as follows (quotations, unless otherwise specified, being average market prices on spot) : Mutton. The market is steady without animation. Best quality scarce. North Island 4Jd, Australian 3Jd, River Plate :^d. Lamb.—The market is firm, with good demand for prime quality, due to scarcity of the same. Buyers are not inclined to make forward purchases. Present prices are: Austral 4§d, River Plate 4Jd, other than Canterbury s£d. Beef.—The market remains firm, and the 'supply is small, but constant. New Zealand hind-quarters 4Jd, forequarters 4d, nominal. Butter.—The market is steady and likely to remain so. Moderate supplies are coining forward from Denmark and Siberia. The average price for the week for choicest New Zealand per cwt. is 131 Australian 128s, Argentine 1275, Danish 1355, Siberian 1295. Cheese.—The market is steady, with good demand for all descriptions, both white and coloured.

"' Hemp.—The market is quiet, but Bteady. New Zealand, frpod fair on spot £2l 10s, fair grade £2O 103, fair current Manila £22; forward shipment aboat the same. The output from Manilla for the week was 39,000 bales. Hops. —The market is firm. Grading has reduced supplies. English £l3, Californian £l2. Wool.—The sales have closed, with the market a shade weaker than at the opening. Buyers are cautious. American competition slackened before the close. Best wools are unaltered; medium and inferior are a halfDenny less than at the close of the Jast sale. The estimated values per lb of superior merino is n s to la l|d, medium merino 9*d to lid, inferior mernio 7*d to 9d, fine crossbreds of all grade's lljd to 13 Hd, medium crossbred 3 Sd to 10id, coarse crossbreds of all grades 7d to lOd. There are 1500 bales of New Zealand wools held over. The Bank of New Zealand has received the following cable from its London office:—"The wool snles have closed with good inquiry from all branches of the trade. for all wools next series are favourable. Total quantity held over 14,000 bales, of which 2000 bales are New Zealand. Market for all kinds of greasy crossbreds has a weaker tone since our last cable. Sheepskins: Compared with the average of last sales, prices for practically ail descriptions are unchanged. Prices for coarse crossbred full-woolled shew a slight improvement." _.