MARKET REPORTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12588, 24 August 1901, Page 5

MARKET REPORTS.

GRAIN AND PRODUCE. Locally there lias been rather more wheat offering, but buyers are nob very keen. Farmers decline in most cases to sell prune lines at less than 2s 6dat country stations, and at these prices only a few small lines have been taken lately. The latest cables from London are to the effect that the English wheat market shows no improvement, and the best offer for New Zealand cargoes was 26s 6d. As already mentioned there has been a phenomenal harvest in Manitoba), and the yield throughout Canada has been heavy, and this would lead to the supposition that large quantities of wheat will find their way to the European markets. On the other hand, the, effect of this influx will probably be to some extent counterbalanced by the failure of the main Russian crop, which is a considerable factor in the Home markets, Late American exchanges by the San Francisco mail state tbat London cables, dated July 20, are to the effect that the wheat crops in Siberia) are almost a total failure. In the principal wheat growing districts almost the entire growth of cereals 'had perished as the result of a severe drought. In the Volga region and Southern Russia over 40,000 acres under grain had been absolutely destroyed by heavy hailstorms, end the ravages of the Hessian fly. Although the offerings of oats have been much larger during the past week, owing, no doubt, to the commencement of spring threshing, all coming forward have been readily taken up by speculators, " and 1 the market has further finned. It has been freely stated that another large Imperial order for oats from South Africa, which has been mentioned during the' past Week has nob been placed with local films, and although no' reliable information is obtainable in the ‘matter, the anxiety of some merchants to secure any suitable lines offering even at the advanced rates now ruling, lends colour to the statement. The steamer Mombasea left for Durban yesterday, with a full cargo of oats, aud it is understood', that there are several other boats booked to follow. Should this be the case it is quite probable that the present prices of oats will continue ,if they do nob advance. Private cable messages from Sydney, received yesterday, announce that the market there is fully supplied with potatoes, and that prices for the New Zealand tuber have fallen to £5 10s to £5 15s per ton. However, the shipments from this colony this week are small, and if Tasmania does nob export heavily, the Sydney market' may yet recover its buoyancy. In the absence of orders from Sydney local merchants do not see their way to give the prices asked by growers, who are firm in their demands for £4 10s at country stations, and little or no business is passing. The scarcity of local factory butter has caused the price of the North Island article to advance by s'd per lb. The following are prices paid to farmer* by merchants :—. ■Wheat. —Prime milling, Tuscan 2a 7d to 2s 7Jd, Pearland Hunter’s 2a fid to 2s 6Jd, whole fowlwheat 2s 4d to 2s fidOats.—Canadians 2s to 2s 2d, short feed.2s to 2s Id, Duns and Danish Is lid to 2s. Barley.—Prime malting 2s 4d to 2s fid, medium 2s to 2s 2d delivered. Flour.—Millers quote roller £6 15s, sharps £i, bran £3 10s Oatsheai Chaff.—37s fid to 40s at country stations. Hay.—£2 10s to £2 15s delivered, baled for shipment £4 f.o.b. Oatmeal.,—£ll. 'Beans. —2s 6Jd to 2a 7id f.o.b. Peas. —Blue Prussian 3s 9d to 4s, Partridge 3s to 3s Id f.o.b. Potatoes. —Derwents £4 10s at stations. Seed. —Kyegrass, farmers' lines, Is fid to 2s for extra good, farmers’ seed, machine-dressed 2s fid to 3s Sd. Cocksfoot, farmers’ dressed lines 2Jd to 2Jd for bright feed. Cowgxass 6Jd to 7Jd. White clover, farmers’ lines 7d to Bd. Dairy Produce. —CheMe, dairy 4d to 4Jd, factory 4|d to sd. Butter—Fresh local factory Is 2d, best dairy lid, salt, in boxes, Sd for prime, North Island factory Is ISd f.o.b. Bacon and hams Bid to fiid, factory id per lb higher. The exports.of grain and produce for the week included the following limes ;—1632 sacks wheat, 664 sacks and 311 bags flour, 1828 sacks and 50,924 bags oats, 30 sacks meal, 172 sacks barley, 36 sacks malt, 426 sacks bran, 65 sacks sharps, 250 sacks pollard, 540 sacks chaff, 14 sacks peas, 2056 sacks potatoes, 36 sacks and 8 bags onions, 632 sacks seed, and 150 bales hay. All of the above' were sent to New Zealand) ports, except 50,924 bags of oats shipped for South Africa. TIMARU. The wheat market is fairly brisk,and local millers are buying all priine parcels that are offering at 2s 6d on trucks, Timaru, although many growers are holding for the same price at country stations. There

are very few oats of any grade offering, and any that come forward are readily taken for export at quotations. The following are quotations:—Wheat—Tuscan milling 2s 6d per bushel, Velvet milling 2s, 6d per bushel, Red Chaff milling 2s 6d per bushel on trucks Timaru (sacks extra). Oats— Danish Is lOd to Is lid, Duns Is lOd to Is lid, Tartars Is lOd to Is lid, Sparrowbills Is 10d! to Is lid, Canadians 3s, , on trucks, Timaru (sacks extra).. ' Feed barley Is 6d to Is Bdl f.o.b. (sacks extra). Potatoes—Derwents 85s to 90s per ■ ton, trucks country stations (sacks in). DUNEDIN. [Per Press Association.] DUNEDIN, August 25. Wheat.—There is a good demand for all descriptions. Prime samples are sought after by miUers,and medium is more saleable than of late. Fowl feed is : veryscarce. Prime Velvet and Tuscan 2s Bid to 2s lOd, medium 2s 6£d to 2s Bd, fowl feed, whole 2s 5d to 3s 6£d, broken 2s 2d to 2s 4£d, bags in. Gate.—The demand continues brisk, and prices have hardened. Prime milling • and feed: are readily sold, but medium grades are harder.to . move. Seed 2s 2d to 2s 3d, pram® milling 2s l£dl to 2s 3d, good to best feed 2s to 2s Id, inferior to medium la 9d to Is lid, bags extra. Barley .—There is no business doing, and quotations are purely nominal, with the exception of feed: , Lakes prime 3s to 3s 6d, malting 2s 3d to 2s 9d‘i milling Is 9d to 2s, feed Is 6di to Is Bd. SOUTHLAND, INVERCARGILL, August ,23. . The demand for oats still continues brisk, and the market has advanced, during the past week, : In face of the 3erg6 shipnrents taking place from the Bluff it seems certain that prices will continue firm so long as South African orders'eome into 'the market, and as supplies are not too plentiful it is possible that, further advances in values may take place. Deliveries have fallen off considerably owing partly to bad roads and necessary work to be done at this season. Although an order has been placed in. Victoria by the Imperial Government there, is every reason to believe that a considerable , portion of the oats will be bought in New Zealand, as stocks are reported' to be very low in Victoria. Present quotations are: Is 9d to Is sacks extra, on trucks, up country station in large sacks. STUDHOLME. At the Studholme stock sale yesterday, between. 5000 and 6000 sheep were entered, the greater portion • of which, were aged ewes ini lamb, which met an easier sale. Young ewes were better competed for, up to 18s 3d; full-mouthed three-quarter-bred ewes, 13s 4d to 14s lid; sound-mouthed merino ewes, in lamb, 8s 9d; forward three-quarter-bred, hoggets, 13s 2d; - good store hoggets, 12s 3d to 12s 7d; wethers and maiden ewes, 16s to 18s. There was hut a small yarding of cattle—Fat cows,, , £6 10. s; store bullocks, to £5 10s; . cows in . profit, £5 to £5 10s.