MARKET REPORTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12621, 2 October 1901, Page 3

MARKET REPORTS.

GRAIN AND PRODUCE. The wheat market shows no improve-, ment, and very little business is passing locally, there being no inclination to purchase. The bulk of the cheap space by direcb steamers to London has now been taken up, and a good deal is being shipped ok growers' account. The scarcity of offerings'in oats, and the anxiety of speculators to° secure any lines -offering, has caused the loc&l market to firm considerably, and holders are disinclined to sell, even; at the advanced prices recorded in quotations, feeling confident that further orders will come for South Africa. The demand for potatoes has almost ceased locally, and prices are purely nominal. Merchants are now busy receiving the consignments bought for early October delivery, and are engaged in getting these away to Sydney as quickly as possible, in "view of . tho early imposition of the ■ Federal tariff. The'statement that the. tariff would come into force on Oct. 8 caused quite a flutter among local holders, ar.d on the off-cHance of the statement" 'being correct, a number of them requisitioned the Union; Steamship Company to get .the Sydney boat away.from Lyttelton. a day earlier this week, in order that the cargo might be landed at Sydney On Oct. 7, and be admitted duty free. The company has arranged to comply with the request, and it is anticipated that large quantities of potatoes will be shipped by her. It is not expected, however, that the imposition of the duty will-materially affect NewZealand this year, as the Tasmanian' supply has run out, and Sydney will have to depend upon this colony to fill requirements. This being the case, it is evident that the consumer will have to pay the increased cost.

The following are f.o.b. prices paid by merchants to farmers:

Wheat —Prims milling, Tuscan 23 6Jd, Pearl and Hunter's 2s s£d, whole fowl wheat 2s id to 2a 6d. , , . - -, Oats.—Canadian 2s id to 2s Sd, short feed 2s 3d to 2s 4d, Duns and Danish- 2s 2d to 23 3d, Tarlarian-s 2s 3d to 2s 4d. Barley.—Prime malting 4d to 2s 6d, medium 2s to 2s 2d delivered. . Flour.—Millers quote roller £6 15s, sharps £l, bran £3 10s , Oat-sheaf Chaffi.—3ss to 40s.at country stations. Hay.—£2 103 to £2 15s delivered. Oatmeal.—£l2. Potatoes.—Derwer.ts, nominal. g ee d.—Eyegrass, farmers' lines, Is 3d to 2s tor extra good, farmers' seed, machine-dressed 2s 6d to 3s. Cocksfoot, farmers' dressed line 3 2gd to 2Jd for brizht seed. Cowgrass (dressed seed) 6|d to ~7|d. White ciover, farmers' lines 7d to Bd. Dairy Produce.—Cheese, dairy 4d to 4Jd, factory 4£d to sd. Butter—Fresh local factory Is, best dairy lOd, salt, i:i boxes, 8d for prime, North Island factory, lid f.o.b. Bacon and hams C£d to 6*d/ factory id pes lb higher.

RANGIORA. At Rangioaia yesterday the attendance at the market was above the average. At the Central Saleyards the yarding com-prised-1500 sheep «nd lambs, 80 cattle,,and 90 pig?. Prices were—Good freezing sheep 19y to 21s, butchers' fat- sheep 15s to 18s, half-bred hoggets 12s 6d to 14s 6d, ewes and lambs (aft counted) 7s 9d to 8s 9d. Cattle.—Prime beef 25s per 1001 b, medium 20s ; good springers £8 10:s to £9, medium quality springers £5 to £7, two-year-old steers £4 to £4 ss, eighteen to twenty-months-okl cattle £2 15s to £3 ss, calves 255. Pigs.—Baconers, light weights 40s' to 47s 6d, porkers 25s to 325, good stores 15s to 18s. small 9s to 12s, wean-ers 8s to lis, suckers 5s to 7s, In tlw. produce yards' cross-bred -skins made 3s to 3s lOd,'merino 2s lid to 3s Bd, fat l|d In Ij|d per lb, hides 2£d per lb, horsehair ll£d. Poultry.—Roosters 3s 3d to 5s per pair, hens 2s 3d to 3s sd, ducks 3s 9d ; chickwbeat 2s 4d per bushel, feed cuts 2s Id, crushed 2s 3d. beans 2s Bd, kibbled beans 2s 9d, partridge peas 3s 6d, barley 2s 2d, sharps 6s 3d per bag, bran 3s 9d, pio-mcal Bs. bsan-meal Bs, eatshcaf chaff 375~6d to 45s per ton, straw chaff 25s to 355, jpcitatocs 6s to 8s 6d per bag, parsnips Is 6:1 per sack. OUST. The- monthly, sale' was held at-Gust on Monday, when there- was fen entry of 650 sheep and 42 cattle. There way a good attendance, and the bidding was brisk. Shetp.—Fat ewes and wethers < made 15s 8d to 17s, half-bred aged ewrs with lambs (all counted) 7s "9d, aged half-bred ewes in lamb 13s 3d, merino ewes with, lambs 6s cd Cattle. —Two-year-ckl steers and heifers £2 12s 6d to £3 16s, springers £5 12-s to- £7, fat cows £7 to £8 ss. P.gs.— Weaners 7s to Bs, stores 20s. A quantity of produce was also sold at full;. marketprices. . ~,.....

ASHEUPvTON. The weeklv sale at the- Ashburton Tards was held'yeh'iQrdix. The entries of sheep and cattle were small. Cattle- sold wt *air rates,-but store sheep did not show any improvement, althouglrit was expected hat the recent rains would have enhanced Uie.r value. The following are the P"°*f : r" Cattle-Fat heifers £3 12s 6d to £6 ss-, store cows in profit £,% 10s Sheep-Fa, cress-bred wethers 13s 3d to 19s 6d me-runo wethers 10a to 13s 2d, freezing wethers 17s 5d stow sheep—cross-bred ewes and lambs

(all counted) 8s lid to 10s 4d, hoggets 12s 9d to 13s 4d. Store pigs brought 8s to 10s Bd. washdyke; There wag a fair entry of sheep and a few head of cattle at the Washdyke Saleyards yesterday, but a poor attendance "of buyers. Eat wethers sold up to 20s, merino wethers 15s 3d, fat cow £5,17s 6d, dry cow £4 12s, .calves (nine months) 28j 6d. PROPERTY SALE. Mr Charles ClaT.k held a sale, of property at his rooms yesterday, when several places changed hands. In the estate of the late Mr J. M'William, - a small store at the comer of Springfield Road, and Clare Road with'small section, was purchased by Miss W. Goyerin fbr3£2oo, and a four-roomed cottage adjoining was sold to Mr W. Hitchens for £l5O. Two other properties in the same estate were withdrawn—a seven-roomed house in Barbour Street, off Ferry Road, at £475, and a four-roomed cottage , adjoining at £290. Several sections in the Gresford estate were- then disposed'of as.follows: —Two half-acre sections at £125 each, to Mr O, Raine; quar-ter-acre sections at £7O each, to Messrs A. Goggini and T. Newbey, and another at £6l to Mr C. Howard.