MARKET REPORTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16992, 20 October 1915, Page 9

MARKET REPORTS.

GRAIN AND PRODUCE CHRISTCHUKCH, October 19. Bu<rine«„ as far as cereals are concerned Is Really non-existent, ioiiear as -if tho majority of the merclianis S as B well close /their pl.c, ind co on a lengthy holiday. With ovcr\ SIAS" Pa«« bu.ines. » becoming rteadily less and less, and <*-"»>>»* PfTj 'ions'/stated, it has apparently reached bodcock In face of the almost ridiculously low &«". made by millers merchants when samples of wheat are eubmittcd to them, it is certainly not surprising that so lew holders take the trouble to &£**** V™ on offer, and now sometimes days pas s with fuSantto accept prices which do not rapxe-*-nt more 4han 60 per cent of offers wJiicn they refused earlier in the Mason, end most oi them have now finally decided to leave their gwin in store pending an improvement in*tfcf market. Under such conditions it is ataortsuperfluous to say that the amount that hw changed hands oh last report has been infinitesimal. The oat market entirely lacks anything tn the shape of briskness, competition being extremely slow, and prices decidedly easy. Offering. «e of small volume and the few small slles that have been made during the last few weeks have been Without exception for local consumption. Oatmeal has been reduced to £2O per ton.. . • In sympathy with the easier, tone the markets in the Commonwealth; the .local demand for potatoes is weaker than It was at the close of last week, end some merchant* who were then ready buyers are now off the market. It is considered that comparatively few mora potatoes will be .hipped to Sydney, the season being now too "far advanced, while new season's potamss will soon become a senou ß factor m ihe market. Up to the present few have come on.to the market, and it is possible that the frost experienced this mornuig will have a detrimental effect on the local crops, but no doubt early supplies wilr soon reach Christchurch from the North Island, where crops are reported to bo looking particularly promising. , The following quotations are for purchases from farmers net cash, sacks extra, delivered at country stations, the figures for tho corresponding date of 1914 being also given for purposes of comparison. (Note.— An asterisk indicates that tho prioe is nominal, there being little or no demand):— Ootoberl9, October 20,

• GROCERIES: RETAIL PRICES. CHRISTCHURCH, October 19. Since the outbreak of the war and 1 the consequent dislocation of trado there have been considerable fluctuations in the prices of many articles of cvory-day household use, and • consequently housewives are not infrequently at a loss, to ascertain what a certain article will cost, as the erocer'a price lists are issued only at long intervals. The following are the latest quotations of some of the principal lines, the price given unless otherwise stated being at per lb:— Dried apricots lOd, dried apples lOd, Jordan almonds 23 6d, Sicily almonds Is lOd, .arrowroot 6d and Bd, alum sd, pearl barley Bd, separator butter l s 4d, factory butter 1b 6d, Stearine candles ssd, wax candles 6jd, currants sd, cream of tartar 2s, plantation coffee ls 9d, Challenge cornflour Bd, factory cheese lOd, desiccated cocoamit Sd, lemon peel Bd, orange peel 9d, Citron peel ls 4d,' mixed peel lOd, Epsom salts Sd, sultanas Bd, seeded raisins 7d, seedless raisins 7d, Spanish muecatals Is 4d, Californinn muscatels Is, prunes Bd, dessert figs lOd, cooking figs 3d, flour, per sack 28s Gd, preserved ginger lOd, ground ginger ls' 4d, whole white ginger ls 4d, whole brown ginger 10d, Gerstena, per bag Is 3d, whole linseed 2id, crushed meal linseed 3d, lentils 4d. lard, per packet, lid. margarine ]od, macaroni 6d, oread, per loaf Sd, maizena 7d, oatmeal, Tib bag Is Bd, Oto, per bag is 3d, white pepper Is Cd, black popper 1 3 4d, pea flour Sd, .Japanese rice 2id. best ground rice 3d, 1A Snowdrop sugar 2Jd, washing, soda Id, carbonate of soda 3d, split peas' 3Jd, saltpetre Bd, sulphur 3d, sago sheep's tongues Is 3d, sharps, per sack 10s, tapioca, while flake 2Jd, tapioca, white pearl 2Jd, Vermicelli 6d, whiting Id, wheatmeal, 71b bag ls 6d.

RANGIORA. There was again a very small sale of sheep at tho Rangiora market yesterday, the yarding consisting of 112 fats and 393 stores, of which 12C were lambs. Tho fats were all taken by the butchers, and good prices ruled. Extra prime ewes made 29s to 34b, prime 23s to 27a 9d, others 19s 9d to 225, prime wethers 28s to 30s, others 23s to' 265, hoggets ISs to 20s Id. The lots were small, the entries being' from over twenty different farms. Consequent upon tho recent rains there was an improvement in the prices for stores. FouT-tooth ewes, with lambs, made IGs, all counted; four, six and eight-tooth ewes, with Jambs, 14s; .aged ewes, with lambs, lis 7d; hoggets, 14a 5d to 17s. Sixty-seven head of cattle were yarded, but thore was no beef included in the entry. Two-year-old heifers sold at £-1 10s; steers. £k 19s; yearlingi heifers,. £2 10s; springing cows, £3 to £7 Ssr; milch cows, £5 Is;.,and. store .cow's, JE2_lst., - >■'.■-> About' 110 pigs were' penned, and prices were a considerable .advance on thoso of last week. Choppers sold to iV ss; heavy baconers, 75s to 102 s; . light, (vis to 70s; porkers, 40s ta 50s; stores, 80s to 40s; and small pigs, 6s to 16s. In the produce yards (heavy cross-bred skins sold at 6s to 9s; medium, 4s 6d to 5s 6d; light, 2s 6d to 4s; merinoea, 6s to 7s Gd; hoggets, 4s to 73 6d; calfskins, 2s to 4s 6d; hides, 6Jd to BJd lb: fleece wool, lOd to ls; crutchiugs, 6d to tfd; horsehair, la; fat, lid.

In the poultry pens rooßters sold to 9s 6d; pullets, 6s 6cl; Lens, ,4s 8d; ducks, 6s Gd; turkey- gobblers, 9s 6d. Chickwheat realised 4s to 5s 6d a bushel; oats, 4s to 4s 3d; grass seed, 4s 9d; bran, 7a a saclc; fttiarps, lis; wheat meal, 15s; oatsheaf chaff, os Gd; straw chaff, 2s Gd; potatoes, 8s to 15s; swedes, 2s Gd; onions, Id lb; apples, 4s 6d case. '

ASHBUKTON. There was a yarding of 835 sheep at the weekly stock sale held at the Ashburton' Yards yesterday, which included 124 fat ewes, 11 fat wethers, 15 fat Iboggets, one lamb and'6B4 stores. The yarding of fat sheep, with one or tnra exceptions, were very prime, and keen competition resulted among butchers, prices being very firm. Fat owes made up to 30s, wethers to 38s and hoggets to 25b 3d. The following range of prices was obtained:—Prime butchers' ewes, 25s 3d to 80s; others, 17s 9d to 245; wethers, 38»; hoggets, 20s 3d to 25s 3d; fat lamb, 28s. Tthe principal sales were:—Bwes: 6 at 275. 12 at 28s 3d, 12 at 245, 15 at 27a Bd, 16 at 29s 3d, 11 at 28s 6d,.46 at 25s 3d, 3 alt 30s; wethers: 8 at 88s; hcggets: 13 at 25s 3d. The yarding of store sheep, with one exception (hoggets), consisted solely of ewes with lambs at foot. Although .there .was not tlie demand there was a week ago, every line, with .one exception, found buyers by auction at full" market values. Sales were: —IOO • broken-mouth half and three-quarter-bred ewes and 86 lambs (all counted), Gs lOd; 120 sound and failing-mouth half and three-quarter-bred ewes with 80 lambs (all counted), 12s Id; 45 sound and failing-mouth half and three-quarter-bred ewes with 45 lambs' (all counted), 13s Id; 14 sound .and failing-mouth (half and three-quarter-bred •ewes with 16 lambs (all counted), 18s 6d; 101 two-tooth cross-bred ewes and 94 lambs (all counted), 15s lid; 70 shorn mixed sex hoggets, 14s 6d; .82 failing-mouth three-quar-ter-bred ewes and 23 lambs (all counted); 9s 4d; 60 failing-mouth three-quarter-bred ewes and 50 lambs (all counted), lie; 49 failingmouth three-quarter-bred ewes and 49 lambs (all counted), lis, 33 thrce-quartei-bred ewes and 33 lambs (all counted). 10s Id. There was only one fat heifer sold in the cattle pons, and it made £9 7s 6d,

TEMTJKA. The yarding of sheep at the Temuka stock sale yesterday totalled 2196, of which only 156 were in the fat pens. The supply of fat sheep was hardly equal to the demand, and the prices were slightly' (higher than those paid at the sale held a fortnight previously. Ewes brought 20s Gd, 245,' 265, 275, 30s and 82s, and wethers 275, 28s, 295, 31s, 84s, 35s acd 35s 6d. Of the 2040 store sheep offered, 14G9 were passed at auction. Hoggets (mixed sexes) made lis 10d and 16s 2d. and wether hoggets 15s 7d. A line of good ewes and lambs (all counted) sold at ICs 4cl. There was a yarding of 140 head of. cattle, and again beef was in short supply. Fat steers brought j£ll 15s, £l2 and £l4, fat cows £7 7s 6d, £lO 10r, and £ls, and small heifers £i 18s to £5 ss. Store cattle sold well. Four-year-old bullocks fetched £1 ss, two-year-old steers £5 10s, yearlings £2 32s 6d, dry cows £i, eighteen-month and twoyear sorts £3 10s, calves 18s, and heifers (springing) £5 103. There- was a small entry of pigs. Slips brought 15s to 225, weaners 9s 6d to 13s, aud [ porkers 35s to 40s.

1915, 1914. a. d. s. ':&.. a. d. s. d. Wheat . . 4 8 to 4 6* 6 3 Oats — Gartons . ft 11 to 4 2* 2 0 to. 2 4 Algerians Duns ■.- • 4 4 2 to 4 3* 6* 1 » to 2 0 1 9 to 1 11 Danish . . None offering. 1 8 to 1 10 Barley 6 3 to 6 0* 8 3 to 8 6 PeasBlue Prussians 6 0* Nouo offering. Partridge 5 3 to 3 6* 4 0 Potatoes 160 0 to 160 0 20 0 Chaff 100 0 65 0 Bran '. 105 0 95 0 Pollard .' 130 0 180 0 Ootmeal . 400 0 280 0 Plour • 280 0 260 0 Seeds— Ryegrass < 4. G 2 0 to 2 8 Cocksfoot (131b) ... . 0 7 to 0 n 0 41 to 0 42 White Clover (farm, dressed) 1 0 to 1 9 0 7 to 0 10 Cowgrass • 0" 7 to 0 8 0 61 to 0 71 Dairy ProduceDairy factory cheese 0 101 — Dairy cheese 0 81 0 51 • Local factory butter (1st grade , 1 s •— Local factory butter (2nd grade — 1 1 Farm separator butter . ,11 0 10

Farm dairy butter . 0 11 0 9 Hams . 0 10 1 0 Sides . 0 10 0 9i Rolls . 0 11 0 10i Rolled hams . 0 11 Lard pats . 0 10 0 8J to 0 9 Eggs 1. o 0 10