COMMERCIAL.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 1145, 5 February 1903, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

DUNEDIN PBODUOE MARKET,

, Messrs Daigbty and Co., Dunedin, report having held their usual weekly auotion sale on Monday. There was a fair attendance of buyers, and prices ruled as under : Oats—The market during the past week has been without life. There is practically no inquiry for milling and feed lines, and any sales made are at a reduced price. We quote: Prime milling 2s 6d to 2s 7d, good to best feed 2s 5d to 2s 6d, inferior to medium Is 9d to 2s 4d (sacks extra). Wheat Millers' requirements are well filled, and even very prime lines meet with little demand. Medium quality is now only saleable as fowl wheat, which is selling at a reduction on late values. Prime milling 4s 9d to 5s 6d, medium 4s 3d to 4s 6d, whole fowl wheat 3s 9d to 4s. Chaff—The market is in over supply, and sales are difficult to make, even at reduced prices. We offered a fairly large catalogue, but the bulk was passed in owing to lack of competition. Prime old sheaf £4 10s to £4 17s 6d, good £4 5s to £4 15s, inferior to medium £2 10s to £3 10s (sacks extra). GORE STOCK MAEKET. The National Mortgage and Agency Co. report as follows : At the Gore sale on Tuesday, 150 head of cattle and 450 sheep were entered. Fat sheep: Ewes sold at from lis 6d to 14s 4d, and wethers at 14s. Fat cattle: Steers brought up to £7 10s, heifers up to £7, and cows up to £6 10s. Ewes, with lambs (all counted), brought 8s 6d ; full-mouth, 5s 6d to 7s ; two-tooth ew6s and wethers, 10s Id to 12s 2d ; two tooth ewes (all counted), 83 2d ; others, up to lis. Cattle: Two-year-olds, £4 to £5 10s; yearlings, up to £2 15a; calves, from 18s to 245.

AUSTRALIAN MARKETS. Sydney, Feb. 4,

Wheat-Milling, 6s per bushel; Calif ornian, 5s 8d ; chick, South Australian, 5s lOd to 5s lid ; N.Z., 5s 6d to 5s 9d ; looal, 5s 6d. Flour £l2 to £l2 5s per ton. Oats, feeding, N.Z. and Tasmanian, 3s 9d to 3s lid per bushel ; local, to 3s 6d. Barley, prime feeding, N.Z., 4s 6d per bushel; malting, 4s 9d to ss. Maize, 6s to 5s 6d per bushel; Argentine 4s 7d to 4s 9d. Bran, Is 5Jd per bushel. Pollard, Is lOd. Potatoes, £5 to £6 10s per ton. Onions, £5 5s to £6 per ton. Batter, best, IOJd to lljd per lb. Bacon, lid to Is ljd per lb. Melbodbne, Feb. 4. Wheat, 6a 3d per bushel. Flour, £l2 10s per ton. Oats, Algerian, feeding, to 3s 3d ; milling, 3s 5d ; seeding, to 3s lOd. Maize, 4s lOd. Bran, Is 6d. Pollard, Is lOd to Is lid. Potatoes, £3 to £3 ss. Onions, £3 to £4. Adelaide, Feb. 4. Wheat sales, 5s lOid. Bran Is Od. Pollard, Is 9d. ' LONDON WOOL SALES. London, Feb. 3. Daring the sales 65,000 bales have been sold for Home consumption, 58,000 for the Continent, and 4000 for America, while 14,000 were held over. Compared with closing rates of the December series, merinos and low crossbreds were at par. Fine crossbreds

showed an advance of five per cent., and in some, instances higher. The Waihora clip sold at 63d and Gear at 7§d. TheN.Z.L. and M.A. Co., Ltd., has received the following cablegram from its London office :—" Wool: The sales closed at about par to 5 per cent, higher for fine greasy crossbred and scoured merino; about 5 per cent, higher for greasy Merino, super medium and coarse greasy, and slipe and scoured crossbred, and at about par to ssd lower for medium and inferior greasy merino. The sales at the opening were strong, but became weaker towards the close." BUKNSIDE STOCK MARKET. Pat Cattle—2l6 yarded, including some very fine bullocks, and all sold at about last week's rates. Best bullocks £9 10s to £ll ss, medium £8 5s to £9 7s Gd, others £G 15s to £8 2s (id, best cows £7 Sa to £9 7s Gd, medium £5 5s to £7 2s Gd, others £4 10s to £5 2s Gd.

Fat Sheep—Only 1339 were penned, and prices ruled Is to Is Gd better than last week. Best wethers 17s Gd to 19s—extra heavy 21s 3d, medium 15s to 17s 3d, others 14s to 14s 9d, best ewes 14s Gd to 17s, medium 12s 9d to 14s 3d, others 10s 3d,to 12s Gd. Lambs—997 penned, and met with a good sale, exporters operating freely. Best lis 3d to 13s Gd—extra heavy 15, medium 9s 9d to to 10s 9d, others 8s 3d to 9s 9d. . Pigs—lls yarded, and prices were fully maintained. Suckers 15s to 20s, slips 22s to 245, stores 28s to 345, porkers 3Gs to 425, baeoners 54s to 70s, a few heavy pigs up to 755. INVERCAEGILL WOOL SALES.' The second of this season's wool sales was held at Invereargill on Tuesday, when a catalogue comprising some 8500 bales was submitted to the hammer. In sympathy with a fall in the London market, prices showed a falling off as compared with the first sale. The following were the prices realised:— Superior to good merino 9Jd to B}d, good to medium do 8d to 7Jd, medium to inferior do GJd to 6d ; superior to good halfbred BJd to Bd, good to medium do 7Jd to Gd, medium to inferior do 6d to 51; superior to good fine crossbred 7j|d to 7d, good to medium do GJd to Gd, medium to inferior do 4d to 3id; superior to good strong crossbred 6d to SH, good to medium do 5Jd to 4Jd, medium"to inferior do 4Jd to 4d.

Messrs J. E. Watson and Co. report having offered a catalogue of 970 bales. There was a full attendance of buyers, but the speculative element was not so prominent as at last sale. There is a weaker tendenoy in the London market, and buyers' limits for certain classes are correspondingly reduced. As compared with last sale, values for best qualities of fine crossbred and halfbred showed no reduction. Medium, faulty, and inferior qualities were from id to jd per lb lower. This applied to the finer grades as well as to coarse wools. Pieces and bellies had a slow sale, and prices were in and out, but taken on an average were about Jd less than the previous sale. There was a considerable amoupt passed in during the Bale, but vendors present accepted the situation well, and heavy bookings were made after the auctions were concluded.