COMMERCIAL.

Northern Advocate, 19 April 1923, Page 6

COMMERCIAL.

i WHOLESALE AND RETAIL PRODUCE MARKETS REVIEWED J AUCKLAND, This Day. \ Business has again opened up this week under fiirly aetivc conditions in all departments except export, there being a slackening off in tho enormous ( shipping business with which the , month began, says tho " Herald V 1 commercial editor. Importers are still ( taking in and opening up the heavy ( shipments that recently arrived from , overseas, but a distinct featuro in these has been the large proportion . that went into distribution direst ( from the wharf, sfhowing the extent to , which an active trade during tho sum- ( mer had dcploted stocks sufficiently to , allow of heavy buying, while fanmers have also been in a position to oporato ( more heavily this soason. Timber. —A ibri.sk business is taking ( place on account of the great activity ( in the building trade. The principal , supplies of rimu and matai are now coming "from the King Country, these varieties and totara forming the bulk , of the demand for ordinary residential - building. - Kauri would naturally be preferred on account of its superb qual-, ity, 'but it is now s'o high in price that • kauri weather-boards are almost a , luxury. This magnificent timbeT up- • pears to be within measurable distance of exhaustion, and no export is now taking place. It has such a world-wide reputation that offers for large quantities are continually arriving from the , United Kingdom, but no export pormits are ever likely to be given. All export business is now subject to official permits, and a little kahikatea is going to Australia for making butter-lboxes, ' ut the dry season on the other side has naturally restricted the demand tuis summer. Hardware. —The activity in building is responsble for a similar trade in builders' hardware, and all imported lines are .moving off well. After a rather quiet summer in farming implements and hardware, except dairy requisites, there is now noticeable a decided improvement, no doubt due to the wonderful dairy season having put farmers /in a better'position to buy. Hardware ( .merchants report a much better allround demand. Fencing wire is naturally selling well now, as farmers get in their supplies during the autumn, while the roads are still good, and do their fencing during the slack season. Hardware prices are steadily rising in tho [ United Kingdom. British manufacturr ers are faced with higher costs of coal, j [ due to enormous shipments from Wales to the Continent on account of the deadlock in tho Ruhr, and they seem to . be able to recover their extra costs i on the finished article, especially as it L is estimated that if the retired • it would still be albout six or nine I months before any considerable , 'oml petition from Continental manuflactur- > ers would follow. In the States the ■ rise in wages, due largely to the limil tation of immigration, is having a ■ similar cffect, and in Canada the iron ; (manufacturers have had to follow suit, i lest their employees should cross the l border. Dunn's Review points out, • however, that "when it is considered ; that the .present capacity of the steel r plants includes the large expansion du? 1 to tho war. it is plain that the domes- ' tin demand ca'nnot possible consume ■ for any considerable period the ton- ! nage now being produced, and, unless 1 very heavy export buying appears, ■ which does not at this time seem imminent, a radical change from the •' present remarkable situation must sooner or later ensue." All ag.'oo as to this, but even the most conservr ative are glad to have their orders T booked for six months ahead, and tow ' are to be found who have any fear k of an immediate fall tn prices of steel and iron products. 1 Groceries —Sugar remains scarce, and 1 supplies are being rationed. Bacon is k in good supply, and large quantities 1 are being used for tlio popular breakfast dish, eggs and bacon. Oatmerd and tho various special breakfast foods r are selling well. Grocery lines show S few changes, except the cut prices that 3 are quoted for advertising purposes. Potatoes. —Southern in short, supply and none will be heTe until the • end of the week. Several shipments are then due, but in the meantime the ° price is firm at 9s ex store. An ad vance of os or 10s per ton has apparently been established in the South, but it is not considered likely that a further rise will take place. Onions. —Demand is not at all keen, a and local are equal to all requirements, spelling at 8s 6d ex store. The quality , so far is rather better than the South- ,>. era. ' Oats. —Still weak, as a result of tho falling off in tho Australian demand. The drought continues in the interior, , but most of tho sales from Now Zealand appear to have been largely specu- , lative, and the districts that are short can still buy from neighbouring ter- [. ritory without coming here for oats. } Chaff.—Sold exceptionally well ex [ recent arrivals from Canterbury, and (. best samples are now quoted at 10s 6d ex stor e in .small lines. j Wheat. —Fowl wheat is weak at 6s 3d to <>s fid ex store, with less demand, j. Flo.ur. —Selling better since the position was made clear in regard to ? the embargo on the imputation* of , wheat, and flour remaining. Bran and Pollard.—Both are scarce, t and Southern millers are exporting to Australia.

Maize.—Selling better, tho basis price being 4s lid on the wharf is wholesale lines. Fertilisers.—The enormous quantities required for top-dressing are keeping merchants busy, and this month a demand ha 9 sprung up for bonedust for strawberries. Ivauri Gum.—The market is not very satisfactory from a seller's point of view. It is usually possible to dispose of all grades of white gum at fairly remunerative prices, but this often entails a certain amount of waiting, showing that there is not really a keen demand. Blacks are lightly stocked, and tho demand keeps good for medium grados. Good and best black arc moving off, but not to a very keen inquiry. The demand has recently slackened off for black chips a good deal but there is still sufficient business to maintain values at the latest reduced range of prices. This is mostly due to an opportune falling off in tho quantity coming in. Poor and dirty cjiips are rather accumulating, as the demand appears to have gone right off, and they will not sell at any price. The best outlet used to be tho Continent, but that market is now closed and chips mixed with charcoal aro sometimes offered at absurdly low prices, without any sale Superior grades of white are temporarily out of demand. East Coast is also lacking in demand, the reason apparently being that tho quantity coming in is so small that it is not worth tho serious attention of buyers for export, having regard to the fact that practically all sales aro made as a result of cabled quotations to London or Now York.