COMMERCIAL.

North Otago Times, 5 December 1910, Page 1

COMMERCIAL.

•■♦■:; - ' HOME MARKETS. (By Electric Telegraph-Copyright.) Per Press Associnlion, Received Dec. 3,. at 8.5 a.m. London, Dec. 2. . The wool.sales, included WaipaM, top 13J, average l0|:d. •There was competition at the wool Bales and. prices were well main* tained. Received December 4,, at 5.5 p.m.... - ' London; December 3. Hemp is quiet. January-March shipments, £22'ss. ' Kauri stock, 330 cwt. ■ Copra is"- aui-et. : South • Sea fin tags), November-December, Ehipmentj .£23 a. Cotton, • Ilecemiber- January ship-. ment, 7,780t ' ..

In. leather ■there .-is a trifling -.-.'busi■ness.: Wellington,.; first dressing, l-7Jd, Basils are Id dearer; first Wellingtons. 21|. Rubber, 6s 2d. - '. ~.-••■' New Zealand scrip,, 5s premium. : Hides are neglected and withdrawn at nominal prices. ,'■ Tin.-On spot, £172 ss. V' Wheat—An Australian cargo sold at 35s 9d. . ' •"

OAMARU GRAIN AND PRODUCE MARKET.

North Otago Times Office. Saturday evening,

This market has been- in a dormant condition throughput «the week, barely any transactions' .being quoted,. There has been some enquiry for velvet wheat, but holders' will not entertain the current quotation, and firmly demand 4s net on trucks at country stations.- Millers are not prepared to give anything! like that money, especially with' the Christmas holidays rear at'hand with the'usual closing down for a while. Indeed we are informed that '.the largest local mill —the Crown-closed this afternoon for a time, and others are likely to follow shortly ,\ so that no activity in the grain market can be looked for until after the dawn of the new year. •• Oats, such as remain in tot iiapls, are being firmly held, growers asking 2s 3d net on tmicks for. good . feel samples. One ilot of inferior , feed Gartens was acquired at 2s net at a country station,- that being the only sale that we have heard of, Oaten sheaf chaff is wanted, but there has been practically none offering.. From £3 IBs to £1 net on has been -offered for some parcels, but no business has ' been recorded.

DUNEDIN MARKETS.Locally the market has been. assuming a new significance during the past month owing to the now serious aspect of affairs presented in some ■ districts consequent upon-the lack of rain. Crops in many parters are undoubtedly suffering in this respect, and naturally holders of even inferior grain from last season are realising that the position is trending in their favor, During the past week the' position so far as one line is concerned has taken a quite significant turn. This is for fowl wheat, which witnessed a rise in the period named of from 2d to 3d per bushel. Sales in the north took place on the basis d!.,3s 4Jd.to '3s 5d per- biwhel .(f.0.h., sacks in) I for fowl wheat, and localljt the price has been' quoted at up to 3s Gd per bushel. This is a .very big price for fowl wheat, and in all pr'oWbility' presages a Me firmness in the case of milling wheat, which, however, is tor the moment in ifficjuiet state. Millers "are reluctant to 'advance their pricss, and farmers, with the new position revealed to them, are not eager to press' their grain on the market. | In the meantime, therefore, the..market is'(juiet, but undoubtedly "firm. With the'bigger-, prices realising for'fowl wheat there opens up a prospect of importation of this quality grain from Australia, particularly for the North) Island, . which quarter is already receiving supplies of. 'chaff and potatoes from .Victoria. This, however, is onjy a possibility, but Australia generally has large lines of chick feed at much lower prices than New Zealand,

. The oat market continues firm, (but that:firmness has restricted business considerably, as during the past week very little has gone through. Farmers are now demanding from'2s Id to 2s lid per bushel on trucks, and this advance has inevitably forced up the market. Merchants selling to the north have, effected sa'les at 2s sd, f.0.b., s.l, but the market closed with quotations at 2s sid to 2s Gd for A grade Gartens. The bareness of the market in chaff accounts for a firmness which hasj taken place .in the .price. of chaff, as!prime samples are now bringing up to £5 5s per ton. The following from the Town and Country! Journal (Sydney) is interesting: "The New Zealand agents have for some weeks 'been buying, up Sno.wflakes and other varieties of potatoes in Victoria at fancy prices. Now, for the first time, in the history of the produce trade, there are heavy . transhipments of chaff on the manifests of tire! steamers from Victoria, this line being wanted in New Zealand. The dry weather in New Zealand is partly responsible for prime Adelaide wheatem chaff lately fetching £5 per ton in Sydney, and for Clarence River potatoes bringing up to £ll per ton in Sydney, Had it ,n'ot fen for' droughty conditions in New, Zealand, Victoria would still be ship-ping-potatoes freely to- Sydney." During the week the local-market saw the arrival of new season's potatoes from Oamaru, These realised about' 2d per lb. . Supplies from Auckland! and Victoria are now'coming forward, and are selling at from 12s to 14s for Victorian, and from 15s to 18s Gd per cwt for Auckland supplies. (Old potatoes are! now practically exhausted, .although some were' sold during the week at £ls per ton; .