COMMERCIAL

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 30938, 23 July 1917, Page 8

COMMERCIAL

BBITISinriBKETB (Per Cable— A"ouition—Cop) right) (Austinlinn ami N/5 Cablo Association HtoDON, Jul} 19 Coppei —Spot, 1130 os, iluce months, £l2O 10s, electiohlic, 1140 Lead—Spot, tiO 10s, tinco months £2O 10s Spcltei—Spot, UI, thiec mouths, U0 Till—Spot, £2,0 ss, tlnee inontlis £235 17s Oil Silur, 103 d pei 07 LONDON, July 20. The wheat and oats markets are quiet owing to increasing supplies. Potatoes.—Excellent cvops i are assured. The supply of tubers' ic lessening the demand for bread, and is likely to cause a considerable reduction in the consumption of the latter, especially as general dissatisfaction prevails regarding the quality of the bread now supplied. . Australian flour is quoted at 7Ss; patents, ISs. Sugar.—Standard granulated 40s <)d. Butter is very firm, but prices are nominally unchanged, but tending to a probable rising of the maxima prices to-morrow. Supplies are short, all the colonial having boon cleared, but severalcargoes are just arriving. It is understood that the trade has suggested to theFood Controller that he should release 100,000 boxes of commandeered colonial butter in order to prevent an undue increase in prices. .Many importers approve of the proposal that the Government should take over the Australian output this season, considering that the difficulty in securing tonnage would be thus avoided.

, : DUNEDIN MARKETS. GRAIN AND PRODUCE REPORTS. DUXEDIN, July 21. . The local wheat market is in a stagnant condition. Millers continue to work mainly on their purchases of Australian'wheat, as there are very few offerings of locally-grown milling wheat. Fowl wheat is scarce, and then, shrivelled lines are selling at the very .high price of lis per bushel. Oatmeal is quoted at i'-l a ton for, L'o's; pearl barley, £1!) Ids; pollard. £7 5s t(Jixed by Government); bran, £1 (fixed by Government). The oats market is very quiet. Theiv is practically no demand from the North Island, and whereas in previous seasons agents might have been dealing in thousand-sack lots, they are now, perforce, content to ileal in h'f'ly. :iml hundred sack lots. The business passing is mostly to meet the local demand, and a small demand from Canterbury Prices at present are only nominal. Still, some agents consider that there will be a greater shortage of shipping space from Australia, and that what space there is will be taken to earnover shipments of wheat in preference to oats. They, therefore, look hopefully forward to a far keener demand from the North Island, Prime oaten sheaf is in good demand. ' Oaten straw is almost unobtainable. A large quantity was destroyed at the Taieri during the Hoods. Wheatcn is also in short'supply, and agents lire-now working on stocks in store. The potato market shows a sharp decline on the week, the advent of a

heaiy purchase of potatoes from "Wil loTvbndgo liaMUg upset the local posl hou. Ihc Canteibury potatoes aio uudeistood to ha\o been puichascd at £3 10b on ii ucks, and, with lailage, (lie cost to Dinudln lnits out nt about U ss. Sonio of the tubcis weic not too sound, did bad to be l ejected Punu lines ui in demand, and as thtue is now i luge qumtity oi diseased and liifcnoi (]iuWj in stoics, the posi lion is. i most uiis. itibftictoi > one iioni i holdu's ind gi unci's point ot ucn

The onion market has dropped ilur-j ing 'the week/' The isupply, however, is cqualto the demand. ' ' . \ ' . Milled butter has dropped in price by id pei' Ik . ' ' ; Bacon prices show a.'.weakening ,ten- j dency.. .'■'.'.'■-■' I There, was a medium -yarding of t pig's at Burnsidc on Wednesday, all being | disposed of at prices on ii'par with late sales, Best porker? were sold up to BJd per lb, and best bacpners realised 74(1 per lb. . ' , Current wholesale prices arc as follow:-' Chaff.—Prime oaten sheaf, £5 10s io N £5 17s Gd; medium to good, £4 10s to £5 10s (sacks extra). Straw—Oaten, to £3 'ss; wheaten, to £2 os. Potatoes.—Prime lines, £4 15s per ton; medium to good, £3 to £4 (sacks in). Melbourne onions, 14s per cwt. I'ggs— Cased, Is lid; stamped, Is 7d. Butter.-Milled bulk, Is 2d to Is,3d |ier lb; s dairy and separator, in Jib packages, Is to Is 3d. Honey—Bulk, (id; 101b tins, 5s Gd; 2lb ; pottles, Ids''to His a dozen;-, 21b tins, 15s. Pigs.—Baconers, 7-Jd per lb; porkers, Sd to SJ.I. Clover hay, £5 10s to £O. Bacon-Polls, local, Is 2d; Christchurch. Is 2d; sides, Is Id; hams, Is 2d; ham rolls,'ls" 3d. . TIM ABU MAEKETS.

TIMARU, : duly 21,

E vend a few line? of fowl wheat there is practically nothing doing in this cereal. A good inquiry for fowl wheat continues at prices on a par with the value of milling Tuscan. The demand for Hour is dull owing to importations from Australia, and the slackness that generally obtains at'this time of year. A further cargo of wheat bought by the New Zealand Government from Australia has arrived at Auckland. None of the Australian wheat has so far reached Timaru,, millers here not being ii| need'of it. There is a very good demand for milling offals, the demand exceeding the supply.' Seed wheat is being bought freely by farmers, ami apparently the acreage in wheat this year will be larger than it was last year. A fair quantity of spring wheat is likely to be sown. In oats the business now being done is negligible, For seed oats there is, ii very good inquiry, The retail price of Cartons is about 4? (id to -Is fld exstore. Feed lines are worth lis .'ld to ils 9d on trucks. Fair quantities continue to arrive from Australia • The chaff market is quiet. A good deal has been sold to go to Auckland, but space cannot be .got for, shipment. The value to-day is £4 per ton for light, and £4 10s for'heavy-on trucks, country stations, sacks found by buyers.Ryegrass and clover seed continue to be sought after. The former is very scarce, and odd lines of nice quality

I have, been sold as:liigb as- oV-did per bushel on' trucks, whilst infprigr, ranges .from:' Us. Gd ; upwards, according/ to .quality. ;Co\v grass'is^'rather-, weaker owing to flic low price that is'-being naked' for imported seed \ which is'Of very good quality. Potatoes are dull of sale, and are worth £3 'oil trucks, country stations, Sales have been made at £3.15s per.ton, f.oib.,. for North Island, ports. A boat is due. at Timaru next week to load for Auckland, and there .will probably be only two or three more boats to take potatoes this season. A large quantity is held in the country. Statistics for. the North Island potato crop show the apparent crop.there' t0.be.29,000 -tons, as against 43,000 tons last year. The figures for the South Island are not yet published, but the .Timaru 'Harbour Board's returns for the half-year ended June 30 shows that 36,000 sacks have already,been-sent from Timaru to the North Island as compared with 11,000 sacks for the same period last year,, A larger quantity has been sent from Lyttelton than from Timaru, OAMABU M.AEKETS. Grain, Business at present in all t'l.i'-ses of grain appears to be at its '.'.-\ve?r ebb. ■The only movements of note in wheat have been in seed wheat, small lines of Tuscans still going ou»; There has been no alteration In the quotation for oatmeal. Oats.—The offerings '.n oats have been of a negligible quantity, and though.the stringency in shipping has lately been relaxed somewhat, the further arrival of Australian consignments have countered any business likolv to bo effected.

Potatoes.—The market is still weakening, good Upto-dah's being worth about £ll us, am! as this is a very low figure for growers very littlj business has resulted. . A line of seed Up-to-dates cliangcd hands through the week at £4 10s. Stock. The stock market appears to have brightened during the past week, and better prices and .business have .resulted, The contributing causes have been the abundance of feed in the district, and also advice received from the Government to the' effect that more shipping space might, be available, farmers have consequently been operating more freely, as they expect there will be a likelihood of the freezing works being cleared. However, through later advices received, there is a possibility of this sanguine expectation not being. realised,

, Sheep,—There has been a good inquiry in hoggets, and the several sales made have realised prices that were a considerable increase on late rates. Several lines at Waiareka Realised from ,'Us to Has. Good business has also been done in forward stock!, several buyers having been operating in the district for next season's owes and lambs, ami it is understood good prices have been fixed. A fair percentage of the slock has been sent north," .Following are the quotations:— Sheep—First-class ewe hoggets over ,10s, medium sorts 26s to 20s, wether hoggets up to 27s (id, four and six-tooth breeding ewes 40s to 455, four, six, and eiglht-tooths 32s Od to 375-Gil, good full and failing ewes Ills (id to .'ills lid, fail-, ing ewes.26s to Ills. Cattle.—There has been a good inquiry for all sorts, with tho .exception of dairy cattle, and particularly in young cattle and in big, well-grown steers. Dairy cows are in poor demand am! selling at low rates. This is due no doubt to the farmers' outlook on the butler industry, several having reduced their herds appreciably owing to the inability of the authorities to ship earlier supplies, Cattle were quoted as follows; Calves at £2 us, yearlings £1! to £l, eighteen-month-olds £4 to £5 us, two-year-olds £u 10s to £6 lss, three-year-old steers £9 to' £ll 10s, dairy cows £lO to £l2 10s, medium sorts £8 10s to £0 10s.