COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12401, 14 October 1903, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

!' New Zealand Hebald Office. • Tuesday evening. 'HB aharemarket was quiet again to-day. In iv«stinent lines buyers were none too plen- ;; ful,;and rates quoted showed little change, :i i 'mining lines the only sales reported were '■■: v Talismans at 6s lOd and Old Haurakis Haid-np) at 3s 3d and (contributing) at 3s 3d.' ■ talma Broken Hills, at ss, had buyers at 4s 1/ , Waihis, at £5 Bs, were neglected by : f Hysrs. For Waihi Extende.ds buyers offered ,;<h d, sellers asking Is sd. Bunker's Hill'? ale lOd, were inquired for at Is 4d. In/' ibhr lines late prices ruled. 7 .. oneral business continues to show the inV /oment noted last week. In produci tie is still a tendency to stock lightly'& c<: of lower values in some lines. / here has been no maize on the marlit si e last, week, except the ,800 sacks by the sooner Aotea, and this ha 3 been selling a' i penny less than last week. There lias b i no boat from Whakatano, as the Vfailria is bar-bound, and the Waiotahi /has a been delayed for a few days. The imrk is rathei weak, with little prospod of o iido business, as huge stocks of maize a: held in Sydney, and in spite of sending o shipments intended for that market it intimated that there-is more than suffic it to last until the new crop comes in. ho glut in potatoes brought about by t; heavy arrivals of the last fortnight is n.' gradually working off. Stocks tro still' a ile, and the market so upset that tonsigan its by the Te Anau were offering at £3 5 ex. wharf in largo lines. The I present p-e is £3 15s ex store. There »re very f< offering from the South, as growers will ii sell at the low prices necessary to do biriess on a parity with Auckland values. Aevr seed Ilobarts are still selling, and also alew Up-to-date to grow a little; late seed next season's planting. These latter are n obtainable in the South, but a small iljutity lias been procured »from local givers. The growing crops are in a very i'u-ard state, and shipments have been m!e to Wellington, where £16 to £18 per li lias been obtainable. It-is quite a reguIsthing for Wellington to take # the earliest ofthe new potatoes that are offered here, a) the fact has caused some, comment, as it aoks at first as if Wellington can afford be or prices than Auckland. Tho probable emanation is that consumers in the former ci are resigned to the high prices that inyaably rulo at this time of the year, knowin] that their own growers cannot get any inVery early, whereas hero the bulk of thrt'onsumers, who do any gardening at all, ma|> a special point of a- few new potatoes. Asuiese are always promising well when thefirst supplies arc on the market, amatein prefer to wait a few weeks for their owilgrowing, and market gardeners then findk better market South. Ok are offering very freely in the South and Bie local price has declined a penny. Ever: his docs not fully represent tho weaker tonebf the market. It is reported from Lone that even the few that were sent then have weakened that market, the demam being quiet, and values barely maintame in the face of a good supply of what in th best of times can only find a limited mark;. Tho total arrivals for a week were only bout 6000 sacks. It must be remem- ■ beredthat the New Zealand oats sent to Londp. are not used for feed in the ordinary pay, but are largely purchased for niauu cturing the various food preparations put lb in England. Supplies of ordinary feed ae procurable from the Black Sea and the Bitio at 13s to 14s per quarter of 3201b, and -ward business has been dono at as low as 123 6d and 12s 9cl, whereas New Zealand ols are there worth 23s per quarter of 33*lb for Sparrowbills, and New Zealand Danisbjhave been offered at 16s 6d c.i.f. London wiliout business. The heavy offerings of fortgn oats to London have assisted the financia stagnation in South Africa to bring about tie weaker tone in that market. Hera is anotler field for a substantial improvement ii New Zealand trade when a preferential tariff is adopted throughout the .Empire,] including. South Africa, wheat shows no further change. ' : Fowl (wheat has declined a penny per bushel «nd is offering rather freely. Demand is hone too brisk. . . Flour shows no further change, but that market i always being watched for a fall, whether wheat is high or low. At present nobody can understand how millers can ■carry on at the high price of wheat, selling flour at a price that is lower than all the accepted proportions. -If the Government car© to undertake to regulate the price of bread,' as suggested : this week, they < may also -be persuaded to regulate the price of flour and wheat. If they can do that in London and Chicago also it will tend to make matters more settled, and may possibly pleas© somebody. Bran is weaker in the South, and lower offers have been received from Oamaru and Timaru for shipment by the Hawea. Pollard is unchanged. ■ , The auctions arc pretty well cleared of the poor.onions that have been so much in evidence lately, and this has left the market to the American, which are selling quietly at 15s. Supplies aro rather light already and the market will probably bo very bare when the next mail steamer .arrives.

• Linseed is offering at rather low rates, local demand is good, and Melbourne is also purchasing in the South. | The barley market is quiet with no inquiry, the nominal price of prime malting being 5s 9d f.o.b. South milling, 3s 4d to 3s 6d; feed, 2s lOd to 3s. . v ■ .', It is stated in San -Francisco that in canned fruits the market has assumed an unusually firm tendency, with advances in all varieties. Peaches, which gave promise of being • in full supply, are short, and in consequence this variety is held as firmly as apricots. In fact, the general market on all varieties is in an excellent condition, and packers are holding out for top figures, expecting further advances as the season progresses. With an inadequate stock of fruit for canning purposes there is bound to be a shortage in dried fruits, and this has caused the market to be exceptionally firm. Apricots were ready when the mail left, and peaches wore just "coming in. Prunes remain unchanged in price, although there has been considerable activity brought about by an unusually heavv demand from Europe. Corrugated iron is in short supply all through New Zealand. The lengths most urgently wanted are 7ft, Bft, 9ft, and 10ft, and these arrived with other sizes by the Karamea, but sold at once, and are now again unprocurable, some orders having been actually refused this week. The local works are supplying urgent orders as fast as pos- , sible. With this as the state of the market, it seems remarkable that < the price is still cut down to a more margin on cost. Wire nails have been in short supply until arrival of the Karamea and Star of New Zealand. Some sizes are already sold out. Woolpacks are selling rather freely at the tariff rates fixed at the beginning of the season. Cornsacks are rather quiet, but this is probably owing to stocks having been carried over from last season. The market in Calcutta is calm, sellers being inclined to await the final Government forecast, but there has been a fair demand from those who anticipate the issue of a short crop report. . ,■ _ . _■, Castor oil is now a little firmer in Calcutta. Svinington's essence of coffee is again in short supply, but a shipment from the South ex Ben Avon should be here on Thursday. Turpentine is extremely scarce and is offering to arrive by the Alice. Kerosene has again advanced, the present price 'of American being 103 d wholesale, while Sumatra is offering at Q%d. The steady advance is attributed to the destruction of so much oil in Russia. Fungus is in strong demand for immediate | delivery of samples dry enough for shipment. ! Flax is in steady demand for export. Not much' is coming in at present, but tlio improvement in the weather should result in larger supplies. Tim timber trade is brisk, local demands being well up to the standard, keeping the mills busy. The boom in . Christchurch is drawing large supplies from the Kaipara. Dunedin is drawing from this side, and the demand is better, than it has been since the ■collapse of the dredging boom. In the local dairy produce market we have to report a decline" of a penny in the buying price of farmers' and separator butter, which are both reported at 7d. .Factory butter is unchanged, and eggs remain at 8d wholesale, being still in strong demand for preserving. Cheese is particularly scarce, small sizes being unobtainable, and. high prices are easily secured for anything that comes into the market. Factories arfnow offering thenoutput for the coming season at high prices.

KAURI GUM MARKET. ' The following are our quotations of kauri gum for the week ending October 12 i '. 1903:-White gum: Poor ordinary, £4 and upwards; fair ordinary, £64.-and upward*; . bold, three-quarter scraped (free from nuts , : £90 and upwards; East Coast (good quality), \ - £90 and Upwards; craped, £130 and up- ■' .wards. Black gum: Nuts, £22 anc up & -wards; medium (free from sugar), £36 and M upwards; good, £64 and upwards. Remarks I on market: Arrivals for 12 days of October •have been 300 tons. Gum •■«£"£ **? ' freely, and for most grades the dem*nd is -now decidedly quiet. We do not yet.quote lower prices, but sales are most difficult to . negotiate. •'•■■.,' - ■ _ , •..■.•'■■■■

FitlT AND KtODUOB MARKET. ■ ThJ fruit and produce market to-day show/d largo galea. Mandarins were sold at from 4s to 9a; orange)i (Sydney), 23 to 4b ; apple, Hobart, 103 to lis; loauata, 5g to 6s; lemqis, local, 2s to 4s 6d; passion fruit, 6« 6d; Islam oranges, 6s 3d; new potatoes, kidneys, lid jo 13d; Shepherd's, 3,d to lid; cucumbers, •4s if 4s 6d dozen. /Auckland stock exchange. iTlie following are Tuesday's closing prices, tAe business done being: as follows:—Talisman Consolidated, 63 lOd; . Old Hauraki. paid up, is 3d; Old Hauraki, contributing, os 3d.

CALL AND DIVIDEND LIST. Calls. £ 8. d. Duo - Rising Sun, Oct. 2 0 0 Oi Oct. 14 MamiV.au Steamship, (Sept. 17 0 5 0 Nov. 1 Dividends: „ - Koniiita Keef3 0 0 2 Oct. 12 Tairua Broken Hills ... 0 0 5 Oct. 19

LITE STOCK AND PRODUCE. ALFBED BOCKLAKI) AND SONS' BEPOiT. Horses have been la steady demand, those of -a good stamp being insufficient for requirements. An average number was entered for disposal by auction at the Durham Yards on Friday. Bidding wan brisk. Heavy draughts sold from £30 10s to £'12; medium ditto, £18 10s to £29; light harness'horses, £7 10s to £16 15s; hacks, £5%3 to £18. Cattle: At the Newmarket Yards there was an average muster o:t* dairy and store stock. A full supply of beef, but no extra heavy weights; best quality sold up to 26s per 1001b; cow, 18s to 255; fat steers, £7 10s to £1117s 6d; fat cows, £5 5s to £8:; dairy cows, £5 5a to £8 2s 6d; empty cows, £3 6s to £4 14s; calves, £1 15s to £2 19s. Sheep: A full yarding at Newmarket on Tuesday. Prices were easier. Fat wethers sold from 13s 6d to £1 Ss 9d; fat ewes. 12s 6d to £1 6s 9d; spring lambs, lis to 16s; hoggets, 12s to 16s 6d. . - .-.. Pi£3, in average umbers, sold freely. Porkers, £1 lis to £5 .is; weaners, lis 6d to 19s 9d. ~,. At Papalnira, on Wednesday, we held a sale of dairy cow?, fat cattle, ' and . bulls. There was an exceptionally large muster, over 520 head being offered. Competition was keen, and with few exceptions all were sold. Cows close to profit made from £5 16a to £10; backward springers, £4 10s to £9 15s; bulls, £3 IDs to £10; fat cows, £5 5s to £8 ss. No fat stores yarded. "~ On Thursday, at Papakura, we held a special sale of store stock, and again there was a very large master. The sale was a very successful one, and almost everything, without exception, changed hands under the hammer. The cattle, as a whole, were a very fine lot, shewing both quality and condition. We quote: Grown steers, £6 5s to £9 10s; 3 to 4-year-old ditto, £5 5s to £8 17s; two to three-year-olds, £4 5s to £7 2u 6d; heifers, £3 10s to £4 153; empty cows. £1 to £5 10s; calves, £1 lis to £3 13s. A noticeable feature about the sale was the high price ruling for young stock, more especially heifers suitable for being kept for dairyin;; purposes.

N.Z. MAN AND MEEC.VHTILI! AGENCY CO., LTD.

Hides: We submitted an average catalogue, all lines being cleared at late rates. We quote: Prime ox, 7d to 7Jd; extra stout do., 6d to 6|d; stout do., s}d to 51d?> medium do., 4?d to s£d; light do., 4Jd to 43d; cow, best lines, 4Jd; good, 4gd to 4gd; kip, 4d to 4|d; calf, 3d to 4Jd. Sheepskins: Market, unchanged. We quote: Best butchers' skins, 43 6d to 5s 7d; country ditto, "Td tt> 4s s<l; other lines, 2a 'to 3s; damaged, Btl to Is 9<l. Tallow: Best lines, '23 3d; seconds, 18b to 2is 6d; fat, lid. Horsehair. lOd to lis 2d; bone 3, £4 lis; tails, Is 4d. Maize: As indicated in last week's report, the price declined Id per bushel. This was consequent upon arrival of the Aotea's consignment. Owing to non-arrival of the Opotiki steamer, stocks have been cleared somewhat, but inquiry is weak at 2s 8d on wharf, and a further fall in price imminent. Oats: "B" grade are worth about la lid on wharf.

Wheat: Little inquiry. Prices,remain unchanged. Chaff: Southern of good quality now worth about £4 10s, sacks in. Local, neglected, and worth about £3 10s, sacks extra, ex store. Potatoes: Market glutted, and sales slow. Southern worth from £3 to £3 ss, ex store.

Butter: Price of factory remains ' unchanged. Separator and farmers' more plentiful, at about Id below last week's prices. Cheese: Scarce; medium selling at 6}d. No new on the market ye:-.

I' Sellers. ' Bayers. 'BANKS— £ s. d. . £ s. d. New Zealand ....... 4 0 0' . — INSURANCENew Zealand ... ... — ' '46 0 j South British >' ... ... 5 14 0 5 10 0 J Standard ... ... ... — 0 17 9 COAL Taupiri, Limited ... 0 18 9 • — GASAuckland 14 12 6 14 8 6 Thames 1 ... — 1 11 6 Hamilton ... — ••• — * 5 jNaioier ••• •••• ~ • 22 lo 0 Palmers ton North ... 5 0 0 4 18 0 SHIPPING— Northern, paid up _ ... 0 16 0 0 15 8 Northern, contributing' 0 7 4 0 7 3 Devonport Steam Ferry 2 0 0 1 19 0 TIMBER— . • x ' Kauri, contributing ... 0 4 3 0 4 0 Leyland-O'Brien, Ltd. ... 2 5 0 2 4 0 WOOLLEN— Kaiapoi — 6 10 0 MISCELLANEOUS— D.S.C., Ltd 0 12 3 — New Zealand I'rxuT (£1) — 2 8 0 Riverhead Paper Mills... 1 14 0 1 12 6 Salmon, Ltd., preference 116 — Tonson Garlick, Ltd. ... 1 0 0 — Union Oil ... : ... 110 ' — Wiseman and Sons", Ltd... preferential ... ... 10 6 — MINING— Kurairai ... _••• ••• 0 0 6 0 0 4 Kuranui-Calcaoniaiii . ... 0 10 — Msihara Royal, eon. ... 0 2 0 0 1 7 May Queen Extended ... 0 0 5 0 0 3 New Eclipse ... .... 0 0 10 — • Old Alburaia 0 0 7 — Victoria 0 (I 4J — Komata Reefs, ex dilv. ... 0 1 0 0 0 9 Pride of Waihi ... ... 0 0 2 — Tairna Broken Hill:? ... 0 5 0 0 4 9 Talisman Consolidated... 0 6 10 — Waihi .... 580 — • Waihi Consolidated ... 0 1 1 . — Waihi Consols ... .... 0 0 3i ~x Waihi Extended 0 15 0 13 Waihi Grand Junction 17 6 15 0 Waihi South ... .... 0 0 6 0 0 3J Bunker's Hill ... ... 0 1 10 0 14 New Four-in-Hand, paid . up ... 0 0 8 — Ilauraki Freehold ... 0 0 6| 0 0 6 Harbour View 006 — Old Hauralvi, paid up ... 0 3 6 0 3 3 Old Hauraki, con .... 0 3 4 0 3 3 Big Beetle, contributing 0 0 5. — G. A. BUTTLE, Chairman. W. II 0. Johnston, Secretary. 3.15 p.m., October 13, 1903. < ;