COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14386, 3 June 1910, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

The sharemarket was firmer in tone yesterday. In investment stocks a parcel of New Zealand Insurances , changed hands at 78s, and more were sought after at the same price, with sellers at 795. New Zealand and River Plates commanded attention at 41s; D.S.C.'s at 2s Id; and Wilsons Portland Cements (ord.) at 41s 3d. In mining lines Waihis improved, selling at from £8 6s to £8 Bs, and closing with buyers at £8 7s 6d, sellers at £8 Bs. Buyers and sellers of Grand Junctions came to terms at 325, after which further sellers quoted 32s 3d, with buyers still offering 525. Talismans were disposed of at 52s 9d and 535, and there were inquiries for more at the latter price, with sellers at 53s 3d. Other stocks fluctuated slightly. The Stock Exchange will bo closed to-day (the King's Birthday), and also to-morrow, reonening on Monday. Business put through by the general wholesale distributing trade continues to improve, buyers showing a tendency to operate more freely. Country orders are well maintained, while the volume of business going through on forward account is very satisfactory. Canned Fruits.: Merchants report that excellent business has been done in new season's canned fruits.

Sultanas: Fresh quotations have not, yet been cabled, but same are expected in the week. Evaporated Apricots: Good inquiry locally : market practically bare of stock. Sicily Almonds: Price is unaltered. Market firm. Currants: Prices have advanced slightly, but there is very little doing in this line. Prunes: High prices are being asked for both old and now season's fruit. Castor Oil is in good inquiry locally. forward market keeps firm. Tinplates are steady at last rates, but an advance is anticipated. Potatoes: The Wanaka brought about 3400 sacks from the South, which have arrived to a very good market, and merchants will now be able to execute all their orders. As shipments from Christchurch and Dunodin arc likely to ho light, wc predict a bare market again next week. From the reports we have gleaned from the Southern market, it is quite likely that merchants will have to import potatoes from outside New Zealand before very long. The price is £7 15s, with a firm market. Onions: There is very little change to report. • Stocks aro just about equal to the demand. There are signs of stocks running out in Canterbury. The present price is £4 5s for prime sample. Oats: The Wanaka brought a good shipment from tho South, and a good quantity of these will go < into consumption direct from ship's side. There is very little alteration to report in the Southern market. Price is 2s 7d.

Chaff: Deliveries are lighter than thev have been, but store stocks are quite sufficient to meet all requirements. Prime local is worth £5 15s, and Southern £6 ss. Fowl Wheat: Offerings are coming in very freely, but, there • is a very good demand. Tho tendency is towards lower price. To-day's quotation is 3s Bd. Maize: Tho Aupouri brought 452 sacks from the Coast, to a market that, is fairly well supplied. The ex store price is 3s Id. Bran is very firm at. £4 10s, and in good demand, with stocks on the light side. Pollard: This is worth £o 15s, and very scarce. More business could be done if stocks wore available.

Flour: There has been a fall in the price of flour. Southern flour is now quoted at £9 10s f.o.b. ; Southern ports and local, £11. Fungus is not coming forward very freely. Price is firm at s«d for dry parces. Flax: A fair quantity is being delivered. Tho London market is still very depressed, but there has been no alteration in the local quotations, which aro nominally £28 for fine, if .procurable, £20 for g.f.a.q., £19 for f.a.q., and £17 for common. Tow: There is not much of this being sent in. Tire avorage price is about £4 ICte to £5 for export purposes. Tea: At the London sales during the past month supply was barely equal to demand at recent rates, prices generally marking an upward tendency. Competition was keen for fair common tea at 6|d to 7d, and bidding ruled brisk up to 7id to Bd, range of price for good quality medium grados. For the few finer lots, and more especially in case of broken Pekoes, prices are still somewhat irregular. Buyers were numerous at previous rates, and good class Pekoe kinds occasionally show a Jd per lb advance in price. Where quality marked any improvement a rise of id per lb was established, several of the best teas being taken by Russian 'buyers. .»■> KAURI GUM. ! The arrivals for the month of May were 635 tons, which shows a deficit of 261 tons in comparison with the month of April, when 896 tons arrived. For the two days of June tho quantity sent in is 18 tons, which is three tons less than arrived during the same period of May, when 21 tons reached here. There is practically no alteration in the market. Some of the merchants are showing a disposition to operate in superior ordinary at a very considerable reduction, which in some cases has been conceded, and a few transactions have taken place.. The stock of superior ordinary, which has been accumulating here for some considerable time, has been purchased at prices that prohibit sales at the present ideas of shinpers, and a great portion of it will have to be held for an improvement - in the market, but . country storekeepers may now be in a position to purchase at a price that will enable them to sell on the present valuations. There has been very little alteration in the position with regard to medium ordinary and all grades of black. Palo Select : Stocks are small. There is no inquiry. Ordinary: There has been no demand for superior reseraped, or for inferior parcels, but if a heavy concession were made it might lead to business. Sorted superior three-quarters-scraped ordinary has changed hands lately at a very big drop, and some lines of imported superior ordinary have also been sold at considerably lower prices. Medium ordinary is selling slowly at a slight reduction. Washed nuts well got up, and free from chins and dust are moving off. There is a little business doing in coated washed nuts. Good swamp with heart in it is salable, and there have been some transactions in medium swamp. Poor white swamp sells on arrival. East Coast: Stocks are not heavy. Very few transactions have been reported this week. • Black: A little business has been done in re'scrapcd black. Bush: Palo reseraped free from bled, and clean bush, also free from bled, can be placed in small lines. Business can also be done in dark sorts and pickings at a low price. Tho demand for bled bush is very quiet. Chips and Dust: Bright chips and dust and good ordinary chips and dust are not inquired for. Diggers' ordinary chips and dust and good ordinary dust "are selling. Black riddlings are accumulating, principally on account of their arriving in a wet condition. Black seeds and coarse black dust, if dry, move off on arrival. ALGETY AND CO. Messrs. Dalgety and Co., Limited, report having held their usual weekly fat stock sale at West lipid on Wednesday. There was a large entry of beef. With the exception of a few lines of good bullocks, the greater part of the yarding was medium quality, and not well finished. Prime, bullocks averaged equal to 22s per 1001b; medium quality and light weights sold at equal to 21s per, 1001b; cow and heifer beef sold at equal to 16s to 19s per 1001b. There was a moderate entry of veal. Large calves sold at from 35s to .+'2 10s, small 15s to 28s, inferior 5s to Bs. There was an average yarding of mutton. Kxtra heavy prime wethers sold at- up to 235; usual weights, prime quality, from 17s to 19s; light and unfinished, 14s 6d to 16s. Heavy ewes, 14s to 16s 9d ; medium quality, lis to 13s. There was a fair yarding of lambs. Prime heavy lambs sold at up to 14s: medium weights, good quality, 10s 6d to 12s 6d; light, and inferior, 8s to 9s 6d. There was a fair yarding of pork. Prime heavy bnconers sold at equal to 3id per lb; light, porkers at equal to 4d per lb; weaners and slips 3s to Bs. On Thursday we held our usual weekly sale of store and dairy cattle, when there was a moderate yarding. Dairy cows at profit sold at from £6 10s to £9 10s ; store cows, £2 5s to £2 355; yearlings. 25s to 30s. The firm held a very successful sale of horses at Otahuhu on Saturday. There was a large entry of 125 horses of all classes, and a large attendance of town and country buyers. The demand for good fresh young horses was good, and the majority of these found new owners, at satisfactory prices to the vendors. The consignment of heavy draught unbroken 3 and 4-year-old colts and fillies, from Palmerston North,"sold as under: £33, £30, £28 10s, £27, £19 10s, and £16 10s. The. Oisborne consignment of unbroken spring cart sorts sold at £8 to £17.' Other unbroken horses sold at up to £30; light draughts sold at £14 to £20; light harness horses sold at up to £26; hacks, to £12; inferior sorts at usual prices. The firm held their usual weekly sale of hides, skins, tallow, etc., on Tuesday, clearing a large catalogue. Hides: The market is keeping firm. We quoteOx: Extra stout. BAd; stout, 7j|d to 7Jd ; medium. 7d to 7}d ; light, 6£d to 6sd. Cow: Best lines, to 6Jd; good lines, 6id to 61d; inferior, SJUI to 53d. Stags, 4Jd to sid. Kips. 6Jd to 6 id. Calf: Best, 9d; good, 7d to 7id. Damaged hides, 3kl to sd. Sheepskins: The market is brisk. Butchers' best pelts and lambs to 4s 4d, good 3s 6d to 3b lOd, medium 2s lOd to 3s 3d, small Is 6(1 to 2s 3d: dry skins, large to 6s 3d. Tallow: The market continues firm. Best mixed 27s 6d, good 26s 6d, medium 22s to 235. Rough fat, lid to ljd per lb. Cow tails, Is 8d per dozen. Horsehair, Is 3d to Is 8d per lb. i Bones, £4 17s 6d per ton.