COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14928, 28 February 1912, Page 5

COMMERCIAL.

MARKET REVIEW.

A MARKED IMPROVEMENT.

The arrival of the Island boat and Homo steamers has enlivened matters since last week, and a marked improvement has been experienced in general business- Tho soft goods houses report progressive business, and produce merchants and hardware houses are kept busy.

Hides: Market very firm, with keen competition. Shipping buyers operating freely. Skins: Market firm, with good competition.

Tallow: Market firm at late prices. Potatoes: Tho market is slightly easier. with good supplies still coming in. The first shipment of Southern arrived to-day in fair order- Sufficient locals still to come to keep the market supplied for about three weeks. Tho price for local is £4 15s, and for Southern £5 10s. Onions aro still scarce and stocks aro low. Prices have advanced to £9 10s.

Oats: Tho Wanaka arrived from the South with a fair shipment, and the local market is now well supplied. Tho position in t.lii) South is about tho same as last reported, and the price locally remains tho sameold white 3s Id, and new 2a lid. Chaff: Local is still coming in slowly, the wee weather interfering with harvesting. Small shipments of Blenheim aro arriving each week. Tho Homedalo is duo at Onehunga with a fairly large shipment, and will arrive to a good market. The price for local is £4 15.", and for Southern £5 10s. Fowl Wheat: Thero is still a good domand, and _ tho market is fairly well supplied. Shipments of new wheat will bo coming forward next month. In the meantime tho prico is the same at 4s 6d. Maize: Tho Ngatiawa brought 731 sacks to a bare- market, the whole of which went to immediate consumption. Tho price is 4s 6d ex store.

Bran: The market is well supplied and the demand good. Tho price is £5 12s 6d. Pollard is still very scarce. Any small lots coming forward go into immediate use. /The prico remains the same at £7 10s. Flour: Northern Roller flour is worth £10 15s per ton, and Southern £9 15s per ton locally- ! Fungus: Dry lots coming to hand are j realising 4d, quantity moderate. Flax: Very little is now coming forward. i Homo advices show practically no change. There is moderate business, but prices rej main tho same. Tho local quotations are I £17 10a for g.f.a.q., £17 for f.a.q., and £15 i 10s for common.

Tow: The local market still absorbs any consignments coining forward. KAURI GUM MARKET. Tho arrivals for 26 days of February aro 616 tons, showing an increase of 194 tons over the quantity that was received for tho same period of last month, when the arrivals were 422 tons. Tho market continues fairly even. Although sales are not extensive, most of tho shippers are still operating, and holdings in tho hands of brokers have not materially increasedSuperior grades of ordinary gum are still scarce, but prices aro practically tho same, as any attempt to increaso prices stops business. PROPERTY SALES. Messrs. T. Mandeno Jackson will sell the unsold sections in tho Narrow Neck Beach Estate, Devonport, at their rooms, Customs-street East, at two o'clock today. Six of the sections havo water frontages, 11" sections aro two minuteß from the water, .and 16 are high elevated sections commanding good views. This property adjoins the golf links and Ik-creation Ground, and is easily accessible from Auckland by two routes, viz., via Devonport or Bayswater. A villa of five rooms and conveniences standing on a section having 4&ift frontage- to Tainui Road, Devonport, by a depth oMOoft, will be submitted at the samo time. CHRISTCHURCH GRAIN MARKET. [BT TELEGRAPH.— PBKS3 ASSOCIATION.] OaßiSTCiir/RCH, Tuesday. Matters in the local wheat market are . still fairly quiet. A fair amount of business has been done at 3s 4d and 3s 41d at country stationa Tho market is firm, but the bulk of the business will come on in a few weeks" time, when stackthreshing is general. The samples to hand aro chiefly stook-threshed or have been in stack for not more than a fortnight, and all show of softness and rather poor condition. Tho oat market has eased again somewhat suddenly, the fact that Australia has closed down protoblv accounting for this, and values have fallen off Id or 2d per bushel. Practically nothing over Is lid is being given except for lots to cover orders already booked. WESTFIELD SHEEP FAIR. Messrs. Dalgety and Co., Limited, report having held their first sheep fair at Westfield on Friday, when there was a good yarding and a fair demand for all classes of sheep, and practically the whole of the yarding was cleared at full market rates. Young crossbred ewes, two und fourtooths, 13s to 15s 6d; sound-mouth ewes, 10s 6d to 12s' 9d ; inferior, 3s 6d to 8s; wethers, 12a 6d to 14s 9d ; fat lambs, 12a to 13s 6d; good store lambs, 6s fxl to 8s; inferior, 3s to 5s 6d; twotooth Romney rams, 3 guineas to 4 guineas; aged Komneys, up to 14 guineas; Lincoln rams, six and eight tooth, up to 2i guineas;. Shropshire rams, up to 3 guineas; English Leicester, up to 3 'guineas. ________________