COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16761, 30 January 1918, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

PRODUCE VERY ACTIVE,

POTATOES FIRM IN PRICE.

Booking forward for next month's account ' la ' kept the wholesale houees rather busy, but th© most noticeable improvement hi# been m the country trade. Town trade i.» rather' quiet. Retail is not very busy just now. _ The drapers are already making preparations for tho minima clearance sale, which will begin shortly, preparatory to stocktaking a-d opening up the new season's goods. , A very fair quantity of new goods has arrived, but the prospects for the future are not at all bright. Manufacturers at Home are having tho u.most difficulty in keeping up their output on account of the shortag* of labour and of material. Tho necessity lor keeping no the man-power of the army is greatly affecting the maaufacture of cotton and woollen goods, as well-as hardware. Hardware business has been fairly good lately, household sundries, while farming requisites ire continually moving off. Build' ing materials are very quiet. Produce has been very active, particularly in new season's sundries. Grain 16 quiet. Potatoes: Large supplies were continually coming in until the holiday intervened, but the rain will probably cause * little slackening off. Price is firm at £9 ei store for boat) quality. Onions: Tho market las fettled down to a low price after the extraordinary figures of the last few months. N The new crop is rominjj in well, nearly all having ripened off during the recent hot weather. Quotation is ill ex store.

Oats: Business is still quiet, as buyers aw waiting till the new gram is ready in ,'the South. Tho local crop is quit© negligible, -■ and will all be used for chaff, but th» Southern crop is a fairly promising on? and ehould give a good yield, although it is more "ban likely that a fair amount will be used for chaff that was originally intended for threshing. Local price remains at. 4s lOd ex ■store, and merchants have fair stocks in hand, :io they are only importing sufficient for immediate requirements for the present.. Wheat: Australian wheat is keeping th« market going for the present, but supplies are very limited in both milling and fowl * wheat. Further quantities are duo shortly. Flour: Selling rather quietly.- A few brands are off the market, but they shouici . como on again before long. Bran and Pollard: The scarcity continues. A little bran has been distributed, but pollard is unobtainable.

Chaff: Another cargo from Picton. has been distributed, but storks are still low. The market in very firm at £10 10s for old chaff, and the new is not yet arriving. Cutting is now commencing, so that suppliesshould be in l»fore long, provided that shipping spa-ce can lie secured. Canterbury merchants arc already Quoting for forward delivery. Straw: Supplies are short. Seeds: A good inquiry has already set in for grass seed. Fortunately a. fair amount of American seed has arrived, but it is doubtful when any more will come, and English supplies are also cut off. All kinds of seeds for garden and farm U3c are scarce and dear this year, except cocksfoot and ryegrass, which are in better supply, and the stoppage of importation is directing attention to th* possibility of raising far larger quantities ; locally of varieties that are too often im- • ported. Onion seed has had & much better season this year, and the price is considerably lower. Clovers are dear. Fertilisers: Largo quantities are felling for garden and farm use. Peas: The crops this year have been much better, and tho prices should rule lower thin for several seasons. Partridge peas are no', yet quoted, but boiling peas are already down. Maize: Supplies are very short and it it estimated that there is not much left in the Bay of Plenty now. Value is nominally 68 9d to 7s on the wharf, but it is impossible to say what the next consignments will realise, as it will largely depend on tho suonlies of wheat in the meantime. Flax: Good quantities are coming in, but shipping difficulties stand in the way of satisfactorily dealing with them. Kauri Gum: Arrivals are about as usual, and most ( of the better grides are moving off. Poorer qualities are still difficult to -- place. "■ t !i " , .... CANTERBURY GRAIN MARKET. : DISAPPOINTING WHEAT CROPS. [by TELEGRAPH. association.] CHKISTCHURCH. Tuesday. There have been no samples of new .wheat yet shown on the market, but some threshing rr is expected to be done during the week. It is apparent that there will be some disappointment in regard to the yield of a number of wheat crops. It has been found that although the heads are well grown, there is no grain in them, and there are , instances >< where whole paddocks are affected in both North and South Center bury. The cause is unknown, and the loss will not bo definitely ascertained until threshing takes place. There are not many oats offering, and prices are unchanged. A. little business is b4ing done in early crop potatoes at £4 ss, country _ . stations, for delivery within a 'week or two. Crops along the coast, north of Christchurcli, are not as healthy as they might "be, having apparently been affected by the recent damp easterly weather. Thero is a littlo inquiry for new oatsheaf chaff at £i for immediate, and £3 10s for forward delivery at country stations. , LONDON MARKETS. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Eecd. 9 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. Si, Tin: On spot, £298 15s; three months, £294 15s. Silver, 43jd. Other metals are unchanged.