COMMEECIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16763, 1 February 1918, Page 3

COMMEECIAL .

THE PRODUCE MARKET. ' RECORD PRICE FOR MAIZE. " . General business for the week has been 11 very satisfactory, having regard to the fact -/£' that a day was lost through the holiday, ■ ™M deliveries for forward account are about on |?f a par with the usual January business, **% which always shows some reaction after the '.?% heavy Christmas buying, but this year it is 7 evident that buyers are not at all over- ' "'2 stocked, and they are alroady looking round ' v for supplies of imported goods. The list % of goods that cannot be supplied is growing every week, and once off the market itseems very problematical whether any more will be obtainable till" after the war. This applies particularly to British and American goods, Continental having been practically off the market since the war legan, but lately the difficulty in getting Australian and Eastern goods is aLso becoming more pronounced. Potatoes; The market is a little weaker, as'a result of larger supplies coming in, and best Quality are now selling at £8 10s, ex store. There is every prospect of a good crop throughout tho Dominion, with a corresponding low range of values, as tho weather in the more southern parts has been favourable for a heavy growth. Locally, tho area under crop was kept down by the exceptionally wet weather at planting time, but all that were planted have done remarkably well, and the output should easily last until the Southern are ready for shipment, as quotations are already being received. Onions: Price is easier at £10 10s ex store. The market is still being supplied with locally grown, but:, Southern will be ready before long,' and as' there seems little prospect of . any" export K .{his 'autumn the market will probably rule Jatner IoV. Oats: Very little attention is being given to oats. Good stocks are held here, and * quotation remains at 4s lOd ex store, in small lines. Tho harvest in the South is turning out well as regards quantity, and this will somewhat make up for the deficiency in but unfavourable weather is interfering with operations to some extent, and a larger proportion than usual will £ be stacked instead of being threshed from the stook. Wheat: The market is still entirely dependent on small shipments from Australia, whenever space can bo obtained, and this will no doubt continue for another month. In the meantime the Southern harvest is ' coming in, and information ae to the yield is awaited with considerable interest. Fowl wheat is in good demand, and the recent consignments of Australian aio moving off . - at 8s ei store. - Chaff: The market keeps very,firm at £11 ex store for,old season's Blenheim, and the* ■-• new chaff is' realising about the same price.---During the week another shipment. arrived, and sold in a bare market to-a keen demand. During the. last few days a. few lots of new . season's local chaff also'.' arrived,' 'and ' the "- . best of it realised. £3 to £8 10s at the. Auckland, station. ' All reports agree that the total output of. local ohaff this season will- v '' be very small. *• ~-■ -..- -. "•..■' „ ;.-' Maize: During tho week a few very welcome consignments of maize ;a*rived from.'' • the coast. Coming• to a particularly bare market, which" has. been insufficiently sup- i, -. plied for several weeks past, the price- again ' firmed, as high as 7s Gd on the wharf bein? •• „ paid in wholesale lines, .This, is ft;recordfor recent years, and shows the 'extraordinary change that has developed sines maize used to realise 2s to 3s on the wharf. Of course, this is largely due to war condition, all grain firming, sb a result of de- . creased production, but in the case of maize it is also due to the gradual encroachment .j.-j; of dairying in the districts formerly devoted , to maize, with a consequent decline -in the cultivation of this grain. Stocks in the Bay of Plenty are reported ,to be low ' already,-.; ;■ and it will be nearly six months before the new season's crop is ready. .It is not yetknown whether the high price ruling has f ; ' induced farmers to put in a larger area than ; __.., usual. "■;''„ ~.,.' -~- •' All descriptions are ; selling;^j „ well. Calcutta bonedust-ia scarce, and the price has advanced to £12 103. while local ;,;..- is selling at £18. Bone and blood 18 also <. row ' demand at £11 10s.- Australian bonedust ■ will soon he a dead letter on this market..'^.-.; Tea: The market is' fairly strong in Uy- ■. , lon, and has lately been ■ hardened by too arrangements that have been completed for ..-. > : the shipment of 16,000.0001b to the, United; fV; Kingdom during February.. Ihe quality -i _ -. , now offering in Ceylon is choice,.but this is., resulting in. extremely, high prices, Un- ; -•..;-. fortunately shipping facilities remain very • ;,■ limited. ___________ '* . "''.'.^ BUTTER AND EGGS. \ t \vf; The Dairy Produce Committee - has ' fixed-.',:, ; ;." the wholesale price of butter and et;'ga fors** the week ending February 7, as follows:— .>, Farmers' butter, first grade,' Is Id per lb. jgi Fresh eggs, Is sd-per doz. ■; • '•'".*?4' X AUSTRALIAN PRODUCE MARKET^' Australian ■ and N.Z. Cable .Association.-."., .- (Reed. 9.20 p.m.) SYDNEY, Jan. 31./ Oats: Algerian, feeding 2s 8d to.2a lOd, ';./;; milling 4d to -3s-6d;-Tasmanian r 4s to. 4a- ■-~- ■■ 3d. ; Maize, 53 4d; potatoes', Ta'Bmahl4n/£9' - , to £10 10s; onions..£7. to £9.3., .; '..:„{. ,' .-::.'-'f -■ ADELAIDE, Jan. Bi;^i;.,f Oats, 2s 7d. *■■■•■■■ .- '.--.v -•;" ;r"v/■;.; ft--■-,-■ " ' PROPERTY SALES. ■. ' J ;•- •Messrs. Samuel Yaile and Sons,' Ltd.', will --'!— - hold an '' auction sale at - their rooms, 87, " "- ■ • Queen Street, at 2 p.m., to-day, ■• when the, .-y following properties will\be. offered:—Rest-;?,",. i denoe of 11 rooms, on section, corner ' Rose •?.. '. Road . and Mackelvie Streets,. 52ft by • 115 ft: -- 4 •..".• modern bungalow.of five rooms, on, section '.*';-{/; corner Queen Street and Robb Road, North-. { ! li.-.;")■.. cote;- house of six rooms, in Emmett Street, -' ! Ponsonby; house iof rooms ' Northcote,; 'i , ;' Street, - Grey Lynn;' house" of six 1 rooms, '- • •--. ■'. Dryden (late Owen) Street, Grey Lynn; and-;-:;m; two houses in Tu'tanekai Street, Grey Lynn, a ;.:•