COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16904, 17 July 1918, Page 5

COMMERCIAL.

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL THE PRODUCE MARKETS. Thb wholesale houses have vary little of special interest to report. Business is decidedly quiet, this generally being about the quietest week of the quietest month of the year, and mere has been nothing to pull H out of its usual position, ttctau continues fairly busy, toe eniei interest ocing in tne winter Clearance sa»os. rotttkoes: very lew have arrived since lest wees, ana etocus nave run rower tnau tney nave own wr some time. Aiaiket is urui at iiU ex store lor southern, ana a lew xiUßiiaiian still wft over iroui recent arrival are moving ou at ill. bouio email iota 01 Australian are being orougnt up troin Wellington iujS wees by ran. occn i-otatoes; beuing in very small quantities. , , unions: Slocks are very low, ana value may De given as nominally 2ua ex store tor re-pioKecl. me hign price is reducing the demand, which was aircady rntiier quiet, buyers being reluctant to »ay in any stocks in tne present maiuoreut condition. With the exception of a tew in private hands, carefully stored away for keeping, the market is now depending on buuthern supplier. After theso are gone there win, no ,£Oubt, bo Victorian onions available but the price is already high, and any American imported will bo higher still. . Oats: ilio market is very dull, with no buying and no selling of any consequence. Up to June 22 only 4,155,000 bushes have been threshed out, and in the ordinary way this unusually small return would have brought about a substantial advance. Good feed is selling at 5s 7d ex store, which is about up to a parity with Southern values, but any oxtonsive buying would probably put up prices at one*. Seed Oats: The weather is all against cowing, but farmers aro already laying in stocks ready for the first opportunity of putting them in. Oatmeal Supplies are still below requirements. Wheat: Fowl wheat is in good supply at present, but only limited quantities appear to be available for further shipment. Anything that will pass for milling is taken up at once, as a shortage at the end of tho season may bo regarded as a certainty. Bran and Pollard: Both are sailing well. Larger supplies of pollard have arrived. Chaff: Stocks of Southern chaff are low, and price is firm at £12 10s ex store. Auckland merchants have a good quantity bought in Canterbury, but tho difficulty is to get it shipped. Sellers reserve the right to cancel any unshipped, or to get it stored on buyers' account, but storage in Lyttelton is so scarce that the latter option is practically useless, and chaff is constantly being shut out. Very little local _is coining in. and everything points to higher prices before long. Maize: Market keens well supplied from tho coast, and lew prices are being accepted. Most consignments realise fromOs 4d to- Cs 6d on the wharf in wholesale lines, according to condition. Peas: Blue peas are in rather short supply, and there is apparently no possibility of getting fresh supplies from Tasmania. Fertilisers: Boncdust is scarce, and there is much concern as to supplies during tho spring, whon the demand always increases. Petrol: Regulations hove now come into force regarding the distribution of petrol in small quantities, in order to conserve the stocks for the most urgent and important industries. It Is generally supposed that a good deal of private hoarding has booh going on, but theso supplies must be rapidly running down. _ Dried Fruits: Demand is increasing. Australian ourrants have arrived, and are being distributed. Sultanas should be hero about the end of (ho month. Nelson dried apples are selling fairly wall. Californian apricots are dearer. Crystallised ginger is getting rather scarce. Vestas: Plaids aw in fairly good supply, but tins and slides aro almost unobtainable. A few Japanese and Swedish safeties aro selling. Tobacco: A few badly-needed lines have arrived, and have been distributed to an eager domand, but the supplies in general are low. Flax: Tito mills are shut down, and the only operations consist of a few small shipments to America. During the last few days a startling report of a slump in prices in America has been circulated. If this is true th<; Enrrlish market will soon follow. To a certain extent the report is supported by mail advices from Home, to the effect that heavy supplies of African sisal have boon imported, the preference twin* given to the shorter voyage from Mombasa. Tho chief difficulty regarding New Zealand flax is to gel it shipped at all, and. unless an increase in shipping soace is secured, it will be impowible for tho mills to open in the spring with any chance of succss. eipecially as any space available must then be reserved for wool. WAIKATO STOCK SALES. The Now Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Auctioneering Company report:— During the past week we have held stock sales at Hikutaia, Ohaupo. Hamilton, Ngaruawahia, Oparau, and Wainou, and seven clearing sales.. The demand for beef and mutton is still strong And in excess of supply, whilst the store market has a firmer tone, and although yardings have boon smtll, practically everything has changed hands. There is a good demand for good calves, good empty heifors. 18-months stew, grown bullooks, and 6toro wethers. _ The demand for dairy cattle has eased considerably, and only the best are sought after. All clearing sales have been well attended, and prices havo been satisfactory. Wo quoto: Fat bullocks, prime quality. £18 to £19 10s; fat bullocks, medium quality, £15 15s to £17; fat cows, prime quality, £13 to £15; fat cows, medium quality. £11 to £12 10s; fat heifers, £11 15s to £12 10s; 8* and i year bullocks, fresh conditioned, £12 10b to £13; 3-year i bullocks, fresh conditioned, £11 to £11 Es; 81 and 4 year bullocks, store, £1110s to £12 10s; 8-year bullocks, store, £10 6s to £11; 2-year bullocks, ordinary. £7 10s to £8 10s; empty cows, fresh conditioned, £7 103 to £8; empty cows, ordinary, £8 to £6 10s; empty cows, old and poor. £5 to £5 Es; steer calves, good, £4 15s to £6 10s: heifer calves, £3 10b to £4 15s; mixed calves, £2 10s to £3; 3-year heifers, in calf, close to profit, £14 to £16: 3-year heifers, in calf, backward, £10 to £10 10s; 9-year heifers, in calf, olose to profit, £9 15s to £11 10s; 2-year heifers, in calf, backward, £8 to £8 10s: 2-year empty heifers, backward, £7 to £8. Fat wethers, heavy weights, 85s to 38s 6d; fat wethers, medium weights, 32s 6d to 345; fat ewes, heavy weights, 29s to 325; fat ewes, medium weights, 26s to 28s; empty owes, fresh conditioned, 20s to 245; ewes in lamb, 2 and 4 tooth, well woolled, 26s 3d to 80s: ewes in lamb, 4 and 6 tooth, well woolled. 30s to 365; ewes in lamb. f.f.m.,jrell woolled, 23a to 265; ewes in lamb, s.m and poor, 10s to 13s; hoggets, best, woolly, 21s to 245; hoggets, best, shorn, 18s to 20s; hoggets, ordinary, mixed. 12s to 15b; hosgeis. fat. shorn, nrimo, 255. Dairy cows, best, £18 to £25; ordinary, £12 to £15; backward and poor, £8 to £10. AUCKLAND HIDES SALES. Messrs. 6. W. Binney and Sons report:— Hides: Best cow BJd to Bld, medium B}d to Sid, scored Bd, cut 7ld to Bd, damaged 6Jd to 6d; ox, heavy lid to Hid, medium IOJd to Md. light 9}d to lOd, cut 8d to 8)d. damaged 6*d to 7d; yearling Bjd to 9d, cut 7}d to Bd, damaged Sid to 6d; calf, good 12d, medium 10} d to lid, cut 9d to 91d: horse 9s to 10s, medium 8s to 8s 6d, small 5s 6d to 6s, cut 4s to 4s 6d. Tallow: Casks, best Sss per cwt, medium 33s 6d to 345, ordinary 82s 6d; tins, best 335, ordinary 80s. dreggy rnd burnt 275. BonCB: Good dry. £7 to £7 10s per ton. SOUTHERN PRODUCE MARKET. [nr TELEGRAPH.— association,] CHRISTCHTJRCH, Tuesday. There is practica'ly nothing doing in the grain market. Potatoes are fairly firm at £6 to £6 6s at country stations, and up to £6 10s is being paid for good samples of Dakota. The market for onions has further advanced, and latest quotations are £13 10s I to £14 at stations.