TRADE OF THE WEEK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19891, 9 March 1928, Page 7

TRADE OF THE WEEK.

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL.

SMALL SALES IN MOST LINES.

PRODUCE MARKETS REVIEW. General merchants report a ot heavy orders, requisitions being limited to sorting up lines in small quantities. Hi is is espected to last until, the end of the month, or until forward booking can be arranged. A number of retailers took stock at ihe end of the month, and this always drastically restricts their buying, while the proximity ot' bank balancing also appears to have a moderating effect on sales. Retailers aro busy in the efforts to attract buyers to their new goods, and a heavy business is expected to-day. A few shops are still continuing their summer clearance sales, and bargain prices will be ottered to-day, but in other houses the sales are over, and winter goods are being opened up. TEA. At the Colombia auctions on Tuesday a definite recovery in the market took place. The quality is rapidly improving and commons were up two cents, medium three cents, and good six cents. The catalogue comprised 2,250,0001b, and a good general demand was maintained. EGGS. The decrease in the supply has caused & better tone in the market, and retailers were asking 2s yesterday. SHEEP TONGUES. Several brands of tinned sheep tongues have been in short supply lately, but the export season is providing larger quantities. and a few/ well-known brands are again on the market. CANNED FRUITS. Retail sales show a falling off, owing to the plentiful supplies of fresh fruit, but the wholesale houses are looking for supplies. Sliced peaches are a popular line, and large quantities are booking. Remarkable cutting is taking place in quotations lor new season's Australian canned fruit 3, the market being quite demoralised. However, in some varieties importers are etui looking to California. and fairly large quantities will be imported for the winter at the cheap prices quoted. Local canning are receiving marked attention, particularly in pears. Singapore pineapples are also selling well. DRIED FRUITS. This is the off season for sales and most varieties are neglected. The bakers are buying Australian raisins as required. Prunes have made the advance m price which was expected, bulk being up 2s ad per cwt., and cartons Is 3d a dozen. POTATOES. Supplies from all sources are very limited just at present, local on account of the rain interfering with digging, and Southern on account of the reluctance of merchants to buy very heavily on a falling market. Southern are selling at 13s (id to 14s, ex store, but distributors are taking only small quantities, as the new crops arc not likely to stand much handling, although they appear to be of good quality, it iB difficult to get sufficient from Rangitikci district to meet the demand, and it aopears as if no relief is likely until Southern are available in full quantity. When that takes place the price should be considerably lower, for the crop is reported to be a good one, owing to an ample rainfall in Canterbury during the spring. ONIONS. Good quantities of Pukekohe onions are still held, but high prices are being asked, as holders havo been looking for s> heavy export demand. This has resulted in,merchants going to Canterbury for small supplies. and these will be here. shortly, to sell at about 2s under the price of ,ocal Holders of. the. latter appear to have been encouraged in their attitude by the excellent quality of the miions harvested this year, and they seem likely to stand storage longer than usual. OATS AND CHAFF. A good demand continues for feed oats at 4s Gd to 4s 9d ex store, and several orders have also come in for seed oats, many farmers being to supplement their autumn and early winter feed with a catch crop of green oats. Perfect growing weather has followed the heavy rain on Monday and Tuesday and crops which were hwriedly put in after the rain last week will now have an exceptionally quick growth. Pastures are also reviving very rapidly under the influence of the warm weather which has followed the rain, and it is expected the demand for oats and chaff will gradually fall off _ to come on again with the approach of winter. FOWL WHEAT. Merchants are buying the new season's wheat from week to week, regular shipments of small quantities arriving from Canterbury. The current price is 7s 9d ex store, and the quality is excellent, the crop having been harvested under perfect conditions, so a gradual fall in the price is expected. MAIZE. The lower price of wheat, which is now cheaper than it has been for many years, is attracting a good deal pf the demand which formerly went to maise, a tendency which is assisted by the hot weather. But for this combination of influences, there would probably have been a recovery in the market, for it is understood there is not a great denl of the last harvest left, and the rain has come too late to assure a good crop this year. The latest arrivals have realised Gs oil the wharf, and it seems likely that in view of the restricted demand in Auckland, and the higher freight from Ginborne. a good deal of the maize from the latter port will be diverted to Wellington. BARLEY. It also seems probable that the cheap price of this grain will relieve the demand for maize; as 'it is a popular feed grain when cheap enough, as it should be this year, as a result of the favourable season in the South Island. BRAN AND POLLARD. A reduced demand is expected shortly, as a result of the quick recovery in the pastures after the rain, but in the meantime merchants are importing limited quantities from the South and local is also selling well. SEEDS AND FERTILISERS. There is a continued rush for supplies. Farmers had a gdod burn of bush clearings while the dry weather lasted and swamps and old clearings were also cleaned up by fire, sometimes unintentionally. All this has entailed fresh sowings of grass seed, and the farmers are eager to get their seed down now, in order tq catch the next shower for an early growth. A little ploughed land is also being put in. but the area i 3 small in comparison with surface sewings. Orders for immediate delivery of fertilisers have been pouring in, and railway facilities have been taxed to th« utmost to deal with them, as farmers are determined to do their top-dressing early, in order to get a good autumn growth. KAURI GUM. A New York review states the volume of sales in paint and varnish materials during 15)27 was slightly above that of the previous year, but this volume was obtained in many cases at the expense of profits.< The index number of eleven typical materials showed a drop of 5.2 points in the year. Kauri gum shared in the weak market, being exposed to all the competition of cheaper raw materials, and the market <n the more important grades closed the year at lower levels than at the beginning, but with signs of an approaching improvement. One disappointing feature which seems to be responsible for much of this weakness was the slackening of operations in the automobile field. However, it is expected that this year over 5,000,000 motor vehicles will be turned out, bringing a heavy demand for materials, in which kauri gum may possibly share; One new development, which may have an important bearing on the consumption of paint and varnish products is the action of a prominent manufacturer in giving the whole car, including the chassis, a lacquer finish, as a protective measure, something that has never before been done by any of the leading manufacturers. Dealing specially with kauri gum, the review states that cheaper qualities were coming in for a better call in the United States last year, and it appeared that larger quantities of kauri gum found their way into American varnishes than during the previous year. - PROPERTY SALES. William A. Horne, Ltd.. will offer at auction at their rooms, High Street, at one o'clock to-day. bungalow of four rooms in Bentley Avenue, •Avondnle; and on behalf of the mortgagees, bungalow of five rooms in Rahiri Road. Mount Eden. C. F. Bennett, Ltd.. will offer at auction, at their rooms. New Zealand Insurance Buildings, at 12 o'clock to-day, 19 freehold sites in New North Road and Salisbury Street, Mount Albert. T. Mandeno Jack3dn will offer at auction at their rooms, 9, Commerce Street, at,ll o'clock to-day: House of eight rooms, at 19, Market Road. Remuera. foi removal, and lease of two building sections, one 55ft. by 390 ft..'and the other 54ft. 10'ffi. by 15)0ft. •, also, under conduct of the registrar of the Supreme Court. ",t the request of the second mortgagee, concrete structure of five storeys, known as Bagnall's Buildings, Anzac Avenue.

Samuel Vaile and Sons, Ltd.. will offer at auction at their rooms. 83, Queen Street, at 2 o'clock to-day: House of five rooms, on freehold section, corner of Rose Rosd and Sussex Street, Grey Lynn; ooid, at- the reouest of the mortgagees, under conduct of the registrar of the Supremo Court, fn.rm of 27J acres at Whjvkatane. and house of seven rooms end offices on section containing Ir 23.3p, at No. 19, St. Luke's Rpad, Mount Alberi.