TRADE OF AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20599, 25 June 1930, Page 7

TRADE OF AUCKLAND.

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL. INCREASE IN ACTIVITY. PRODUCE MARKETS REVIEW. Trade is much more active this weeii, as the retail clearance 3ales are now almost general throughout the city. Commencing with the large drapery houses, mark-ing-down has now become the policy of most departments and even boisterous weather ha 3 not prevented a large influx of visitors to the shopping area 3. Prices are very attractive to the public this year and there i 3 a good response from buyers So_ far the drapery counters have been well patronised and buyers are already beginning to pay attention to other departments whore special inducements are offering. The wholesale houses are busy with the delivery of orders on next month's account and these are of the smaller volume customary in the winter. Country buyers are getting in fairly substantial quantities, but city houses are so well served that there is not the necessity to carry heavy stocks. Provision houses ara putting through the usual changed turnover that the winter always brings. Canned goods are in much better demand, while dried fruits and vegetables are in steady request. Oatmeal and special breakfast preparations ara selling mucli better. Bacon i 3 selling better since egg 3 became cheaper and more plentiful.

TEA. Acivicea by mail state that at the Colombo auctions on May 20 the tone of the market waa distinctly better. Nuwera. Eliya and Maturata quality was not of a very interesting character, but was fully up to the average for the time of year. There waa a good general demand, but offerings snicl without quotable change. High grown: The selection was some vhat restricted, but there were several useful invoices available. Broken Orange Pekoea must be quoted fully firm. Broken Pekos sold steadily at 2 to 3 cents advance, while leaf grades were £r<;m 3 to 5 cents dearer, and in aome cases the rise waa even greuter. Medium grown: Offerings from these districts met with good general support and quotations remained Cully firm. Law gTown: Broken Orange Pekoes showed an irregular tendency, but all other grades wens fully firm, and occasionally an advanco waa recorded. Fanninga and duat: Good quality kinds came to a aim market, whila common 3orta were atnady at last rates The average realised for the total offerings waa 67 cents, compared with 89 cents at fciia previous sale, and 81 cents for the corresponding sale last year. London- prices were received by cable, giving the auction returns for 28,200 packages offered. Broken Pekoes realised 10id to 23 Id; Orange Pekoea, la 2id to 23 2d; Broken Orange Pekoea, Is Id to 2a Bd. COFFEE. The market has been very puzzling lately. A good crop in Brazil seemed to fully justify much iowei prices for the heavy stocks that were known to be held and there waa a tendency to reduce local prices in sympathy. It is astonishing how persistently the coffee control haa been maintained in the face of the crop reports, but the latest news ia that Brazil ia now practically assured of a new loan to finance ita surplus coffee. The loan ia fsr about £2,000.000. bnt it is stipulated by the United States Government that the money is not to be used for the Brazilian valorisation scheme, but for liquidating surplus stocks. When the announcement was made tha market eased a little, but later recovered, and in Brazil now it ia expected that prices will ba maintained. prunes. Theae ttavo been a disappointment to importers. as the price has declined heavily since tha largest purchases w°re made. A alight recovery haa since taken place, but not enough to_ alter the fact that prunes are going to bo a very cheap food this year. Returns from California show that during tha first eight months of the season tha exports of prunes to Kew Zealand increased by a little, over 10 per cent. The present low prices are attributable to the very small demand from Europe, where gccd local crops have met requirements. EAISDvS Caliiornian prices are very low, but one packer has cabled withdrawing quotations until it can be ascertained what stocks ara left unsold. CURRANTS. Greelc fruit will be very cheap this year and will compete freely a gains': Australian in most markets. Local merchants, however, are doing most of their trade in the latter, the fruit being in. clean condition and well packed. FIGS. Owing to the failure in the condition of most stocks importers arc taking the opportunity to indent Californian fruit, aa this will arrive much earlier than the Turkish figs. CHEMICALS. Sulphur and bluestone are both a little easier and this will help consumers during the heavy winte- demand. Large quantities will bo required during the nest couple of months.

POTATOES. Good atoclc3 ara held hera and. there are more on the way, the general price being £7 es store tor good quality. This price seems rather firm, but some of the parcels held here on consignment are beginning to show si sua of growing, and these will have to be placed at les3 money, possibly weakening the market. Early varieties of seed are moving off well, as the weather has given fairly good opportunities for planting. 03T1025TS Local and Southern are supplying tho market and these are quoted at as ex store for best quality. A few Australian have already armed and are moving oif at aslight advance, but the main importations will not be here until eariy in July. These ara booking to arrive at 10s 6d. OATS AND CHAFF. An easier tone has developed in the South, apparently due to the quiet demand. Local merchants are asking 4s lOd ex store for small lots of B grade oata and 5s for A, but they may be able to shade these quotations in a week or two. Chaff is moving off very alowly at £lO 10s for Southern. WHEAT. Fowl wheat is firm at 7s lOd ex store, but the demand has slackened somewhat. MAIZE. Winier has improved tho demand and tho remnants of the Java importations are selling well at (is Odes store. Another shipment of South African rraiae is landing this week and this is selling at Gs id. FERTILISERS. A few cirders are coming in. but mcst farmers did their top-dressing during the autumn. KAURI GUAI. The market continues very dull, with very few orders coming to hand, either from New York or London Not much is being shipped at present and there is rather a good quantity arriving from the fields, causing an over-supply, principally in the cheap qualities of black Tho bulk of the consignments consists of medium chips,- which have hitherto been readily placed, but even this line is not moving cif well now. there being a diminishing demand at .£llO to Plenty of hard and sifted chips lor present orders have been coming in. but this line shows an easier tendency. All the better grades of black gum also show the same movement. White gum is in small supply, with a weak demand For a short period several small orders were coming in for iseveneighths scraped, which was selliug at jSlfia to £ISO, but apparently all these orders have now been ulled.

THE LONDON MARKETS. PRICES FOR METALS. (Received June 24, 9.13 p.m.) LONDON, June 23. (Quotations on Juno 19 in parentheses). Copper.—Spot, £4B 8s 3d (£SO 6s 3d); three months, £4B 8s 9d (£SO Us 3d). Electrolytic Copper.—Spot, ,£54 10s (£54 15s); three months, £56 10s (£ —). Wire Bars-—£s6 10s (£56). Lead.—Spot, £lB (£l7 17s 6d); three months, £lB (£l7 17s 6d). Spelter.—Spot, £l6 5s (£l6 12s 6d); three months, £l6 17s 6d (£l7 3s 9d). Tin.—Spot, £134 os 9d (£l3B 7s 6d); three months. £136 3s 9d (£l4O 2s fid). Silver. —Standard, 15 5-8 d (1515-16 d) per oz; fine, 16 11-16 d (17 3-16 d). BRADFORD TOPS. On the Bradford tops market business is slack and' 'inquiry is poor. Quotations have barely held.