COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1199, 22 February 1895, Page 7

COMMERCIAL.

Edwards and Mcßeath report of the labour market : —We have been fairly busy during 1 the week, principally with domestic servants. Men are plentiful; there is, however, little demand for them. Townsend and Paul report the horse market as follows : —We had a fair number of entries, mostly of light harness or saddle sorts, and taking into consideration it was only last week we placed the Sydney consignment the prices obtained to-day were satisfactory. Several good upstanding harness horses changed hands at prices ranging from .£l2 to £B, and a few old screws from 25s to ,20s. We have to arrive for next Saturday's sale a good mob of nice young horses from Ha .rice's Bay, 3 and 4-year-olds, consisting of polo ponies, light hacks and harness sorts bred by the late John Hislop. A. Gr. Taine and Co. report of their weekly Saturday horse sale : —There was only a moderate entrv of horses, and a moderate attendance. Our entry cbnsisted mostly of light harness sorts and hacks, including a few express horses. Bidding was not brisk except for the express horses, v Wo sold a medium five-year-old draught for <£l2 10s, a i well-bred hack mare for .£lO ; harness horses, ' all aged, for £7 10s, .£6, £5 and <£4 15s ; all very ordinary sorts, weedy and aged hacks, £2 10s to .£3 15s, and <£l2 10s was refused for a young express horse, and the same money for a well-bred hack by Ascot, and another by Foulshot. We sold a spring cart for .£lO ss, and a lot of harness and saddles at full market value. We have advice of 15 harness horses and hacks, all well-bred, from Taranaki, which are to be offered on Saturday, March 9th.

The following telegram has been received by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company from s their London office under date the 15th instant: — Tallow —There is a fair demand, New Zealand fine mutton and good beef tallow are worth 23s 9d and 21s 6d per cwt respectively. A. Gr. Taine and Co. report of the markets for the week ending 15th inst. : —Fat sheep —Market quiet; freezing wethers from 9s to 9s 6d; fat ewes, 6s to 7s 6d, according to weight; fat lambs, the demand for freezing is still good ; sales we have made at 6s 6d to 7s 6d. Store sheep—No enquiry, except for fresh mouth ewea. We quote store wethers, 6s to 7s ; 4 to 6-tooth ewes, good, 5s to 6s, no sales. Fat cattle —In plentiful supply at 17s per 1001 b. Store cattle —Selling freely ; steers, Mto M 10s; 2-year steers, £3 to £Z lUs ; yearlings and 18-month-olds, 38s to 50s ; calves, 24s to 30s. Dairy stock—Good demand for all young cows and heifers coming to calve, now' or later on. Sales have been made, cows, £6 to £7 los; heifers, .£4 to .£slos. We direct attention to ,the clearing sale of dairy stock that we hold on Ist March, at Mr Trotter's farm, Makara. Pigs—Slips, 10s to 12s ; porkers, 20s to 255; baconers, 38s to 455.

Matthew Henest reports, under date 14th: —The yards were well filled to-day with both sheep and cattle. The latter were composed of weaners and grown steers, sheep of mixed ages and. medium quality. The attendance was good, but trade was very dull, and most of the limited business done was privately at quotations. Cattle forward steers to .£5 ; fat and forward cows to <£4 to £4t 15s ; weaners, small, 20s. Sheep —Store ewes, 3s; fat ewes, 5s 9d; woolly lambs, 2s 3d to 3s 3d.

I THE WOOL SALES. LOAN AND MERCANTILE AGENCY COMPANY. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company report of last Friday's wool sale : The sale opened to a rather sparse attendance of buyers, whose requirements were chiefly either for choice wools or locks and pieces ; medium and inferior fleece, which composed the greater part of our catalogue, being neglected. Lambs' wool was'in good demand, and prices ranged up to 6f d per lb. Quotations can, however, hardly be regarded as a criterion of values for reasons given above. Growers have not yet realised the altered state of the wool market, hence in many cases reserves were placed which led to the heavy withdrawals. We. however, anticipate clearing pripately the bulk of our offerings. The following were the lots disposed of, and, except where otherwise stated, the wool was in the grease : —Maltese cross, crossbred, 1 bag, 2d; G, dead, 1 bag, 2d : J G, crossbred, 2 bags, 3d; "Various,

crossbred, 4 bays; 3d ; Various, lambs, 2 bags, 3d; 34, lamb pieces, 2 bags, 3d ; Gr R over dtsh, crossbred, 1 bag, 3f d; A A over Woodside, lamb 3, 1 bag, 3d; Various, bellies, 2 bags, 3d; Various, pieces,3 bags, 2d ; Various, locks, 5 bags, lid; A McF,pieces, 1 pocket, l£d; Tawataia, pieces, 1 bale, 2|d; Maltese cross, lambs, 1 bale, Gd ; 20, lambs, 1 bale, 5d ; D C, lambs, 1 bale, s£d; D. C, crossbred, 1 bale, 4d ; Uin heart, lambs, 1 bale, 6Jd ; A McF, lambs, 1 bale (dump), 4|d ; £)&, pieces, 1 bale, 3d ; W D over dash, crossbred, part lambs, 1 bale, 4|d ; C 3; lambs, 1 bale, sjd; 34, merino, 2 bales, 4£d ; MAI, bellies and locks, 1 bale, Id ; Gr B, lambs, 1 bale, 6d ; Penton, lambs, 1 bale, 6Jd; P P, crossbred, 4 bales, 6fd ; Paiaka. crossbred ewes, 2 bales, 6d ; Maungaru over X over O, crossbred part lambs, 1 bale, 6d ; Maungaru over X over O, lambs, 1 bale, s£d ; Maungaru over X over O, pieces, 2 bales, 2£d; CN over Bultail, lamb 3, 1 bale, sd; F in circle, lambs, 3 bales, s id ;F in cirole, lambs, 1 bale, l^d; S& B, crossbred, part looks, 1 bale, 4d ; 'M', lambs, 3 bales, s§d ; F B over ' Ohui, lambs, 1 bale, 6£d ; FB over Ohui, lambs, part crossbred, 1 bale, G£d ; FB over Ohui, pieces, 1 bale, 2d ; D —, crossbred, 9 bales, 6id ; Peep-o-Day, pieces, 1 bale, 2d ; A in diamond, lambs, 3 bales, s^d; Gf.N., bellies and pieces, 1 bale, 3d; G.N., locks, 1 bale, l£d; E, crossbred, 1 bale, 3£d ; E, pieces, 1 bale, 3£d ; A. A. over W, lambs, 9 bales, 6£d; L.A., locks, part dead, 1 bale (dump), 3d ; BB over B, lambs, 1 bale, sd; O over half-circle, pieces, 1 bale, lsd ; P J, crossbred, 2 bales, 4£d ; S in diamond, lambs, part pieces, 1 bale, 2£d ; J 7, crossbred, 1 bale, 32d ; slipe, S in circle, crossbred, 1 bale, 6£d ; VE conjoined, locks, 1 bale, l£d; L over half-circle over Mangaone, locks and pieces, part crutchings, 1 bale, 2d.

LEVIN AND CO

Levin and Co. report: —At the wool sale on Friday little life was shown, and the bidding was slow. Parcels of good fleece wool were not numorous, and as bids were under even the low values recently ruling 1 not much of this class of wool was quitted. Local fellmongers had evidently reduced their limits for locks and pieces, and these lots had to go at lower figures than in the previoxis sales of the season. Lambs' wool brought irregular prices; the best reached 5fJ-d and 6d, but td to s|d was the average range. Bush wool was almost unsaleable. We quote crossbreds 5d to 6£d ; bush stained, 4d; lambs, 4d to sfd ; pieces, 3d to 3sd ; locks, Id to 2vd. We append list of prices realised. The following are the lots disposed of, and all wool was in the grease : —Hawaiki, dead, 1 bag, 2d; Hawaiki, locks, 2 bags, 2d; Hawaiki, cotted and black, 1 bag, 2d ; IS in diamond, locks and pieces, 1 bag, 2d ; halfcircle over JP conjoined, crutchings, 2 bags, 2d; JK, locks, 1 bag, 2d; S over P, dead, 1 bag, 2|:d ; S over P, merino, 1 fadge, 3d ; N, hogget, 1 bag, 4j?d ; Annadene over WE conjoined, crossbred, 1 bag, 3|d ; Annadene over ! WE. conjoined, crossbred, 1 bag, overJWß conjoined, mixed, 2 bags, crossbred, 1 bag, 4d; F 3 over O, locks, 1 fadge, U<3; F 3 over O, dead, 1 fadge, 3£d ; T.A.L., crossbred, 1 bag, 3£d; AAoverTokomaru, rams and hogget, 1 bale, 5d ; AA over Tokomaru, dead, 1 bale, 4£d; A A over Tokomaru, bellies and 1 bale, 2£d; AA over Tokomaru, bellies and locks, 1 bale, Hd ; AA over Tokomaru, locks, 4 bales, WBF over O, lambs, 1 bale, 4£d; Hukanui, bellies and pieces, 1 bale, 2^d; Ngawaiwai, pieces and dead, 1 bale, 2|d ; B & L over May field, pieces, 1 bale, 3£d; B & L over Mayfield, locks, 1 bale, 4£d ; Takapuna over Heart, pieces and locks, 1 bale, 2*d; W.B. over Fernglen, locks, 1 bale, 2d; Annadene over VE> conjoined, locks, 1 bale, Hd; Annadene over VR conjoined, dead, 1 bale, Id; Chelsfield, locks, 1 bale, If d ; IS in diamond, pieces, 1 fadge, 3d; IS in diamond, broken fleeces, 1 bale, 3£d ; IS in diamond, crossbred, 1 bale, 4£d ; F 3 over O, crossbred, 1 bale, 4Jd; W in circle, Lincoln, 1 bale, s£; Win circle, pieces, 1 fadge, 3£d ; W.R.F. over O, ewes, 1 fadge, 5d ; TG., crossbred, 2 bales, sd; TG-., pieces, 1 bale, 3|d; E.G., hogget, 1 bale, 4d; Baumai, mixed, 1 bale, 3d; Hawaiki, pieces, 1 bale, 3a-d ; Brancepeth, stained pieces, 4 biles, Id ; Brancepeth, table locks, 4 bales, fd; Brancepeth, locks, 9 bales, 2£d; P, crossbreds, 1 bale, 4|d; B and L over Mayfield, lambs,-! bale,! 3d; B and L over Mayfield, lambs, 1 bale, sfd ; B and L over Mayfield, crossbred, 1 bag, 3Jd; T.0.C., crossbrad, 4 bales, sd.

London, February 13. Merino wools are commanding firmer prices since the sales closed in London. At the Antwerp sales 2300 bales were offered, including 200 Australian. The bidding was spirited, but little was sold, owing to the reserves being too high. The prices realised were at par to 7J per cent, higher. The Antwerp sales closed without change in prices. About half the catalogue was withdrawn. London, February 15. 1 At the London wool sales 1200 bales have been sold since the sth, some of it at id per lb rise. London* February 13. The quantity of wheat and flour afloat for the "United Kingdom is 3,330,000 quarters, and for the Continent 780,000 quarters. Three months' bills are discounted at 1£ per cent. Butter, 100 s to 102 s. London, February 14. The salesmen state that Canadian butter will arrive chiefly in July and August, and will not seriously compete with the colonial article. The Oroya's bacon arrived in excellent condition. It is pronounced very mild, and is selling at 40s. The estimated visible supply of American wheat is 105,300,000 bushels. The Bank of England returns published today show the total reserve in notes and bullion to be .£29,118,000, the proportion of reserve to liabilities being 70*50. Consols, 104£. The rate of discount for three months' bills is unchanged. New South Wales 4 per cent, inscribed stock, 109; do, 103. Victorian 4 per cents., 103|-; 3k do, 97£. South Australian 4 per cents., 107; 3| do, 102. Queensland 4 per cents., 3£ do, Tasmanian 3£ per cents., 99. Western Australian 4 per cents., 112. New Zealand 4 per cents., 1074; 3£ do, 101 i. New Zealand long-berried wheat, ex-ware-house, 255, market flat; South Australian do, 265, firmer; Victorian do, 25s 6d, firmer. Frozen mutton —First quality, 3£d ; second quality, 2&d. Lamb averages. sd; finest quality quoted at 6£d. The frozen meat market is very depressed. j Sugar—Best German beet, 9s ; Java do, lis 6d, market steady. No. lbest Scotch pig iron, f.o.b. in Clyde, 41s 6d. '

London, February 15. Kauri gum is in good demand. Of 3000 cases offered, 2600 were sold at a general advance of from 2s to lis. Three-quarter scraped brought 70s 6d, and half-scraped 525. The quantity in stock is 2800 oases: Silver, 2s 3 5-lb'd per oz. Tlia Kaikoura's butter averages 98s ; cheese 98s. London, Februarv 16. Australian wheat is scarce, and 27s has been paid for a Victorian consignment landed. Melbourne, February 14. An order has been received from Samoa for a trial shipment of butter. It is believed there are excellent prospects of establishing 1 a large trade there in butter, cheese, hams, bacon, onions, and potatoes, if the freight charges are not too high. Christchurch, February 14.

At a meeting of the committee of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association to-day, a letter was read from the Flock Book Council declining to accede to the request of the Association that rule 6, providing for the compulsory inspection of flocks, should be re-introduced. After a discussion it was resolved unanimously, " That this Association refuses to countenance the publication of a Flock Book unless it is published in accordance with the conditions passed at the conference held in Wellington in 1894."