COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1200, 1 March 1895, Page 8

COMMERCIAL.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company (Ltd.) report for week ending 22nd February, 1895 : Wool. —Since last writing the final sale at J this centre of the colonial series was held on the 15th inst. ; prices were no criterion, as I the attendance was sparse, and the bidding ! lifeless. The next (second) series of sales opens in London on the 7th prox., when it is hoped a turn for the better will take place. Sheepskins.—Large supplies have come forward, as is usually the case at this time of the year, and pi'ices have been well maintained. Prime crossbred pelts have brought up to Is 8d ; lambs, Is lOd to 2s 6d ; lamb pelts, 5d to lOd. Station skins are in good supply. Best full-woolled, 4|d per lb ; medium, 3d to 3fd ; inferior and broken, 2d to 2Jd j pel's, 3d to 6d each. Hides. —No alteration in the state of the market to report. Supplies are slackening,' and the demand is keener.

Flax. —Absolutely nothing doing, quotations only nominal. Wheat. —Dealers are only buying small quantities for more immediate requirements, and are waiting for new season's to come on the market. Whole fowl wheat is in good demand.

Oats.—Business passing is dull, and biryers I are holding off for new season's supplies. Grass Seep.—The demand for seed is now setting in, and enquiries are being made for prime machine dressed ryegrass. Poverty Bay is quoted at 53 6d to 6s per bushel ; Southern, 4s to 4s 9d per bushel, sacks extra, ex store. Cocksfoot is very plentiful, and is easily quitted at 4f d per lb for prime machine dressed kinds. Farmers' parcels do not command more than 4d to 4^d. A. G. Taine and Co. report of the markets for the week ending February 22nd : —Fat sheep—Home prices being so unfavourable, values are coming down, 8s to 9s being top prices. Fat lambs, 7s to 8s ; fat ewes, 5s to 6s 6d; store wethers, 5s to 6d; store ewes, 4to 6-tooth, sales up to 7s for good lines, 5s for medium, and Is 6d to 3s for f.m. The present panic in sheep (for it is nothing less) is not warranted. Fat cattle we quote 17s 1001 b; store cattle, easier, as. they generally are at this time of the year ; weaners, 20s to 25s ; yearlings, 30s to 40s ; twc-year-olds, £2 10s to ,£3 ; three-year steers, to £4> 10s. Pig.-—Slips, 10s to lis ; porkers, 20s to 25s ; bacon pigs, 35s to 455, and inclined to ease. Wool. —Wo have placed some late clips privately : 5d per lb stained wool, s£d to 7d for light,wool, pieces up to3£d. Sheepskins • —All coming forward selling freely at well up to late quotations. Laery and Co. (Limited) report for the past week as follows: —Wheat —A fair quantity of the new season's crop is now offering, and growers show a strong disposition to push sales. Buyers, however, are not inclined to , operate until larger quantities arc available. I The grain which has reached us so far appears J to be well grown and in splendid order. We . quote—Prime milling (old season's), 2s 6d; medium to good, 2s 4d to 2s 5d ; prime new I season's, nominally 2s 3d to 2s 4d f.o.b. ; Southern ports ; whole fowl wheat, 2s 7dto v 2s Bd, ex stores Wellington. Oats. —In sympathy with Southern advices, the market shows a weakening tendency. We quote— Prime short oats, Is 8d to Is 9d ; stout feed, Is 7d to Is 7|d ; Danish, Is 6d to Is 7d ; duns, Is lOd. Barley. —Buyers are not inclined to operate at present, in anticipation of much lower prices ruling. Meantime, our quotations are nominal. Choice malting, 4s ;. medium to good, 3s 6d to 3s 9d. Maize.—lnmoderate request at from 2s 6d to 2s 7d per bushel. Pollard. —Supplies scarce at 77s 6d per ton. Chaff. Moderate business is passing at prices last reported. Wo quote— Prime bright heavy (new season's), 575. 6d to 62s 6d ; medium to good, 47s 6d to 55s per ton. Cocksfoot. —In fair demand at prices showing 1 a slight decline on those last re-, ported. Fine bright machine-dressed, 4£d; bright heavy undressed , 4|-d to 4£d; medium to good, 3'i d to 4d; rough undressed, 3d to 3£dper lb. Matthew Henky reports of his Palmerston sale :—Cattle came forward in good numbers. Sheep, on the other hand, weie a small entry. The demand at auction was lifeless; in fact, there was no trade done. A good portion of the cattle changed hands at reduced values after the sale. The few pens of sheep were also quitted at quotations. Cattle —2-year heifers, £2 Is; 18month to 2-year steers, £2 2s 6d ; yearlings, 28s; weaners, 18a 6d. Sheep—Ewes, mixed ages, 3s ; shorn lambs, 2s 4d ; store owes, 4s 6d.

The following is bho New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company's report of the Addington market (telegraphed on Feb. 20 to the Mail) : Fat cattle —Moderate supply of 200 head ; competition steady at about late rates, for prime quality to 20s per 1001 b ; cow beef, 16s to 17s (sd. Dairy cattle Fair yarding met good competition; springers, to .£9. Store cattle—Small yarding : enquiry dull. Store sheep—Largo entry of .5000: demand dull and values lower; 2tooth wetherd, 6s 6d to 8s; lambs, 3s to 6s; crossbred ewes, 5s to 7s 6d; merino wethers, Is 6d to 3s. Fat lambs—--2300 penned; business dull, and prices easier all round ; freezers, 8s 6d to 10s 6d ; butchers' sorts, 5s to 7s. Fat sheep—4 800 penned, supply in excess of demand, and general fall of Is to Is 6d a head. Prime freezers, 10s to lis ; orossbrod ewes, 5s to 10s; merino wethers, 3s to 5s ; do ewes, 2s Gd to 4s 6d. Pigs—3so yarded, steady enquiry at late rates. Pork, 3£d per lb. Edwards and Mcßeath report that the labour market is rather quiet at present. Townsend AND Paul report of their weekly sale on Saturday:—We had a good entity of first-class horses from Hawke's Bay, harness sorts, hacks and polo ponies being well represented. The attendance of the public was fair, but the absence of buyers was very apparent. We placed a nice chestnut mare by Archer at ,£ls; chestnut gelding, at .£l2 ;■ two bay geldings, at .£lO and .£11; several others at prices varying from .£l4 to .£9. The balance of the Hawke's Bay consignment were passed in, prices not being up to owners' expectations. A. G. Taine and Co. report of their weekly Saturday's horse sale : —The entries were not quite up to the usual muster, and the attendance was only moderate. Only the best horses were well competed for, there being an absence of buyers generally, and the sale in consequence was dull and protracted. We sold harness horses at .£lO 10s, £9 10s, £9 and £8 : aged harness horses, at '.£s to £6 10s; hack gelding, by Silvester, £9, and a few other inferior from £3 to £4 ; buggy, <£7. We will offer next Saturday 15 hacks and harness horses, all good well bred sorts from Taranaki, and also 10 first-class draughts from the South, from a well-known breeder.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, havo received the following cable messago

from London : Frozen meats Mutton market depressed. Canterbury mutton, 3sd per lb; Wellington mutton, 3d per lb. Tallow Market quiet. Fine mutton, 24s per cwt; good beef, 22s per cwt. ButterMarket weaker. New Zealand, fine qualities, from 90s to 94s per cwt. i Messrs Levin and Co. have received from their London agents, Messrs Dalgety and Co. (Limited), the following cablegram, dated 21st February:— There is a fair private enquiry for wool. Since our last telegram prices are id per lb higher for the bulk of wools. The total private sales since the close of the la3t auctions amount to 2000 bales.

By Telegraph.—Press Association. —Copyright. Sydney, February 20. Wheat—Chick, 2s 3d to 2s 4d ; milling, 2s 7d. Fiour, .£6 15s to £7. Oats (quiet)—Prime feeding, 2s to 2s Id ; seed, 2s 3d to 2s 4d. Maize, Is Bd. Barley—Cape, 2s 4d. Bran, 6£d ; pollard, 6£d. Pea s—Prussian blue, 3s 6d. Potatoes —Warrnambools, <£2 10s ; local grown, £2 to .£3. Onions, .£3 10s. Butter— Dairy-made, 4d to Cheese is in good demand, and good supplies are coming forward ; latest quotations, 3d to 4£d. Bacon is in good demand, and the market firm at February 20. Wheat, Is lOd to 2s 2d; flour, .£5 15s. Oats —Algerian, Is 7Jd. Barley Cape, Is 3d to Is Gld. Maize, Is B£d ; bran, 6d ; pollard, (>|d. Adelaide, February 20. Wheat, 2s 3d ; flour, .£5 15s ; bran, 7£d; pollard, 7d. London, February 19. The New Zealand and Queensland frozen meat by the Star of England is in excellent condition.

London, February 20. The total quantity of wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom ia 3,450,000 quarters, and for the Continent 830,000 quartors. A cargo of South Australian wheat by the barque Norfolk Island sold at 23s 9d. The American visible wheat supply is estimated at 103,100,000 bushels: New Zealand Trust and Loan Company's shares are at. 2^. Large quantities of old stored butter are being sold at low prices for the Easter trade. February 21. ! The Kaikoura's lamb biought 6£d. London, February 22. 1 The Bank of England returns published today show the total reserves in notes and bullion to be .£29,674,000, proportion of reserve to liabilities being 70"70. Consols, 104£. Three months' bills are discounted at If per cent. New South Wales 4 per cent, inscribed stock, 3£ do, 103£. Victorian 4 per cents., 103 f; 3| do, 97f. South Australian 4 per cents., 107£-; 3| do, 102. Queensland 4 per cents., 106£; 3| do, 99£. Tasmanian 3| per cents., 99. Western Australian 4 per cents., 112. New Zealand 4 per cents., 108£; 3£ do, 101*.■ New Zealand, long-berried wheat, ex warehouse, nominally, 25s 6d ; South Australian do, 26s 6d, restricted; Victorian do, nominally, 2'6s 6d. Mutton —First quality, 3sd; second quality, 2&d. Lamb —Average [quality, sd; finest, 6id. The hemp market is flat —good Now Zealand, .£l3. Sugar—Best German beet, 9s quiet; Java, lis 3d, quiet. No. 1 best Scotch pig iron, f.0.b., in Clyde, 41s 3d, flat. Silver, 2s 3£d. Danish butter, 104 s. London, February 24. Tallow Medium mutton, 22s 6d ; beef, 21s 3d. The English wheat market is lifeless, the Continental inactive, and the American unchanged. Since the wool sales closed 2500 bales merino have been sold at par to £d advance. Merino tops have advanced 10 per cent, during the last three weeks. The River Plate clip of crossbreds has increased 80,000 bales. A portion of the Doric's mutton landed in excellent condition. Fine New Zealand butter, 80s to 90s; choicest, 965. The market is sluggish. London, February 25. One of the Echuca's Shortshorns sold at 5Ad, two at s£d, and one in poor condition at The salesmen state that the beasts are not equal to the last lot of Devons. The market is dull.

THE WOOL MARKET. Auckland, February 20. The prices received at the wool sale at the Wool Exchange this morning showed a depreciation of from id to £d on the prices at the last sale in January. There, was a largo attendance but bidding was less spirited than usual. Sydney, February 21. The wool sales have resumed. A distinctly better tone is noticeable all round, and it is particularly well marked in the case of wellskirted wools. Christchubch, February 22. At the wool sales to-day, about 3000 bales were offered. Competition was fai.rly brisk, and there was a good attendance of buyers. Merino and good crossbred wools sold quite up to the level of last sale's rates, and there was a very fair demand for lambs' wool. WELLiNGTONMABKETS. Messrs Laery & 00. report current whole sale values as under: —

Farm and Dairy Produce. £ S. D. £ s. D. Milk, quart 0 0 3 to 0 0 4 Butter, fresh farm, lb 0 0 7 Butter, separator ... 0 0 9 Salt butter 0 0 7 Cheese 0 0 4i to 0 0 4£ Loaf 0 0 5* Egg?, dozen (tresh) ... 0 0 11 Bacon, lb 0 0 6| Ham, lb 0 0 7 Fowls, pair 0 2 9 Ducks, pair 0 2 9 Geese, pair 0 4 6 Turkeys, pair 0 7 0 Hat and Corn Market. £ S. D. £ s. D. Maize 0 2 6 Oats, feed 0 19 Wheat, milling 0 2 9 Fowl Wheat 0 2 8 Rye Corn 0 2 9 Seed Barley 0 4 0 Carrots 1 10 0 Hay, ton 3 10 0 to 4 0 0 Oaten, ton 3 10 0 Straw, ton 2 10 6 Chaff, oaten sheaf ... 3 10 0 Wheat, straw 2 5 0 to 2 10 0 Onions, 0 4 0 to 4 10 0 Potatoes (now) 2 10 0 to 3 0 0

Flour Market. 1 j Stone flour £ s. r>. .700 £ s. r>. 1 Roller flour . 7 10 0 Pollard . 3 15 0 I Oatmeal ... . 8 10 0 j Bran . 2 10 0 to 2 15 0 j Seeds. £ S. R. £ 3. ;., Ryegrass, Farmers' lots ... ,029 to 0 3 3 Ryegrass, Machine dressed ... 0 4 0 to 0 4 6 Cocksfoot, lb ... 0 0 4 to 0 0 5i Wt. Clover, lb 0 0 10 Red Clover, lb 0 0 9 Alsyke, lb 0 0 9 Cow Grass, lb... 0 0 9 Timothy, lb 0 0 4 Linseed, per cwt 13 10 0 Rape, per cwt 15 0