COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1202, 15 March 1895, Page 8

COMMERCIAL.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency _ Company, Limited, report for week ending Bth March, 1895 : Wool.— Since date of previous writing wo have received cable advice from London of a more encouraging tone. Merino is at 5 per cent, advance on last sale’s closing rates, and crossbred market firmer. Competition is active and attendance good. The available quantity is 337,000 bales, of which 61,000 bales have been forwarded to the. manufacturing districts direct. Locally there is not much doing, the greater proportion of the wool held over from last salw being disposed of at recent Sheepskins.— Large supplies earning to hand, and present quotations are: Prime factory pelts, Is lOd to 2s 3d ; lambskins, 2s to 2s 7d ; lamb pelts, 5d to lOd. Dry station skins are without alteration, and are coming forward in good supply. Hides.— The market is without alteration. Flax.— Absolutely nothing to report, a few consignments finding outlet in Australia. Wheat. —Millers are now enquiring for new season’s supply, but itis anticipated that opening quotations will be low. At present, business is quiet, buyers preferring to wait. Oats.— The new crop is barely come into the market, and buyers are at present merely making enquiries prior to operating. The market is expected to open low. Chafe.— Quotations are lower consequent upon large supplies coming forward. Present Southern is worth 50s, f.o.b. South, sacks m ; Wairarapa, 555, on trucks, Wellington.

, Laeky and Co. Limited, report for past week as follows Wheat—The condition of the market is practically unchanged. We have passed a considerable quantity during the past week in execution of country orders at prices equal to those last reported. TVe quote: Prime milling (old season’s), 2s Gd ; medium to good, 2s 4d to 2s 5d ; new season’s prime, nominally, 2s 4d f.o.b. Southern ports; whole fowl wheat, 2s Bd, ex stores here. Oats—The tone of the market shows little change, although buyers are not dis- j posed to increase their stocks at the rates now ruling. We quote : Prime short oats, Is 8d to Is 9d; stout feed, Is 7d to Is 7&d ; Danish, Is Gd to Is 7d ; duns, Is lOd. Barley Considerable quantities of the new season’s crops are now offering, and values during the week show a material decline on late rates. Best malting, 3s 9d ; medium to good, 3s to 3s 6d. Maize —Market firmer ; best samples are worth 2a 7d to 2s 8d per bushel. Pollard—ln strong demand at 77s 6d per ton. Chaff - Large quantities are offering, but prime bright lines still meet with moderate sale at prices last reported. We quote : Prime bright heavy new season’s, 57s 6d to 62s Gd T medium to good, 47s Gd to 55s per ton ; choice old season’s, 65s per ton. A Gh Taine and Co. report of the markets for the week ending Bth inst. :—Fat sheep—Prime fat wethers, 8s to 9s ; fat ewes, 5s to 6s Gd; fat lambs, 7a to 8s for best. Store sheep—Two and four-tootli wothers, fresli in good demand at 5s Gd to 7s ; ewos, four ’and six-tooth,'good lines, Gs to 7b j medium, 4s Gd to ss; fresh f.m., 2s Gd to 3a Gd • cull ewes, Is to Is Gd. Better enquiry for’ sheep. Fat cattle—Demand limited to local requirements. Wo quote prime bullock beef 16s Gd. Store cattle—Market slacker ; have sold nearly all forward at our sales. Weaners, 20s to 22s ; yearling heifers, 30s to 355, and up to £2 12s Gd for some older sorts;

yearling steers, a shade less ; two-year-old steers, £2 5s to £2 10s ; three-year-old, up to £4 10s for fresh well-grown bullocks. Dairy cattle —At Mr Trotter’s sale, Malcara, wo sold over 60 head at high prices. Cows, .£8 2s 6d to <£lo 5s ; aged cows, £5 to £6 ; inferior, £3 upwards. Splendid bidding throughout. Matthew Henry reports of liis Palmerston sale :—A go:>d muster of sheep came to hand to-day, composed principally of 2-tooths. Cattle were not so plentiful as usual. At auction there was very little life in the trade, I but at the close of the day a fair business was done, at prices if anything better than at last sale. Cattle—Forward Bullocks, £4 17s 6d ; fat cows, £4 to £4 10s ; store cows, £2 14s; weaners, 21s to 25s ; calves, 8s Gd. Sheep— Two-tooth wethers, small, 6s to Gs lid ; 2tooth ewes, ss; store ewes, 2s 7d; woolly lambs, 3s Gd ; culls, 2s. A. G. Taine and Co. report of their Saturday’s horse sale :—The entry was only a moderate one and the attendance rather smaller than usual, and nothing calling for very special mention entered. We had a draft from the Manawatu of broken and unbroken light horses but with a few exceptions they were an inferior lot. We sold a few at something below last week’s quotations. We quote Good young, heavy and sound draughts, £25 to £3O ; medium, £l6 to £2O stylish harness horses well broken, £l2 to £lB ; aged horses and inferior hacks hard to shift; good draughts would sell, but they must be good. Townsend and Paul report of their weokly horse sale as follows : —The attendance of buyers was limited, and bidding was not very brisk. We sold, under the hammer, a bay colt for £l4; light harness and hacks, £B, £9* £7, £7 10s ; a pair of dark bays, £ls; a black horse. £5 5s ; several aged, from £5 to £2,; an S.H. saddle, £3, &c., &c. Laery and Co. (Limited) report of their horse sale at the Nag’s Head yards on Saturday as follows ; —The attendance of genuine buyers was moderate, and although the bidding was somewhat sluggish we succeeded in clearing the major portion of our entries. For good upstanding light draughts we obtained £l6 to £l7; hacks, £3 to £lO per head. The racing mare, Parae we sold privately at a satisfactory figure. The following cablegram has been received from London by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company: Tallow market weak. New Zealand fine mutton is worth 23s Gd per cwt; good beef is worth 21s per cvvt. Frozen meat market dull. Canterbury mutton is worth 3§d per lb; Wellington do, 2£ per lb. Lamb market dull. Prime New Zealand lambs are worth per carcase s£d perlb. Butter market weak Fine qualities range in value from 88s to 92s per cwt. <. Edwards and Mcßeath report that there is no alteration since last report. The market is still quiet.

London, March 6. > New Zealand Shipping Company shares are. quoted at £3 10s. Tne general opinion is that merinos will rise 5 per cent, at the coming series of sales, but an equal or greater decline may be expected after the sales,, when arrivals will be heavy. London, March 8.

The Bank of England returns published today show the total reserve in notes and bullion to be £28,916,000, the proportion of reserve to liabilities being 67'68 per cent. Consols, 104£.: Three months’ bills are discounted at i| per cent. New South Wales 4 per cent, inscribed stock, 1104; 3% do, 102, ex interest. Victorian 4 per cents., 104 ; 3j do, 984. South Australian 4 per cents., 108; 34 do, Queensland 4 per cents., 106 J; 34 do, 100. Now Zealand 4 per cents., 1094 ; 34 do, 1014. Tasmanian 34 per cents., 100. Western Australian 4 per cents., 112. New Zealand long-berried wheat, ex warehouse, nominally, 25s 9d, firmer; South Australian. do, 26s Gd, market quiet ; Victorian do, 26s Gd, firmer. The Australian wheat market is easier owing to fresh arrivals. . ' Frozen meat is unchanged. Hemp is quiet. A Wellington consignment of 100 bales of fair quality was bought in at {■' Sugar- —Best German beet, 9s lid; Java, 11s, fl£ No. 1 best Scotch pig iron, f.o.b. in Clyde, 41s Gd, flat. Silver, 2s 3|d. .. , The butter market is demoralised. lne choicest quality is selling at 90s, the finest at 84s to BGs, and fine at 80s. . The Himalaya’s cheese is of interior quality, and is selling at about4ls to 425. , At the wool sales the net amount ofiered was 270,000 bales. . „ ■, The sales showed a good spirit all round as compared with the previous senes. Experts consider it useless to send, frozen skinned rabbits to the English market, as m the thawing the heads turn black. . Some of the turkeys sent by the Maon King were very old, and the throats had been cut, a circumstance which detracted from their value. London, March 10. Tallow Medium mutton, 22s ; beef, English wheat market is dull; the Continenal is advancing and has increased firmness ; and the American is changing a ht The f total quantity of wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom is 1,840,000 butter, choicest quality, is selling at 9 During the past five months the imports of butter exceeded the imports for q the corresponding period of last year by 9300 tons. Of the increase two-thirds was from Europe and the remainder from Australia. A portioit of the Himalaya s bacon sold at 38s per owt. Dunedin, March 8. A second shipment of live sheep was made yesterday by the Banffshire The first shipment was 120 ordinary freezers, and waJ sent in the Buteshire by Murray. Roberts and Co., in joint account with the ship. The Banffshire took 250 heavy sheep from the New Zealand and Australian Land Company. LONDON WOOL SALES. London, March 7. At the wool sales to-day 10,700 bales were offered, thero being a good selection, especially in Now South Wales and Queensland consignments. The attendance of buyers was good, and competition fair. ( All sections sold 1 at prices ranging, as compared With last series, from 4 to o per cent advance, the advance being moat noticeable in the medium and greasy combings. lhore was no change in crossbreds. . , ■ London, March 10. . 1 At - Saturday’*} YfQbl 99» 1 J?91Mi9$

was keen, and very good sales were effected. A medium selection of wools was offered, and prices were maintained, in many instances showing an advance. '■ Inferior crossbreds showed an increase of 4d to £d. London, March 11. A good selection was offered at the wool sales to-day. Bidding was spirited, and prices were maintained.

The following cablegram has been received from London by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited : —Wool—Merino : The sales opened at an average advance of 5 per cent, on last sale’s closing rates. Crossbred—The market is firmer. Competition between Home and foreign buyers is active, and the attendance good. The total quantity available, including wool held over from last series, is 337,000 bales, 64,000 bales of which have been sent to the manufacturing districts direct. . Messrs Levin and Co. have received the following cablegram from their London agents, Messrs Dalgety and Co., Limited : “The wool sales continue firm and active, with brisk competition; the_prices, as compared with the average rates of last series, being rather higher. The bulk, of greasy medium and inferior merino wools are 8 to 10 per cent, higher, good greasy merinos 5 per cent, higher, good greasy crossbreds 24 per cent, higher, medium and inferior crossbreds 5 per cent, higher and scoured mofino 5 per cent higher. Burry and seedy, scoured merino clothing wool is rather lower, and the bulk of lambs’ wool is 5 per cent, lower.” London, March 11. Brett, breeder, of the Argentine Republic, is closing a large contract to de liver live cattle in London. He guarantees each beast to be not less than 7001 b, and the price is £l2 per head. , , v The cattle ex Culgoa sold at’about 4|d per lb. The Gulf of Bothnia, which has live cattle on board, is aground in the Suez Canal. Her cargo is being discharged. Owing to the animals being free from disease, the owners of the New Zealand sheep on board the Buteshire have obtained a permit from the Board of Agriculture to land them without being compelled to immediately slaughter them, and they will also he allowed to put them on pasture if that is required.