COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1260, 23 April 1896, Page 7

COMMERCIAL.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, report for the week ending 17tii April: — Wool. —-The third .-cries of London sales open on 28:h inst. For these the fresh arrivals consist of GHO.OoO bales, of which 95,01)0 bales have been forwarded to the manufacturing districts direct. With the quantity held over from the second series there will ho 281,000 bales available for disposal. Transactions locally have been fairly satisfactory during the past week, we having brought forward a moderate catalogue of all descriptions. Dingy wools realised prices a shade higher than those offering in the early part of the season, and crutellings and locks were in particularly active demand, at for the former -LI to 5d and 2ld to 3.1 d for the latter.

Sheepskins are in rather short supply. Prices therefore show a tendency to linn, irrespective of the increasing length of staple. Current quotations are —Prime full-wooilcd crossbreds, well saved, 5d to old : medium to good, -LI to lid : lambs, \ 1 to lid ; damaged and inferior, Lid 1o Lid per lb; factory skius, 2s 9d to 3s i! I: butchers’, 2s 3d to 2s Sd ; medium, Is lOd to 2s 21; pelts, ad to Is (id each, according to quality. Hides. —Market firm with a fair number offering. Quotations —Prime stout ox, well

Hayed, Lid : medium, 3d to L',d ; light, 2 pi to 3d"; green cow hides, 2j 1 : calfskins, 3;d to 3.1 1 per lh. Wo would here suggest t > owners the propriety of carefully salting their hides immediately they have been taken off, otherwise they are likely to deteriorate in value, particularly if they have to he railed a distance or held some time before being forwarded.

Tallow continues in rather short supply, with an active demand for all descriptions. We quote : Prime mutton, £l7 to .Li 7 Ids; mixed and medium, £IG to ,£l(s Ids ; inferior, £Li to £1.5 Ids. Tare, Lolb per cent. Heme. —Market du'l with little business passing. We have no change in values to record. Fux.ius—Continues in short supply. We have placed a few sin ill parcels during the week at Lid per lb. Grain.—Wheat —Cable advices to hand during the week report an improvement in the English and American markets, consequently a firmer feeling characterises the Southern markets of this Colony, although we have no change in values to announce. To-day’s quotations are Prime pearl, 3s ■ld to 3s 6tl : prime Tuscan, 3s 3d to 3s 1 1 : Hunter’s white, 3s 2d to 3s os f.o.h. South, sacks extra. Locally the demand is restricted with a full supply offering. We have placed a few parcels for iced purposes, but suitable for milling, at 3s 5d to 3s (id, ex store, sacks extra.

Oats are coming forward more freely in the South, and prices are inclined to ease, though not materially, owing to the demand from'Canterbury, where there is a considerable shortage. Local buyers are not yet operating, but enquiries are now being made for winter feed supplies. Quotations—Prime milling, Is 10H1 to Is H id ; short stout feed, Is Did to Is j.Od ; medium, Is 8.1 d to Is Dd, e.i.L, sacks in.

Ch Ai F is iu fall supply, with very active enquiry, and prices have a firmer tendency. Wo quote : Prime bright heavy-in oats, (50s to Go.s, e.i.L, sacks extra. Onions since last report are firmer, prices having advanced quite 10s per ton. To-day we quote AT 10s to £5 10s per ton. Potatoes are in fair supply, with a good demand at 45s to 55s per ton, f.o.b. South, sacks in.

The following London market cablegram has been received by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company : I allow —Stocks are in excess of trade requirements -, there is no speculative demand. Now Zealand line mutton tallow is worth 21s per cwt ; New Zealand good beef tallow is worth 18s Dd per cwt. Quotations nominal. Frozen meat—Wellington mutton is worth 2jd per lh. butter market weak ; line qualities range in value from 90s to Dls per cwt.

Messrs Abraham and Williams report : Our sales this week comprise Pahiatua, A wall uri and Palmerston North. At Pahiatua both sheep ani cattle came forward in moderate numbers; sheep met with a lively demand, especially young sheep, and wo sold every pen under the hammer at prices inmost cases exceeding vendors’ expectations. For cattle there was a mod-walo demand, hut vendors were mostly unwilling to accept the prices offered. At Awahuri our entries consisted mainly of horses, farm imple-

ments and machinery, only one pen of sheep coming forward. For the horses and implements there was spi rite 1 bidding, and good prices were realise 1. At Palmerston. fair entries of sheep, consisting mainly of a line of 2PDO ewes in low condition, and a consignment of healthy young sheep from lvereru. Young sheep sold freely on a par with recent rates, aged and poor conditioned ewes being rather difficult to quit. Healthy young cattle were freely competed lor at better value limn Hloly, no improvement being visible for older sorts. We j have numerous enquiries lor young dairy cows clo.-e to profit and gold lines of Lincoln wethers. We quote : At I Pahiatua—Forward wethers. Ss ; st ire do., j 7s C< 1 ; forward to tat ewes, os (id to (is I (id ; 2-tooth Lincoln ewes, 7s 3d : owes in | lamb, (is 2d ; shorn lambs, its to 3s D 1: woo !y I do., 5s to 5s 21; Lincoln rams, TH 2s: I winners, 275: fat cow, ill. At Awahuri - I Fat. sheep. 7s lid: aged draught horses, .£ll I to XIS Pts ; 3 and Lyeur unbroken do , .£!!■ 12s (Jd to .£ll 15s; light trap horse, .£ i ss; hacks, ,£.{ 2s (s<l to £~>. At Palmerston Store wethers, (is Dd to 7s 41: 2-tooth ewes. Cs 2d to os 41: culls, os ; 4 and (5-tooth ewes, (js lid; ewes in lamb, Is to ss; full-mouth ewes (small), 3s; shorn wether lambs, 4s. Cattle : Forward bullocks, .£ll7s (id ; 21-year steers, £3 IDs; 2-year steers, <£2 8s; yearlings, 30s to £2; woaners (small), IDs (id; milch cow, .£7 IDs. Digs : Porkers, 10s (id. Mr Matthew Henry reports on his weekly sale as followsA very small entry of both sheep and cattle came forward on Thursday. The attendance was also meagre, but those present were offering value for the line.s presented. As those prices did not come up to the expectations of vendors, a limited business was the result of the day s operations. (Jnotations were as follows : Cattle; Small woaners, 8s ; 18-month heifers, 375; dairy cows, .£L Sheep: Ewos, mixed ages, ss; cull owes, 3s 3d. Freeman it. Jackson and Co.’s Wanganui stock report (telegraphed last week to the New Zealand Mail) is as follows We had a small entry of cattle at Wanganui today. Prices were equal to last sale rates. The sheep pens were full, and piicos improved, especially for fat sheep. There was not much competition for lambs. Pigs were at lower values, the demand being very limited. Cattle—Fat cows, £3 9s to £4 4s ;

heifers, £2 2s to £3 Is ; steers, £2 Is to £3 ; woaners, l(ss to IDs. Sheep—Fat wethers, 8s Id to 9s 10d; fat owes, 7s 2d to 7s Sd; hoggets, Gs Sd : full-mouth ewes, 3s to 3s 3d ; culls, Is lOd to 2s 2d ; lambs, 3s Gil ; cull lambs, lOd. Pigs—Large pigs, 17s to 21s ; good pork, 13s 01 to 14s GJ ; others, 7s Gd to 11s : small pigs, 2s to 3s Gd. Messrs A, G. Taine and Co. report of their horse sale on Saturday: —Owing t > the terrible weather on Friday and the delay iu getting horses forward in time for the sale the entry vras a very small one, and the business done very limited Buyers were about for good sorts, and their requirements will be supplied next Saturday by Hoeken Bros, and others. We refrain from giving quotations this week, as next week there will be a large entrv, and sales will be fully reported then. Sydney, April 15. Wheat—Chick, 3s G! to 3s Dd; milling, New Zealand to arrive, 3s 7d ; local, nominal. Flour—roller brands, £M ss. Oats —Now Zealand, fair feeding, Is Hid; prime, Is lid, good demand. Maize—2s 2d. Barley —Cape, 2s lit! t:i 3s. Bran and pollard, Dd. Peas — Prussian Blue, 3s Gd to 3s 9,5. Potatoes — Plentiful; Circular Heads, £1 5s to .£4 IDs. Onions Prime Victorian, j£3 ; New Zealand, nominal, £D. Butter—Dairy, 7d : factory, Sid. Cheese is very plentiful ; New Zealand, (Jd to Gjd. Bacon, G 1 to GDI. Melbourne, April 15. Wheat, nominally 5s 10.1. Oafs —Algerian, feeding to 3s; seed. 3s 2d. Maize, 3s 7’> 1 ; barley, m illing, 4s 2d : bran. Is Of! ; pollanl, Is 3,1, delivered ; potatoes, JCI Hi.s to XI 15s ; onions, EG ss. Adelaide, April 15. Wheat, Is 3.1 io Is 41; Hour, roller, brands, .£lO to .£lO ss. Oats—Dun, 2- 01; Algerian, 3s 31 to 3s Gd ; stout white. 3s (id to 3s Dd. Bran, 10'jd ; pollard lid; barley, Cape. 3s Gd. London, April 11. The Bradford market is dull and weak. The alteration has been caused by rumours of impending failures. London. April 15. The total quantity of wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom is 2,330,000 quarters, and for the Continent 910,000 quarters. The American visible supply of wheat is 87,(500,000 bushels. Australian and New Zealand Mortgage Agency 4.V per cents, are quoted at H'7, Dalgoty and Co.’s 4.1 per cents, at 121, and Dalgoty and Co.’s shares at £5 10s. London, April 17, The Bank of England returns published to-day show the total reserve to he .£38,012,000, the proportion of reserve to liabilities being SP'SB per cent.

Three months’ bills are discounted at D-IGths per cent. The following are tho latest quotations for Government securities;

"'lnterest payable in May and November. flntorest payable iu January and July. X Ex interest. New Zealand frozen meat is unchanged. The New Zealand hemp market is quiet. Seventy bales sold at £ls 10s per ton. Tho English wheat market is firm, the Continental dull, and the American changing a shade for the worse. Colonial barley is not quotable. Oats, line quality, 2ls Dd : common sorts, 20s Gd. Beans, The butter market is flat—colonial nominally, 88s to 92s ; Danish, unchanged. Sugar is linn —German beet, 12s Dd : .lava,

No. 1 'nest Scotch pig iron, f.o.h. in Clvde, lG.s fid. Silver, 2s 7d. London, April ID. At yesterday’s sales 1275 casks tallow wore offered, of which 450 were sold. Fine mutton brought 225, and medium 20s; fine beef, 2'J.s ; medium, IDs. Hides, heavy, 3 1 to 31 1 ; light, 31 d. Basils, Australian strained, average 71 1 ; do, New Z'-.iland, Sd, Leather, best Australian heavy, 7,'d. Ottawa. April 15.

A second shipment of 20,000 bushels of Canadian wheat lias been sent f> Australia. The Canadian I'.ieiiie Railway Company oilers reduced rates to encourage the export. Sydney, April 20.

There is an estimated shortage of 2, HG.OOO bushels of wheat to he ma !■; up by importations. The millers are well stocked, but as no new lixturos of Californian wheat have been made, the probability is that as stocks arc depict-: 1 they will be compelled to draw more tree!;, from local sources. The Herald, commenting on the position,

says New Zubin! is the nearest source of supply, and could not Sind a better market than Sydney, even if prices fell considerably below 1.1 1 0 price now ruling. The hopeful tone which marked the opening of the month in import circles lias proved well founded. The increased activity noted last week lias not only been maintained, hut the volume of business shows further signs of expansion.

CHRISTCHURCH PRODUCE MARKET. CIIRI.3TOJIDKCH . April 1.5. During the week there has been a decided rise in the wheat market, which remains firm, especially for millers’ mixed lines. The quantity taken for export is not great, the hulk of the purchases being for local quoting. Oats are scarce, but buyers are disinclined to concede the prices asked. Tho following are the current prices : Wheat—Pearl, 3s 3d to 3s 4kl; millers’ mixed lines, 3s 2.H1 to 3s 4jd; tuscan, 3s 2d to 3s 3',d ; hunters, 3s 2d to 3s 3yd. Oats—Prime milling, 2s to 2s Id ; short feed, Is 10d to 2s : duns and Danish, Is Dd to Is lOd. Barley—Malting, prime, 3a Gd to 4s ; medium do, 3s 3d to 3s Gd ; second quality, 2s Gd to 3s; feed, 2s 3d; Capo barley, 2s 3d to 2s Gd. Peas—Blue Prussians, 3s 4d to 3s 8d ; white, 3s 3d to 3s Gd. Flour— Millers’ quote, roller, £lO ; stone, £9 IDs. Sharps, £4; bran, £3 10s ; oatmeal, £1110s; oatskoaf chaff, 453 to 47s Gd at handy country stations,

according to quality. Onions, £ 115 sat country stations. Potatoes—Kidney, 355; Derwents, 30s to 355, both at country stations. Grass seed : Ryegrass—Farmers’ lots, 2s Gd to 3s 31; machine dressed, Is; heavy weight, 4s 3d. Coeksioot—3d to 3id: town machine dressed, 4d to 4jd, extra to 41d. Dairy produce : Cheese—3yd to Id ; loaf, 4.H1 to sd. Butter—Factory. lOd ; dairy, 7d to Bd. Salt, Gd. Bacon and hams, Gd.

ADDINGTON STUCK MARKET. Christchurch, April 15. There wore fair entries at the Addington Market to-day, and the attendance was large. Business in the sheep classes was good. Fat cattle —150 head were yarded ; a fair proportion of good steers, heifers mostly handy weights, but the cows a miscellaneous lot. All good sorts met with fair enquiry, anti prices per Irtdlb arc without alteration viz.. 18s to 20s for prime sorts and Lis t> 17s for inferior lo medium. Steers brought from £1 10s to £3, and up to £1(1 for extra good : heifers. £lss to £3 ; and cows, £3 15s to £5 12s (54.

Dairy cows —The small entry was mostly made up of inferior animals, with a few good cows. Best sorts only were wanted, and brought from £G to £7 10s ; others from £3 to £.5.

Store cattle —The yarding was of irregular quality. There was a better demand for all useful lines of young cattlo : 21-vear old steers, £3 10s to £i 15s; 18-mouths mixed cattle, £2 to £2 2s Gd : cows, £1 10s to £l.

Fat sheep—The yarding consisted principally of ewe mutton, tiie bulk, however, being good young sheep. A scarcity of wethers for butclmrs’ purposes caused very good competition lor the better classes of ewes, and good sales resulted. Heavy weight cross-bred wethers, 13s to 14s ; medium soi ls, 10s Gd to 12s (5.1 ; extra heavy cross-bred ewes, list:) 13s: fair sorts, Ds Dd to His 8 1 : inferior, 7s Gd to Ds : merino ewe, 1-s G 1 to Gs.

Fat lamli.s—Fair supply, and all cleared at from Ds Gd to 11s 7d for best, and 7s to 8s Gd for others.

Store sheep—Medium entry ; good demand for all classes, and every line charged hands. Forward cioss-lired turnip wethers brought from 10s to 11s 2d, and not quite so good Ds to Ds lOd ; mixed wethers and maiden ewes, Ds Dd to Ilfs Id; mixed two-tooth downs, 7s Dd; two-tooth crossbred ewes from 7s Gd to 8s G 1 : four-tooth do, 8s to Ds Id ; mixe 1 ages, Gs 0 1 to 7s Dd ; good lambs, Gs to Ss 1 Id : and inferior, 1-s 4(1 tons (5.1: shorn lambs, GsGd.

Pigs came forward in excess of requirements, and the market was poor. Baconers and porkers, 2HI to 3d lb. COLONIAL DAIRY PRODUCE IN KNG LAND. Messrs W. Wedded and Co., London, in their weekly market report, dated Gtk March, state : Butter. —-The better demand for colonial butter which was lelt at the end of last week did not continue, and trade since has been slow. The week closes with a dearth of buyers, and for best factory brands sales cannot be made, except at reductions on last week’s liguros to the extent of 2s to 4s per cwt. Choicest Victorian fetches from DGs to 102 s, the hitter figure being realised in very rare eases, while host factory ranges from DOs to 945. The Orient has landed her butter in

good condition so far as refrigeration is concerned, but tho quality is far from satisfactory. The drought in Australia is doubtless to blame for the inferior quality of many well-known factories as compared with last year. There is a peculiar flavour attaching to many brands, which looks as if tho cows had been fed on artificial or unusual food. The Danish Committee have reduced the Copenhagen quotation by three kroner, and prices now ruling are DDs to 103 s for finest factory, and 101-s to 109 s for choicest. 'Clio fall in Danish ought not to affect the price of colonial, as the prices of tho two kinds are so very far apart, and as in a fortnight the arrivals from Australia will not exceed 100 tons a week. Cheese. —The demand for Canadian continues much the same as last week. This is rather surprising, considering that tho stocks in London are not more than about three weeks’ consumption. More business lias been done in this cheese with IDs to l-3s per cwt., buyers preferring those to New Zealand’s, even when they have to pay Is more for Canadians. Now Ze Hands are selling at 33s to 11s per cwt., which is Gs lower than last year.

'The report quotes the following price- for Ne.v Zealand pro luce : -Uniter, choicest I'aeLorv, DGs to logs ; best factory, D-I.s to Dls ; secondary, 80s to D fs. Cheese, IDs to 4I s.

—. Price. Variation as compared with last week. fin. Consols, 2 J p.e. .£ s. d. Ill 0 u ]o - lumber N.S. \V. 4 per cent. 121 0 0 5 - higher N.S.YV. I!.', p.c. 107 15 il 5 - higher N.S.W. d per cent. mo 5 o 5 - lower Victorian 4 p.c. IP! .5 0 5 - higher Victorian d', p.c. lull 15 0 5 - lower S. Australian 4 p.o. lid o o U unhanged S. Australian p.o. no 5 o 5 - lower Queensland 4 p.o. 115 5 (1 5 - higher Queensland 31 p.c. Now Zealand 4 p.c* ms o o Unchanged 111 10 0 Unchanged New Zealand d. 1 , p.e.f pis 1) 0 Unchanged Now Zealand d p.c. 10 1 5 o f> - higher W, Aust'lian o', p.c.J ms o o 25 - lower Tasmanian 31 p.c. los 0 o 15 - higher