COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1291, 26 November 1896, Page 6

COMMERCIAL.

Freeman R. Jackson and Co.'s Johnsonville stock report:—We had an entry of good bullocks for the sale. Bidding was dull, and prices receded about Is Cd the 1001 b. The sheep pens were filled with useful wethers and ewes. Prices were lower for all classes. Pigs sold at last sale rates. Cattle—Best bullocks, £6 7s Gd to .-£7 5s ; others, £o 15s to ,£G 5s ; cows. £3 7s Gd to £3 12s Gd, equal to 15s for ox and 12s for cow beef the 1001 b. Sheep—Wethers, 8s Gd to lis ; ewes, Gs Gd to 7s; lambs, 7s Id to 7s l Jd. Pigs —Baconers, 30s to 40s ; porkers, 10s 6d to 25s ; stores, lis to 14s Gd ; smaller pigs, 7s 9d to 9s 3d. Freeman R. Jackson and Co.'s Wanganui stock report:—We had a good entry of both cattle and sheep at Waverley on Monday. Bidding was slack, but we managed to dispose of the greater part of the entry before the close of the day. At Wanganui on Wednesday the entry was very small, and there was little competition. We quote: Cattle.— At Waverlev —Yearlings, 24s to 27s ; fat cows, £3 7s ; steers, .£'2 10s to .£3 5s ; empty heifers, .£2 10s. At Wanganui—Steers, .£'2l2s Gd to £3 lss; yearlings, 24s ; milch cows. £3 to ,£4. Sheep.—At Waverley—Ewes and lambs, Ss Id to lis Gd ; dry ewes. Ss 5d to 9s 4d; hoggets, 8s 7d to 9s lid ; wethers, 15s. At Wanganui —Fat shorn wethers, 9s 5d ; fat shorn ewes, 7s Gd ; ewes and lambs, 10s lOd. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, report for the week ending 20th November, 1896: —Wool. —We have received the following cable advice from our London office — " The for next sales, rixed to open on the 24th inst., are considerably better, and holders are demanding higher rates." There is very little doing locally, as all parcels are being held for our sale on the 4th December. Sheepskins are a shade easier, but values are still slightly in advance of the London equivalent. Quotations are : For butchers' green skins, extra prime, 5s 3d to 5s 8d ; prime, 4s Gd to 5s ; medium to good, 3s 9d to 4s 3d ; pelts, 3d to 5d each ; country dry skins, full-woolled, 5Jd to s:,'d ; good, 4Ad to 5d ; medium, 3Ad to 4Jd ; inferior and broken, 1M to 3d per lb. Hides.— Market steady at late rates, viz.—Plump heavy ox, 17s to 17s Gd : medium, 15s to lGs ; cow hides, Gs to 12s each, according to weight; damaged and sloppy, Id to 2d per lb. Tallow.—ln London there is little demand, the market being fully stocked. For fine mutton the prices obtaining are 21s 9d. Good beef, 19s per cwt. Locally there is not much offering and demand is rather dull. Quotations: —Prime mutton, 15s to 15s Gd ; good mixed, 14s to 14s Gd ; inferior, 12s to 13s per cwt. Frozen meat. —Our London office advises by cable to-day as follows: —Wellington mutton is worth 2M. Hemp. —Market firm, with no alteration in values. We repeat last week's quotations, viz., .£'ll per ton f.o.b. for g.f.a.q. Grain.—Wheat.—Market unchanged. The demand for feed parcels is still active. For good whole grain we quote:—4s Id to 4s 3d, sacks extra, ex store. Oats. —Stocks are light and present prices are likely to be maintained. For good stout feed we quote : —2s 4d to 2s Gd ; sacks in, ex store. Maize. —No enquiry. Prices nominally 3s to 3s 2d ; ex store, sacks in. Chaff.—There is a "full supply offering, with no change in values. Quotations:—GOs to Gss, ex wharf, sacks returnable. Fungus. —There is little demand with very little offering. Prices nominally 3d to BJd for clean, dry parcels. Messrs A. G. Taine and Co. report of their horse sale on Saturday:—Owing, no doubt, to the races the number of entries was limited, and the. attendance also. There was nothing of any class entered, but a good number of sales resulted. There was not a single draught horse in the yard. We sold a verynice dogcart, horse and harness for £37, and harness horses, all light and weedy, from .£'s to .-£7, and crocks about as usual. Good springcart horses are still wanted, and good useful draughts. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company (Limited) has received the following cable 'from its London office :—Sheepskins—There is good demand. Medium and coarse crossbred are one farthing per lb higher. Mr Geo. H. Scales reports that at his sale of Agricultural Show stock there was good enquiry at fair prices for Shorthorns, Lincolns and English Leicesters. The demand for Ayrshires was limited comparatively to the supply. Fat stock sold at considerably above market quotations, fat bullocks reaching .£9 17s Gd ; heifers, .£'s 17s Gd ; whilst for sheep the market was topped with the sale of a pen of Mr Wm. Booth's at 17s. The following are details of sale : —Shorthorns. —On account Messrs W. Rathbone and Son —Bulls, Flower Prince, 55gs, and Duke of Abercorn, 21gs, both to Assets Realisation Board ; on account of Mr Wm. Nixon Bull, Darlington Earl 11., 30gs, to Mr A. Moody ; on account Mr P. C. Threlkeld—Bull, Roan Boy, 15gs, to Mr J. Strang, and two yearlings, 17gs, to Mr Wm. Barton. Herefords. —On account of Mr J. 'Holmes—Bull, Lyn Bird, lOgs, to Mr Geo Wheeler. Ayrshires.—On account Messrs A. and J. McFarlane —Bull, Master Jack, 15gs, to Mr Timrnins ; cow, Victoria, 12gs, to Mr McKenzie ; cow, Lady Glasgow, 18gs ; Lady Glasgow 11., 21gs ; and Lady Glasgow of Ayrshire Park, 21gs, to Porirua Lunatic Asylum ; and Violet of Ayrshire Park, 12gs, to Mr Dunbar. On account of Messrs Rodgerson and Fleming—Bull, lOgs, to Mr McCauley, and two yearlings, 17gs, to Mr W. Coleman. Stud sheep.—On account of Mr J. Reid, Elderslie —Lincoln ram, to Mr John Raynor, of Masterton, 20gs ; one to Mr John Martin, 20gs; and one to Mr William Barton, Featherston, 24gs. English Leicesters. —On account of Mr W. A. Nixon—One ram, to Mr T. Tanner, at 30gs, and one at lOgs. On account of Mr P. C. Threlkeld, Rangiora—3 ewes at 4gs each and 3 ewes at 3 ; /gs each, to Messrs Perry Bros., Masterton. Fat cattle.-On account of Mr W. C. Buchanan—3 bullocks at .£9 ; on account of Mr J. P. Russell—l bullock at £'.) 17s Gd, to Mr Philps ; 2 heifers at £-1 10s and 1 at £5 10s ; on account of Mr W. E. Bidwill —'2 bullocks at £l, 2 at .£'7 10s, 1 at .£7 15s and 1 at .£'B ; on account of Messrs Gadsby Bros.—l heifers, from £i 15s to .£5 17s Gd. Fat sheep.—On account of Mr Davidson, Kereru—l pen Cotswold wethers at 12sGd; on account of Mr W. E. Bidwill—2 pens at 9s and 10s ; on account of Mr W. C. Buchanan—--1 pen at lis Gd, 1 at 12s, 1 at 13s, 1 at Pis Gd and 14s Gd ; on account of Mr A. O'Brien—l pen at 10s Gd ; on account of Messrs Williams and Beetharn—l pen wethers Us Gd, 10s and 10s Cxi, 1 lambs 7s and 1 at 0s (id ; on account Mr W. Booth— 1 pen wethers at 15s and 1 at 17s, 1 of lambs at Os Cd and 1 at 10s Gd. Messrs Abraham and Williams report : —At Pohangina on Tuesday cattle and sheep were in moderate numbers; of the former full rates were made, but larger cattle failed to reach owners' figures, Sheep, under the hammer, were slow of sale, but we disposed of a fair proportion privately. Shorn hoggets of medium quality made 4s art; fat ew-'S, Gs Gd ; 18-months steers, £'2; mixed yearlings, 31s On Thursday, at Palmerston, the entry of sheep was coniiued to fat ewes and store wethers, both shorn and unshorn. The ewes were in moderate enquiry only, and made from Gs to Gs Gd. Tho store wethers in the wool did not quits reach owners' figures, and so went out unsold. Of the store wethers about half were quitted at 7s, while the rest remained unsold. Cattle, in moderate number were practically all steers, and of a useful character throughout. Nothing of really first-rate quality was yarded, though in some pens good condition and forward order certainly existed. Forward bullocks, .£4 17s Gd ; fresh steers, £4 7s Gd to £1 10s; 2.J-year steers, .£3 18s Gd ; 2-year do., .£2 lGs ; 18-month steers, .£2 Us ; yearling steers and heifers, 345; mixed yearlings, 255.

LONDON MARKET REPORT. The Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company (Limited) report under date October '2nd, on the New Zealand meat market as follows : New Zealand Mutton—The difficulty of obtaining the really choice mutton that used to be imported has thrown many of the best customers on to other sorts Dutch and Deptford and Bnkcnhead-killed Argentine, while the great improvement in quality of Plates, and the bright, fresh condition in which they are marketed, and their cheapness, enable them to compete with second-class New Zealands, and curtail the sales of the last, which for months past have as well been handicapped by indifferent condition and stale appearance. The more or less damaged state of meat put on the market has for months kept prices down, and it is only now, when there seems to be a finish to these damages, that it has been found possible to advance prices. Within the last ten days, the bestJCanterbury sheep offeree have risen from 3gd to 3i}d and 3£d per lb, a few selected have made up to 4d per lb., and those who have held over their shipments per Gothic, I Matatua, &c, will now, to some extent, be recouped for the heavy losses sustained qvw: previous

hoarded shipments. Very few Dunedins are marketed ; they and Southlands, if fresh and of good quality, are worth 3|d, if very prime 3Jd per lb. North Island mutton is now selling at 3£d per lb, though some is being sold at 3d and even 2gd per lb. New Zealand Lamb. —Very few lambs have been wanted, and every week sees the demand lessening and the meat deteriorating. Prices have fallen, and though an occasional lamb may make 4§d per lb, the best Canterbury lambs are offered, in lines, at 3Jd per lb, and Dunedins at 3Jd per lb, holders being anxious to clear rather than incur increased charges with the very remote ohance of improvement in values.

Napier, November 20. Messrs Nelson Bros, received the following cablegram from their London agents to-day : The frozen meat market is very weak. To-day's quotations are : Best Canterbury mutton, 3£d ; best Dunedin 3Jd ; Napier and North Island, 3d. The sales last week were much below the estimate. London, November 20. English rabbits, 9d; hares, 2s 6d. Colonial are unsaleable.

Australian butter is in fair demand at 104 s, a few consignments bringing 106 s.

Sydney, November 20.

The winter lambing returns show an average of 54i per cent., an increase of 24A per cent, on the previous year's rate.

WELLINGTON MARKETS.

Messrs Laery & Co. report current wholesale values as under :

Hay and Corn Market. £ s. D. £ S. D. Feed barley ... ... 0 2 10 Maize ... 0 3 2 Oats, feed .. 0 2 4 Wheat, milling 0 4 8 Fowl Wheat ... 0 4 3 Rye Corn 0 3 3 Seed Barley ... 0 3 9 Hay, ton 4 0 0 Oaten, ton 3 10 0 Straw, ton 2 10 0 Chaff, oaten sheaf 3 5 0 Wheat, straw... 2 5 0 Potatoes. Potatoes 5 5 0 to 5 10 0 Brown River... 5 10 0 Seed Derwents 5 10 0 <; Farm and Dairt Produce, Milk, quart ... 0 0 3 Butter, fresh farrr, lb 0 0 G Butter, separator 0 0 8 to 0 0 10 Salt butter 0 0 G? Cheese ... 0 0 4 to 0 0 4£ Loaf 0 0 4| Eggs, dozen (fresh) 0 0 9 to 0 0 10 Bacon, lb 0 0 5* Ham, lb 0 0 6 h Fowls, pair 0 3 6 Ducks, pair ... 0 4 G Geese, pair 0 5 0 Turkeys, pair... 0 G 6 to 0 7 6 Flour Market. Roller flour ... 12 0 0 Pollard * .. 4 5 0 Oatmeal 11 10 0 to 12 0 0 Bran 3 10 0 Seeds. Ryegrass, Farmers' lots 0 2 9 to 0 3 4J Ryegrass, Machine dressed ... 0 4 0 to 0 4 3 Cocksfoot, lb ... 0 0 3i to 0 0 6