FINANCE AND TRADE

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4301, 9 March 1901, Page 6

FINANCE AND TRADE

The Customs returns ' yesterday amounted to £4335 12s 9d. Arrivals of New Zealand frozen meat in the United Kingdom during the month of January were;—B3,9s6 careases mutton, 3933 carcases lamb, 11,7X1 logs and 25,209 nieces: 16,593 quarters of beef. According to the Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company's circular the receipts of carcase mutton (83,956) ‘were 176,166 less than in January, 1900. In reviewing the state of the trade the Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company predicts that the position of New Zealand mutton on flu: London market will shortly be a strong one, owing to the small stocks on hand and afloat. "Trade at present (February l>t),” continues,the report, "is far from satisfactory; it seems crippled by the high rates that have ruled for some weeks, demand is limited, and output much restricted, and light as stocks undoubtedly are, they would allow much larger deliveries than now go into consumption. Sc many butchers who hitherto have dealt exclusively in New Zealand now use Plato mutton. At first taking part of thfeir supply only, many now uso A entirely, and report that their customers arc satisfied. If this is so, with the much lower price at which Plate mutton can bo laid down, it will he dillicult to wean buyers hack to the morn expensive New Zealand, when, by and bye, shipments come in larger numbers.” This is far from a satisfactory prospect. Concerning New Zealand beef the report says;—‘‘Much of the Now Zealand beef has fallen away from the high standard of a, year or two ago, and is plain and indifferent in quality and condition, with tho disadvantage of having a good deal of cow beef, saleable only at considerably lower rates. The large receipts of Plate beef, as seen, in London, have uniformly been of good useful character, in fresh bright condition, and, in consequence, have pretty well monopolised the trade in ‘hard beef.’ ”

Notwithstanding the general prosperity of trade, says tho "Economist,” a larger number of joint-stock companies went into liquidation in 1899 than in any previous year. The report of the Inspector-General in Companies Liquidation, which has been issued lately, shows that the number of cases; in which winding-up proceedings were commenced during that year was 1793, the capital involved being £76,708,258, us compared with. 1745 liquidations, involving a capital of £66,.702,858, in 1898. And as these figures were published before the tremendous crash at the end of the year, which brought down the London and Globe and its dependents, it will bo easily seen that long before the story is ended they will be increased. And botlx in the number of liquidations and the amount of capital involved ibe figures for 1898 were considerably in excess of any that had previously been recorded.

In its report on the London produce market at February Ist, the -Colonial Consignment and Distributing Corapany states that New Zealand butter continues to -arrive exceptionally lino in quality and condition, quite a large quantity of the best brands, ex Paparoa, selling at 110 s, with a few at 112 s. Ordinary finest was fetching from 104 s to 108 s, and milled from 90s to 08s according to quality. New Zealand cheese (except coloured) was in fair demand, but ai few factories were reported as making their cheese 1 slightly ofl'-colour and flavour. YESTERDAY’S WOOL AND SKIN ■ sales. ; Murray, Roberts and Co- report: We offered ninety bales of wool and 1450 skins. The market for wool was depressed, and prices showed, a .decline of Id to id per lb, as' compared with February sale. Sheepskins were in > better request, and values remained unchanged. Wo quote;—Wool—-Cross-bred fleece and lambs, 4d to 4Jd per lb; log-stained do., do., 3d to 3;jd per lb ; locks and pieces, Id to 2id per lb. Skins—Crossbreds and lambs, 34d ‘to per lb; dead and hoggets, 2Jd to 3d per ib; pelts (sound), 6d to 9d each; pelts (inferior), Id to 3d each. •Rhe date of next sale is 22nd March, 1901. , Messrs Levin and Co., Limited, report : We offered seventy bales of wool and 700 skins. As full reports of the London January sales are only now to hand, and prove to be more unsatisfactory than was anticipated, buyers were not in-, a mood to operate willing, ly. Prices all round showed a further decline, and were brought down to the equivalent of London results. We quote! Medium, crossbred, 3J4 to 4d; inferior crossbred, 2id to 3|d j lambs Wool, 3Jd to 4d; pieces, 2d; looks, Id; crossbred skins, 3id to 334; dead skins, 2d to aid. TDK live Stock market. : PBISBS ASSOCIATION. CHRISTCHURCH, Maroli 8. At the... Amuri ewe fair yesterdav, 34,000 sheep were entered. The attendance was one of the largest yet seen at this fixture. The condition of the stock was not so good as in some- previous years. AH classes were in strong demand, ewes particularly so, and record prices were made. Rivalry was especially keen between the Brothers Riltherford with their two-tooth halfbred ewes (by English Leicester rams from “Murray” merino ewes). The Montrose (W. O. Rutherford) line of 1340 was sold at 21s Gd and 21s 7d, averaging 21s Gfd, and the Leslie Hills (Duncan Rutherford) 1975 at 21s 6d to 21s 9d, averaging 21s 7(d, a New Zealand record ; and Brookdale (A. W. Rutherford) 632 at 22s to 22s 9d and 270 at 18s 7d, averaging 21s 3(d. I The Hurunui Station line of 538 fetched 21s Id; Glens of Tekoa, 751 (off tussock), 21s 3d; Achray (A. Macfariane), 700 three-quarter bred ewes at 20s 3d. The Brookdale four-tooth halfbred ewes fetched 235, six-tooth, 2xs 6d,- and five-year-old, 16s 9d. St. nelou’s' soundmouth halfbred ewes, 17s Id (four and six-tooth ewes, 17s to 17s 7d. Lyndon, 2600 halfbred ewes, . four-ycar-old, 104 2d. In two-tooth halfbred wethers, Glens of Tekoa, 14s lid to 15s 2d, Montrose 14s lid, Leslie Hills 14s Vd, and Hurunui 14s 9d, were the chief sales. In inermo ewes, sound-mouth Leslie Hills 16s lOd; Mount Parnassus, 2250, made 15s 4d: Montrose. 14s 4d to 14s , 10d; Highfieid, 900, 14s 4d to 14s 8d; Sherwood, 13s sd. In older lines Balmoral 12s, Kaiwarra 10s, Leslie Hills 12s lid, Bawkswcod 8s 9d, St. James 8s 2d and 8s 3d, Lyndon (aged) 7s, Glynn Wye 9s 9d, Leslie Hills 12s lid, St, Helen’s fis 7d to 8s lOd, and in merino wethers Montrose, 13s 7d, were the principal : sales.' ; j