COMMERCIAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10628, 3 December 1910, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

HOME MARKETS. [By.Electric Telegraph—Coptp.ight.] (Per Press Association-.) Received December. 2, at 8.55 p.m.-'- | _ London, December 1. At the wool'sales bidding was brisk and prices unchanged in all sectiolis. Buyers are operating. vvaihi Junction shares 30s to 31s 3d.

The wheat" markets are quiet, and tending downwards. There is some pressure to sell on the strength of the official estimates of the. Russian crop of 96.640,000 quarters. Buyers are holding off. A cargo of Australian sold at 35s 9d. South Australian afloat is offering at 36s 6d: Australian JanuaryFebruary shipment at 35s 9d ;• parcels of January-i-'ebruary 3os 0d; Australian spot (small supply) 30s 9d to 37s 6d. New Zealand 32s to 33s 9d. Flour in limited demand. Australian patents (London) 25s 6d to 265. Oat.s are Hat. Cartons, 18s to 19s 9d; sparrowbills, 17s 6d to 18s 9d. Barley is qiiiet hut unchanged. Short loans, 4-jjd ; three months' bills —London I. Paris 2j, fieilin 4J. Consols, 79J. Victorian 4's 103, .JV's 98, 3's 85; South Australian 3i's 9b J ; Queensland 4's 103£, 3-}'s 97|, 3's 84 jj; New Zealand 4 : s 103J, 3i's 96J, 3's 8oi;. other stocks unchanged. Tin.—On spot, £1.72 2s 6d; three months, £172 ss. Lead, £l3 2s Gd, Spelter, £2!). Iron, 49s Hid. Sugar.—German, 9s; first marks, lis 2d. At Bradford wool is steady, with a small business. Sixty-fours 27d, super 26U1, common sixties 25k1, fifty-sixes 22.k1, fifties 193 d, forty-sixes 153 d, forties 14UI. Butter is quiet owing to the small arrivals. Prices generally are unchanged. Choicest Australian and New Zealand are occasionally a shilling dearer. Copper—Supplies, -10-'JI9 tons; deliveries, -13,091; stocks, 86,250; afloat, 8250. . Tin. —Stocks, 20,476: spot, 7580; afloat. 5893: deliveries, 2458. Tallow.—Stock, 2346; imports, 2082; deliveries, 1688.

WOOL SALES. Received December 3, at 8.5 a.m. London, Decern be r 2. Tlio wool sales inehided Wr.ipahi, Lop ISJrI. average li)Jd.

Received December at 10.40 a.m. London, December 2. There was competition at the wool sales auil prices were well maintained.

CHR-ISTCHORCH MARKETS. (Tkr I'ukss Association Christchureh, December 2. There is very little business passing in the markets, and what grain is changing hands is mostly between merchants. Holders of milling wheat are asking prices that, buyers do not. care to give, hilt at the same time there is not much demand except for fowl wheat. Prime malting barley is in request, and several lines have lately been sold at high prices. For ordinary samples there is little or no demand. Oatslieaf chalf is tinner, but is worth more in country districts, whore feed is scarce, than it is in town.

DUNEDIN MARKETS. (Otago Daily Times.) Locally the market has been assuming a new significance during the past month owing to the now serious aspect of affairs presented in some districts consequent on the lack of rain. Crops in many quarters are undoubtedly suffering ill this respect, and naturally holders of even inferior grain from last season are realising that the position is trending in their favor. During the

past week the position, so iar as o_ne line is concerned, has taken a quite significant- turn. This is for fowl wheat, iihich witnessed a rise in the period named of 2d to 3d per bushel. Sales in the north took place on the basis of 3s 4Ad to 3s 5d per bushel (f.0.b., sacks in) for fowl wheat, and locally the price lias been quoted at up to 3s 6d per bushel. This is a very big price for fowl wheat, and in all ' probability presages a like firmness in the case of milling wheat, which, however, is for the moment in a quiet state. Millers are reluctant to advance their prices, and farmers, with the new position revealed to them, are not eager to press their grain on the market. In the meantime, therefore, the market is quiet, but undoubtedly firm. With the bigger prices realising for fowl wheat there opens up a prospect of importation of this quality grain from Australia. particularly for the North Island, which quarter is already receiving supplies of chaff and potatoes from Victoria. This, however, is only a possibility. but Australia generally has large lines of chick feed at lower prices than New Zealand.

The tariff of the Flourmillers' Association for flour and other lilies is as follows: —Flour —Sacks, £9 ss; 1001b bags. £9 15s; 5011) bags, £10; 251b bags £lO ss. Oatmeal £ll 10s per ton. Pearl barley, £l3 10s _per ton. Jiran, £5 per ton. Pollard, £5 10s per

toil. , The oilt market continues firm, but til at firmness lias restricted business considerably, as during tile past week very little has gone through. Farmers are now demanding from 2s Id to 2s 1.1 per bushel on trucks, and this advance has inevitably forced up the market. Merchants selling to the north have effected sales at 2s sd, f.0.b., s.i., but the market, closed with quotations at -is old to 2s tkl for xV. grade Gartons. As stated, the volume of business done at these -high_ prices has dedined, and as the justification for the position is mamlv a weather condition, which may be altered at short notice, merchants betray no confidence in the Fuiure. and only buy on a liand-tq-mouth basis and when n sale is practically assured. "With A grade Gartons at 2s aid other lines are proportionately loss. During the week the local _ market .-aw tlie arrival of new season's potatoes from Oamaru. These realised about 2d per lb. Supplies from Auckland and Victoria are now coming forward. and arc selling at from 12s to 14s for Victorian and from 15s to 18s Gd per ewt for Auckland supplies. Old potatoes are now practically exhausted, although some were sold during the week at .£l3 per ton. . Kiigs ft re in good demand for Christmas purposes and liave advanced about 1(1 por dozen. Current prices arc as follow:: — Chaff.—Prime heavy oaten sheaf, £o to £5 '"is; medium to good, .£3 17s Gd to £4 7s Gd: inferior. G3 and upwards per ton (ex truck). n Straw. —Oaten. 32s 6d to 3os; wlieateu. 25s per ton. Hay, £2 10s to £2 15s per ton. Potatoes. —Prime ITp-to-Ilates, £9 to £lO 10s; Auckland potatoes, 15s to 18s 6d per cwt.

TIMARU MARKETS | (Timaru Herald.) Xhero is not a great deal doing on the loeal markets at present. So far as wheat is concerned millers are fairly well stocked and there is very little outside demand. It is reported that- a line of between .5000 and 6000 bushels of wheat was sent recently from Ashburton to Auckland, but tlie price was not disclosed. A few lines of wheat changed hands during the week in Timaru at from 3s 6d. for good Tuscan and Red chaff, to 3s lOd for prime y elyet, on trucks, Timaru. Fowl wheat is in good demand and is being sent awav from here to various prtrts of the' Dominion, and np to 3s 44d f.0.b., s.i.. is being paid for it. Tfc is anticipated that the harvest in South Canterbury will come in early this year. Soma of the grain will be ready for the reaper by Christmas unless :i lot of rain falls between now and then. Tn oats there is nothing doing—not because there is no demand, but because there is practically no supply. There is strong demand for feed oats, and it is. considered that owing"to the dry sea soil and the. consequent shortage of feed, prices are bound to harden, and that when the new crop is being threshed it will sell well. Pollard and bran are also in good demand, the former selling at £4 10s and the latter at £5 10s per ton, while flour is fetching £8 10. Old potatoes are now done but ,new ones sent here from Auckland are selling at 51b per Is retail.