COMMERCIAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10761, 8 May 1911, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

HOME MAKKETS. [By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.] (Pep. Press Association.) Received May S, at 3.50 a.m. London, May 7. Mutton. —Canterbury, light 3Jd, medium 3Jd down to . 3£d ; Southland, unquoted. Lamb. —Canterbury, 4 3-16 d ; Southland, 4Jd : North'lsland, 3jd; selected brands, 4Jd. Beef.—Fores, 213-16 d; hinds, 3 10-16 d.

Australian quotations: —Ewes, 2id; lambs, best brands 3Ad, fair quality 3 7-16 d, inferior"quality 3Jd; beer, fores 2Jd, hinds 3 13-16 d. South American quotations :■ —Beef, (frozen), fores 213-16 d, hinds 3 15-16 d, (chilled) fores 3 5-16 d, hinds sd; other meats unaltered.

Received May 8, at 9.20 a.m. London, May 7.". The wheat and flour 'afloat for the United Kingdom totals 3,305,000 quarters ; for the Continent, 3,300,000 quarters; Atlantic shipments, 65,000 quarters; Pacific shipments, 15,000 quarters. The total shipments to Europe amounted to 1,210,000 quarters, including 354,000 from Argentine, 356,000 Russian, 75,000 Danubian, 87,000 Indian, and 160,000 Australasian. THE LOCAL MARKETS. Oamaru Mail Office, Monday Afternoon. There was a livelier demand for wheat last week, and the market closed firm with values slightly in advance of those with which, the period opened. The position is a reflex of the London market, where during last week there were some extensive cargo sales, the tendency, of prices bemg upward. The effect was to confirm the ideas of farmers who are still holding for higher values, and consequently very little wheatwas offered locally. Another factor which is assisting the market is the lowering of freight to London by the shipping companies now that the wool season lias practically closed, thus- giving merchants greater scope, and allowing them to offer more for their wheat. The week closed with valvet worth to 3s 3d; red Tuscan (which is evidently scarce), also worth 3s 3d; solid straw Tuscan and red chaff worth up to 3s 2d. Good fowl wheat was taken at from 2s 9d to 2s lOd. - Oaten sheaf chaff is in firm demand, and is wor?h £3 15s to £4 per ton. No local oats are offering, and supplies arc still being brought from Southland to meet requirements. From 2s O.Jd to 2s Id on trucks has to be paid, which with a 3d railage makes the price of Southland oats about 2s 4d per bushel in Oarnnru. Potatoes are quoted at from £3 5s to £3 10s on trucks for TJp-to-Dates and Derwents. The North Island has been well supplied from Canterbury and Southland. ? LONDON DAIRY PRODUCE MARKET. Messrs Dalgety and Co. report as follows :—Butter, very dull. Total imports into the United Kingdom for week ending 29th April, 103,000cwt; for the corresponding'period last year, 98,000 cwt. We quote: New Zealand butter (salted) 108s; Danish, 114s; finest Australian (salted) 100s, (unsalted) 102s. Cheese.—Steady at 61s 6d. Mail advices from the firm's London office under date 24th March have been received as follows: — IJntter. —Last week's advance in the Copenhagen quotation checked the Danish butter trade, and the market this week has become dull. The demand for fine and finest Australian and New Zealand continues fairly good, but inferior grades are neglected, and parcels of "fishy" and other bad flavored butters are unsaleable, except at very heavy reductions in price. . Unfortunately, a large portion of our consignment* consists of bad butter, which must be sold, if possible, for it would be senseless to cold store at this time of the year in view of the heavy quantities yet to arrive, unless such a course proved unavoidable. We wish to emphasise the fact that buyers are now very critical, as is only natural, and it is very difficult to get them even to make a bid for inferior lots. As arrivals arc still liberal, while the enquiry even for fine and finest has somewhat fallen off, values tend in favor of buyers. Unsalted commands a slight premium dver salted. Cheese. —Both Canadian and New Zealand cheese are firmly held, although the enquiry for the latter is still mostly on the part of speculators, the general consumptive demand being quiet. Bacon.—The bacon market is very weak and selling prices are lower. —Official quotations of 24th March. — Butter. —Danish, steady, 119s to 121s; French,, little doing, 124s to 130s; Siberian, good demand for finest, ,100s to 104s; Australian, good demand finest while other grades slow, 98s to 106s; Now Zealand, good demand finest while others grades slow, 102s to 108s; Argentine, good demand finest while other grades slow, 100s to 102s. Cheese. —Canadian, white, 61s to 635; colored, 635, occasionally Is more, dep. red, 60s; New Zealand* colored 60s to 61s, white (steady trade at slightly higher prices) 60s to 61s. DUNEDIN PRODUCE MARKET. Messrs T. E. Shiel and Co. report as follows for week ending 6th May: — Considerable business has been passing this week, particularly in produce to the North Island. Chaff is very hard to soli just at the moment, but an early improvement is confidently looked for. Potatoes are inclined to be somewhat dull of sale and a dragging shipping market is experienced. We have a good enquiry for southern-grown, specially-bagged, seed potatoes, and can guarantee fullest market price. Wheat. —Steadv market. Velvet, 3s 3d to 3s 3id ; Tuscan, 3s 2Jd to 3s 3d, on trucks at country stations, sacks extra ; fowl wheat, scarcer, primest realising up to 3s 4d, broken up to 3s. Oats. —Better demand. A grade Gartons, 2s 2id to 2s 3d; Danish, 2s 2d; A sparrowl)ills, 2s to 2s OJd; B sparrowbills, up to 2s L]d to 2s 2d; BlackRivals, up to 2s 4d, sacks extra. Potatoes.—Prime seed Up-to-Dates, £5 to £0 os; British Queens, up to £5 10s; Northern Stars, £5; Sutton's Abundance and Sutton's Supreme £6; kidneys, up to £5 10s per ton. Chaff. —Prime black heavy oatsheaf, up to £4 10s; white oat, up to £4 ss; wheaten straw chaff, up to £3. Hay .r—Prime clover, £4 5s to £4 10s; last season's, £3 15s to £4.

Barley.—Feed, 2s 9d to 3s per bushel; Cheese.—Short supplies. Medium, oi,'cl to 5Sd; loaf, up to Gd; large white, 5 Jd. DUNEDIN HORSE SALE. Wright, Stephenson and Co. (Ltd.) report as follows: —For last Saturday's sale we had a splendid entry of draught mares and geldings. In fact, as far as quality was concerned, it is one of the best entries we have had for a very long time. The"- attendance of the public was very good, a very large number of farmers, as well as most of the town carriers and contractors, being present. The feature of the sale was the consignment from Mr Robert Cupples, Otautau. As it is well known that Mr Cupples always fetches stock of a very high-class, a' large number of buyers we're attracted to the sale, and they competed keenly for every animal as it was put up. The"pick of this consignment was a sis-year-old bay mare (sire Shepherd King'by Shepherd Lad, dam Royal Oak mare), and stinted to Tweedside. This mare was greatly_ admired, and elicited very keen competition, and soon reached lOOgs,, at which price she was passed in to the bid of Mr W. J. Charters, TJry Park, the owner's reserve being 150gs, but a deal was subsequently made privately with Mr Charters during the day. The geldings in this consignment were also first class —a bay gelding made £46. two others £4o each, one at £43 10s-, and one at £35. For other vendors wo sold 25_horses at prices ranging up to £3l. With one or two exceptions, spring-carters were not a good lot. For one nice grey gelding £3O was offered and refused, the owner's idea of value being considerably higher. Taken all through. Saturday's sale was one of the best we have ; had for a very considerable time, and the demand as the season advances is getting keener, and prices have a decided hardening tendency. We quote : Superior young draught geldings at from £4O to £45 ; extra good do (prize- '

winneis), at from £45 to £SO; superior young drought mares at £SO to £6O; medium draught marcs and geldings r-t from £3O to i'4o ; aged, at from £lO to £ls; 5! rong spring-van horses at from £25 to £3O; strong spring-carters at iiom £lB to £25; milk-car: and butchers' order-cart horses at from £ls to £2O: light hacks at from £8 to £l3; extra good hacks and harness horses, at. from £l3 to £'2s; weedy and aged at from £5 to £7.