COMMERCIAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16070, 11 May 1914, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

Daily Times Office, Saturday morning. The price for Burmah candles now range as tollovvs:—o(J boxes or over, s£d per io, less 2£ per cent, trade discount; lees than 50 boxes, sid per lb. M'Leod'e candies have also been advanced in price, magnets, composites, duoal paraffin, and super paraffin being now quoted at s£d per lb. All shipments of dried fruits, euch as sultanas, currants, raisins, etc., now require to pass an inspection by a Government offioer before being permitted to bo landed at the wharves. It appears that the regulation governing toe lu&pection has been in existence for a number of years, but ihas never previously been put. into operation. A eharp rise has been reported in the price of the new season's American canned fruits. The first of these fruits should come to hand about October. Prunes are in very short supply, but a parcel from America is expected to land within the next fortnight. Values for this line will rule high—about s£d ,per lb. Sicily almonds have also been snort on the market. A small parcel was landed during tho week, and 13 quoted at Is 8d to Is 3d per'lb. As the l'ure . Foods Act nov,- debars the colouring of imitation vinegars, manufacturers are confining their attention to white imitation vinegar only. Malt vinegar is being turned out in greater quantity, but, of course, at higher values then ruled for the coloured imitation.

The information conveyed in our cablegrams on Saturday morning—that the tea crops in ' Northern India have been extensively damaged by hailstorms—must have a serious effect on the tea market. The prices for Coylons are very high at present, and as a. rule the Indian crops are looked to,to relievo the position in June and July. If the news conveyed in the cablegram be quit© correct, Ihowcver, the supplies of Indians must bo very much reduced, and the tea position all round be further accentuated. A'iercnants in (Jeyloii are now witndrawing their previous offers, so it looks as if the outlook for a. good Indian crop is rather poor.

In their Colombo circular of April 8, Harrisons and Eastern Export Limited state that 1,727,1321b were offered on March 31, and 1,699,8601b on April 7.' On the latter occasion quality was again fairly good. Newara Eliva and South Indian teas being the moat attractive. Demand for all kinds was very active, all grades of leaf as well as good to fino broken pekoe showing a rise of 1 to 2 cents. It appeared that supplies were not equal to the demand. It was worth noting that "price" tea was 8 cents pec lb higher than 12 months ago. Eetato reports wero rather more favourable, and tea was flushing well most districts. Offerings in Colombo ao April 7 were 23,764,6541b, as against 22,750,0001b last year. Shipments to the United Kingdom in March were 9£; millions. Tho estimate for April is 12 millions: Shipments to Australia and New Zealand were about 7 millions, against 5i million lbs last year. The sardine litigation, which has been in -progress in England for some time pa«t, has, according to the London Grocer of March 21/ reached another stage. The chief metropolitan magistrate at Bow street gave judgment on March 20, in which lie held that the word sardine applied only to the pilchard, which is packed in oil in the in France, Spain, and Portugal. lie ■decided to convict the defendants who had applied the description "eardino" to Norwegian brisling packed in oil in tins, and fined each of them £20, and ordered each to pay 100 guineas costs. A notice of appeal was given. Business snows an improvement in tho hardware trade. Several good building contracts are being fixed up, while tenders are being called for a rumber of others. There is a good trade passing in fencing material, accounted for by the low prices ruling just now. Standards are quoted (in wholesale quantities) at £9 15s to £10; black -wire, £8 10s to £9; galvanised, £10 to £10 10s. Wire netting rules at 18s 5d to 18s lOd. Prices for roofing iron continue on a non-payable basis, so far as local merchants are concerned, the competition being very keen, and rates are being " cut." Second quality ie quoted at £17 10s; first Quality £18. ♦ THE FROZEN MEAT MARKET. Preii Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, May 9. The following are the latest quotations for all classes of meat. In tho case of those not quoted the price is unchanged :— April 25. MayO. Canterbury mutton, light ' 4$ — Canterbury mutton, medium ... 4J — Canterbury mutton, heavy 3J — Southland mutton — — N.I. mutton, best brands, 56-GUb 4 3J NJ. mutton, ordinary, 66-641b ... SJ — N.Z. ewes - 3 i 3 1 Australian mutton, light ii — Australian mutton, heavy 3| — Australian ewee _ 3 4 — Biver Pliite mutton, light, 40-561b — — River Plate mutton, heavy, 66-721b 3{ 3J Biver Plate ewes ... » 3 i 3 i Canterbury lamb, light — — Canterbury lamb, medium — - — Canterbury lamb, heavy — s " North Island lamb, selected ... 513-16 5 13-16 North Island lamb, ordinary ... 5§ SH-16 Southland lamb, selected 513-16 — Southland' lamb, ordinary , — — Australian lamb, best brnr"ie ... 5J 5J Australian lamb, fair quality ... s ! i 63 Australian lamb, inferior — Si Biver Plate lamb, first quality... — 5 11-1G Biver Plate' lamb, second quality — 5j New Zealand beef, fores 33 3 7-16 New Zealand beef, hinds 4j} 4 7-16 Australian beef, fores - 3.1 3J Australian beef, hinds 4 3-16 4J R. Plate beef, ohilled fores ... 3 5-16 3J B. Plate beef, chilled hinds ... 4§ 6} B Plate beel, frozen fores ... 34 3 7-16 B. Plat» beel, frozen binds ... 4jj 4} Messrs Weddel and Co. cable to their Christchui'ch reporting on the frozen meat market, as undernoted:— Prime New Zealand lamb, up to 361b, sid; do 361b to 421b, bid; do 421b to 501b, 5 11-16 d—market firm; G.A.Q. North

Island lamb, 5 11-16 d; Prime Australian, 5Jd; secondary ssd; inferior, 54—market firm; New Zealand ox hinds, \ 7-16 d; do fores, 3 7-10d —market steady; primo Cnnl terbiiry mutton, 4£d; do Wellington, 32(1; do Plate, 3id; do Australian, 3|d—market quiet. LONDON MARKETS. Pres» Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, May 8. Jute: May and June, £33 10s. Kauri gum: Sixty-one cases wore offered and sold; now in stock, 561 cases. «. THE RABBIT MARKET. Pl«u Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, May 9. Rabbits are very dull. Now South Wales blues (store), 14s 6d to 15s. Several parcels ex Morayshirc were condemned at London, and many have been stopped at Liv6rpool for examination. — ♦ I — OAMARU MARKETS. CFnou Oub Ows CoßitnspoNDßNT.) OAMARU, May 9. More inquiry for wheat has beon experienced during the week, and a good quantity has been offering from tho country. Business lias consequently beon more active than for several weeks past, the sales including several big linos. The most noteworthy of these was one embracing 1500 sacks of prime velvet, which was taken at 4s Id net, on trucks near Oamaru, ite ultimate destination being Invcrcargill. Another lino of 1000 sacks of volvet -was sold at a country station at 4s, less commission, and another of 600 sacks' at 3s Hid net at a country station. The largest transactions of the week were, however, two mixed lines, one of 2000 sacks and the other of 1800 sacks. For the former 3s lid was given for the velvet and 3s 9id for the remainder of the mixture at a distant station, the prices being reducible by commission. In the other case 3s lid was paid for tho velvet and 3s 9d for the red varieties, the prices being; net to grower at a country station. In lines of & few hundred sacks each sales have been made at the following rates:—Velvet, 3s lid to 3s Hid net, and 4s lees commission, at country stations; and 4s and 4s Oid net delivered at the mill or store; red chaff, 3s 9d and Zβ 9£d net, and 3s 10id less commission, at country stations, and 3s 9£d net delivered at the mill; border, 3s net at a country station; red Tuscan, 3s 9id net delivered; Marshall's white, 3s 8d and 3s Bid net at country stations, and 3s 9d net delivered: solid straw Tuscan, 3s 8d and 3s Bid net at country stations. Tho oats market is slack. A good many samples of heavy Gartens have been on offer, but merchants do not show a disposition to buy in the absence of orders for coastwise shipment. Some small lots of A grado Gartohs have been taken at country stations at Is Bid and Iβ 9d net, and a little business has been done in B grade at from Is 7d to Is 8d net, but to-day quotations are slightly lower, and may be given at Iβ 8d to Is A grade, with £d more for specially heavy samples, and Iβ 7d to Is 7id for B grade, all net at country stations.

There is nothing to report in connection with barley or oaten eheaf chaff, except that no demand exists for either. Aβ to potato.es, merchants are unable to secure orders for coastwise shipment, be t cause growers' demands are above tho basie on which that class of business can be scoured in competition with Christchurch. The sales of the week have been confined to lots of gamekeepers at £4 17s 6d net, delivered in Oamaru, and of Up-to-Datee at £4 5s net, on trucks. The stock market has entered upon a period of quietness. Not a single private transaction is reported, and the only business done has been at the regular auction sales. At the weekly sale tho yarding of sheep was small, and included nothing of note. Store wethers brought from 13s to 15e 9d, and storo ewee up to 10s 7d. Forward lambs realised from 16s 8d to 16s 10d and stores from 12s 6d to 14s 9d. Fat wethers sold up. to 21s 4d, store ewes up to 14s 5d t and fet at from 15s 6d to 18s lid. The sale at Duntroon yesterday was of a decidedly draggling character, so far as sheep were concerned, and the bulk of the yarding passed out unsold. A line of twotooth haffbred ewes brought 18s 9d, but the remainder of the ewes sold were aged, and went at various prices from 5s upwards, the best figure being 14s, which was given for some sheeip classed as fullmouthed. A line of two, four, six, and eight-tooth wethers found a buyer at 17s, and a small line of two-tooth wethers brought 17s Id. Other store wethere went at from 12s 6d to 16s, according to size and condition. Fat lambs sold at 17s 7d, and store lambs reached up to 12s Id. Cattle are now much better selling property than sheep, but the supply falls far nhor't of the demand. No sales by private treaty are reported, and the number Qt cattle brought into the saleyards is small. At tho weekly sale 'two-year-old steers realised £6, 18-month-old £5, mixed yearlings £3 10s, and calves 355. There was a fair yarding of cattle at Duntroon yesterday, when a line of 31 forward steers was taken at £9 10s while three-year-old store steers brought from £5 17s 6d to £6 16s. Store cows sold at £4 5s and £4 10s, and store heifers at £4 7s 6d. There is a strong demand for dairy cows, and at this weeks 'sale up to £10 was given for cows coming to profit, while at Dunbroon yesterday from £6 12s 6d' to £8 17s 6d wae given for hoifcrs.