COMMERCIAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17216, 19 January 1918, Page 6

COMMERCIAL

Daily Times Office, Friday evening.

The British Wheat Commission has raised the price of wheat by 2s pur quatrer. Aus l tralian has been sold at 79s 6d per 4801b, c.i.f., and is now quoted at 83s ixl to 84s 3d per 5041b, ex quay. Tlio statement iu regard to tho shortage of tonnage lor tho transport of wheat and meat from Australia to Europe which was made by Sir Leo Chiozza Money on behalf of the British. Shipping Controller ought to give food for thought to all members of tlio community (says tho Australasian). From the primary industries Australia derives most of her prosperity, provided the means of transporting the produco to oversea markets are available. In this connection Sir Leo says:—'"Wo liave had to- tako ships off the Australian trade in order to feed our people from ne-arer markets. The voyage across the North. Atlantic takes a third of tho time neces-' sary for tho voyage to or from Australia. Wo are compelled to get the utmost value out of every ton of shipping." When tho current crop is harvested, and after allowing for home consumption, it is estimated that , : n Victoria alono there will be approximately 46,000,000 bushels of wheat for sale. Up to tho present Great Britain has helped us out ot our difficulties, but in view of tho freight position it cannot bo expected that any addition will be made to the immenso quantity of wheat which tho British Government already possesses in Australia. The growers here are guaranteed 4s f.o.b. by tho Federal Government for both this and the 1918-19 crop, so that directly they are assured against loss. Assuming a continuance of tho existing lack of transport facilities, it is only a question of time before a readjustment of our ideas would be forced upon us. Hence full consideration now of the pros and cons of the situation would seem to bo opportune. The preliminary official estimates of the 1917 crops in England and Wales, issued m November, show that the yield of wheat was better than generally expected, amounting to 7,164.649 quarters, against 6,835,408 quartern the previous year, and 8,490,692 quarters in 1915, when the acreage sown was larger than last years Tho yield per acre is given at 29.88 bushels, which is 1,52 bushels below the average. Allowing for the increased acreage m Scotland and Ireland, and assuming a yield of 35 bushels per acre, tlio London Grain, Seed, and Oil Reporter states that tho outturn in tho two countries for the year would amountto 800,000 quarters, making the total crop for the whole of the United Kingdom nearly 8,000,000 quarters, which compares with 7,569,039 quarters in 1916, 9,265,297 quarters in 1915, and .7,815,087 quarters in 1914. There is nothing doing in tho local wheat market. Brokers' permits have been sent to the different Dunedin agents for signature. Theso permits have now been returned, with the stipulated deposit of £500 and a bond of £1000, the amounts being held as guarantees that the regulations will not bo broken. The brokers' duties will be to buy from the farmer and sell to <tho miller, both transactions being on bonalf of the 'Government. The brokers receive a commission for their work.

Flour is quoted at £15 a ton. Oatmeal, £21 a ton for 25s's; pearl barley, £19 10s; pollard, £7 10s (fixed by Government); bran, £4 5s (fixed by Government).

There is nothing doing in tho oat market. A very littlo inquiry is being experienced from the North Island. Buyers there aro hanging off, in anticipation of lower prices when tho new oats aro available. A Gartons may be quoted at 4s to 4s Id, f.0.b., and B's at about 3s, lOd, but' these prices are more or less nominal. Canterbury appears to be doing what little business is passing. Algerians from that quarter aro on offer very cheap, and a fair-sized lino has been sold to Auckland at 3s 3gd, f.0.b., s.i.

A business man who recently travelled through Canterbury states that- the Algerian oats are looking very well indeed, and that from all appearances there will _be a large crop of good quality offering this season. He says, however, that the crops of white oats ar every patchy. A good many of the wheat crops are absolutely flat, and will never be' saved.

A few lines 'of ryegrass that have been thrashed in -Canterbury were sold at 3s_ 6d to 3s BAd for 261b undressed, and exceptionally good lines of 271b seed realised 4s.

PRODUCE REPORT. Good quality chaff is worth up to £7, and as high as £'/ 5s has been obtained for an extra heavy lot. 'iiiero is a good demand on the local market for prime, but tho demand for poor and medium stuff is not too keen. The potato market is very weak. Larger supplies than are wanted aro arriving on the market, and) merchants aro finding it hard to make sales. There is no outside inquiry, and the local demand is not up to its usual dimensions, a larger number of people relying on their own garden supplies. Taieri potatoes havo been offering at as low as £6 per ton, ex truck, Dunedin. It is to bo presumed that growers may cease digging for a few weeks in the hope of getting better prices. In the meantime supplies that are arriving are not ripe, and cannot be held for any length of time. Wheaten straw is in very short supply. The market is being from the north.

Honey is practically unprocurable. Tho egg market has weakened during the week.

A large quantity of d'airy pats butter is arriving in a very unsatisfactory condition. The quality is poor, and most of tho pats aro spotted. A good yar.ding of pigs was offered at the Burnsido yards on Wednesday, among the number being some very fine quality baconers. All were sold at prices equal to late rates. Beet porkers made up to 85d per lb, and best baconers from 8d to BJd per lb. Current wholesale prices are as follow: — Fowl wheat.—Australian, 7s 6d a bushel; New Zealand-grown, unprocurable. Chaff.—Prime oaten sheaf, about £7; medium to good, £4 to £4 15s (sacks extra). Potatoes.—£s 10s to £6 per ton. Straw.—Oaten, £3 10s; wheaten, £3 ss.

Eggs, Is 3d. Batter—Milled bulk. Is Id to Is 2d per lb; second quality, Is; dairy separator, in lib packages, Is to Is Id. Honey.—Bulk, 6d; 101b tins, 5s ~6d. Pigs.—Baconers, 7-£ d! to 'per lb; porkers, Sfd. ' Bacon.—Rolls, local. Is 3d; Chrjstchurch rolls, Is 3d; sides, Is 2d; hams, Is 3d; ham rolls, Is 3cl.

FRUIT REPORT. Business in tho fruit marts has been pretty brisk during the week. Plums and cooking apples aro now coming forward from Canterbury in fairly large qantities. _ . Larger consignments of. apricots are commencing to come forward from Otago Central. . Consignments of peaches have slackened off a little. Those arriving are mostly in crates, and these are realising fairly high prices—extra choice up to 7d per lb. Prices should remain firm until the arrival of the main crop. . A few pears are coming forward, but these are of tho small variety. No choice

pears are yet available. Growers are reminded that they must see that all their packed fruits are "clean." A few small lines of pears havo had to bo destroyed during the week beca/uso tho fruit was infected' with codlin moth. Hothouse tomatoes aro still coming; forward from Christchurch, and meet with a ready sale. A few Christchurch outsidogrown aro also available. A small lino of Nelson outside-grown arrived on the market to-day, and, being a good sample, met with a keen demand at 13s per half-case. Owing to tho wet weather locally-grown raspberries havo not been in such good order, and prices havo therefore dropped a little. . t Tho demand for vegetables has not been so sreat. Peas aro more plentiful, and are 'meeting with a keen demand. Practically all the°peas aro coming from North Otago and South Canterbury.'Cabbages havo been hard to quit, except extra largo samples, which havo been readily bought at 3s per dozen. , ... C.ii Tent wholesale prices aro as follow: — Apples.—American, agents' stocks about finished. Clearing sales mado at from 5s to 12? per case. Other kinds, 14s to 15s; new season's, dessert, 2gd; cookers. 2d. Oranges.—California, slow of Mile at 27s 6d to 303. Lemons—Nono available. Cucumbers. —Local, 5s to 9s; small, 3s to

sS }lobart cherries to "arrive Monday next. Oherrv plums, 2d to 2£d. Plums. —Desert, in crates, to Id; others, 2£d to 3rl; jam, ljd to 2d. Apricots.—Cases, 2fd to ojd; for jam, 2Jd "to ; crates, '4-d to 6d. Pcachcs. —Cases, 3d to Ad: crates, to 6d. Tomatoes. —Local, to 10£ d ; Ohnstchurck, 8d to 9d; outside. 4 id to Nelson, to 13s per case of 241b. Raspberries, 6!xl to 7d: pottles, to Grapes, Is 4d to Is 6d. Green peas, 2d to 3id. New Potatoes.—Pc«in3ula, lid; Oam aru and Ohristchurch, 6s to 7s per cwt. Cabbages.—Choice, up to & poj- dozen; inferior, Is to 2s per sank. Canliflowcxs. up to 9s per dozen; medium, 2s 6d to 4s. Lettuce. Is to Is 9d per case; choice. Is 6d peadozen. Parsnips, Is to Is 6d per dozen. Carrots, now, Is 3d to Is 6d per dozen.

Spring onions, 2d to 3il per bundle. Radishes, 4d to 6d per dozen bunchr*. French lycarus, 3d to 3£d; butter bcaus, to 3d; broad beans, lid. MELBOURNE MARKETS. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright Australian and N.Z. Cublo Association. MELBOURNE, January 18. Barley: Chevalier, 4s 10d' to 5s 2d; Cape, 3s 4(1 to 3s s£d. Oats: Algerian milling. 2s 7d to 2s 7gd ; feed, 2s 5d to 2s 6d. Potatoes. £4 10s to £6 10s. Onions, £8 to £8 10s. DOMINION PORTLAND CEMENT COMPANY. (Peu United Prksh Association.) AUCKLAND, January 18. Tho assets of tho Dominion Portland Gemoiit Company were sold by auction today in two lots, "the purchaser being Mr E. Gti-aril. Tho total prico was £137,750. There was no other bidder. CHRISTCIIURCH GRAIN REPORT. (Peb United Pbess Association.) CIIRISTCTIURCII, January 18. The weather has been a littlo more suitable for harvesting during tho past few days, it being warmer ;ind with more drying 'winds. Tile only grain coming forward is oats, and theso are not yet offering very freely on account of late rains delaying thrashing operations. Algerians are tho principal variety offering, and arc selling up to 3s, at country stations. Most of the grain :s rather on the light side, duo to premature ripening through hot and dry- weatlier in November and the early part of Decombei\ Crops that were fed oif in the spring and will be later in ripening are expected to not only yield better, but to furnish heavier samples. There is a fair amount of ryegrass offering, and prices have been somewhat erratic, as some buyers who axe in ivant of immediate supplies have been paying higher prices to fill their mcnts than others aro willing to give. For good heavy seed, Perennial and Italian, 3s to 3s 6d, country stations, is offered; but in odd cases a higher figure has been paid. Wcsternwolths seed has been sold uj> to 4s. No wheat is yet reported to havo done in autumn-sown onions at £6 ss, changed hands. Some business has been country stations, for immediate delivery. THE BRITISH CONFECTIONERY TRADE. The British Manufacturing- Confectioners' Export Union writes to us: — It lias been pointed out by his Majesty's Trade Commissioner for New Zealand that all customers do not quits realise tho difficulties under whir:h British • manufacturers arc labouring. The export of British confectionery and chocolate, difficulty from the outset of the war,- became increasingly difficult as time went on. Manufacturers had to enduro restriction after restriction on all raw materials; labour difficulties steadily multiplied by reason of enlistments in tlio navy or army, and of the transfer of men and women to tho production of munitions of war; Government requirements monopolised a considerable amount of tho reduced output; and steadily, too, tho shipping space available became less, while freights and high insurance charges rose to a corresponding degree. All raw materials have increased enormously in price, and many aro very scarce; and, worst of all,- manufacturers are now only allowed to use 25 per cent, of tho sugar (the chief raw material of all) which they used in 1915. These difficulties might have been overcome to some extent, bu.t in February last tho Government prohibited altogether the export of all foodstuffs, including confectionery and chocolate, thus leaving foreign manufacturers free from British competition in those markets where British goods were naturally preferred. In some cases, indeed, these foreign-made goods, whose origin is suspect, aro shipped to London, and despatched' thence in British vessels.

The British Manufacturing Confectioners' Export Union is well, aware that the public in the United Kingdom are deprived of and miss some of the products of the dominion, and asks, therefore, with every confidence, for sympathetic consideration. One effect of the war, which has Imit together in such close ties the whole British Empire, is bound to bo greater inter-dopendenno_ between tho British people in Great Britain and Ireland and the sister nations overseas, which will increase the prestige and power of the Empire. None of us will need to rely on the products of enemy countries of those who have not thrown in their lot with tho Allies, and may become our enemies m tho future. Tho unspeakable atrocities of the enemy during iho war have been such, and the revelation of their underhand methods in pre-war times so remarkable, that it is not easy to imagine thai tho " mado in Germany" brand will be tolerated for generations to come, even by those whoso first consideration is cheapness. As soon as tho war is over some of tho difficulties enumerated will disappear, and British manufacturers, relying on the quality of their t>roductions, look forward to a restoration of the old pleasant relar tionsliip with customers in the dominion. <». EXPORT OF APPLES. NO CHANCE FOR LONDON. One of the results of tho shortage of shipping space for London is that again this season no cool storago spooo v. r ill be available for shipments of apples to the London market. An Auckland exporter, who had sold thirty or forty thousand cases of apples for London, subject to delivery being possible, wrote to tho Overseas Shipowners!' Committee to ask that space be allotted in cool storage. Ho received a reply dated. January 14, as follows" I havo to inform you that under instructions from the Imperial Government no space can be mado available for tho shipment of apples in cool storage." This is a repetition (says the Auckland Star) of what occurred last , season, and will mean that apple-growers art> to be confined to the markets of tho dominion. As stone fruits aro likely to be short this season owing to the. large quantity that fell from, the trees before coming to maturity, it is possible that apples may find a correspondingly better demand this year.

Scott Bros., produce salesmen and commission agents, report:—Eggs: Market •steady. Fresh, Is 3d; stamped, Is 4d per dozen. Butter: Qjiiet. Dairy, Is; bulk— milled Is 2d, separator la 4d per lb. Honey: Wanted. Prime clover, s^d; 101b tins, 5s each; sections, 6d. Poultry: Wanted. Cockerels, 5s to 5s 6d; hens, 3s 6d; ducklings, 5s to 5s 6d per pair. Geese; 6s per pail-. Gobblers, 10|d; hens, 9|d per lb. Pigs: Quiet. Prime baeonors, Bjd; porkers. 3j-d; overweights, 4d to 6d; bams, Is Id; bacon, Is 3d per lb. Potatoes: Very quiet. Prime new, 5s to 7s per crvrt; old sorts, season over. Onions: Arriving, £12 per ton. Chaff: Prime oaten phoaf, £6 15s per ton/ medium to good, £6 5s per ton (sacks extra): Oats: Quiet. Gartons, 3s lOd; best feed, 3s 9d per bushel, ex store (sacks extra). Wheat: Australian, 7s 6d pcT bushel (sacks in). Straw: Wanted. Pressed whoa ten, £3 10s; oaton, £3 15a per ton.

\V. Stewart (Limited), poultry merchants. 236 Princ.es street, Dunedin (buyers of all kinds of poultry), reports for the week ending Jrnmary 19: —Hons: Medium to good, Is 6d to 2s caoh. Chickens: Young cockerels, 2s 6d to 3s each. Ducklings: 5a to 3s 6d caoh. Geese: 3s 6rT to 4s ea«h. No commission charged. Railway freights paid. Orates supplied. —Advt.