COMMERCIAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17217, 21 January 1918, Page 4

COMMERCIAL

(Daily Times Office, Saturday morning.

There is nothing- to report in the merchandise- market, apart from the fact that certain commodities continue to advance in price and that supplies are not too plentiful. Muscatels and tiga which should have come to hand before Christmas havo nowarrived. The fruit has come to hand in firsirclaas condition.

Further supplies of tinned fruits have come to hand.

It is understood that shipments of coarse Bait are likely to arrive from America.

C and B. anchovy sauco has advanced in price. The quotation ia 18a 6d per dozen.

There has been a substantial advance in tho price of haricot beans. Its exportation, has now been prohibited from Home. Stocks in Dunedin are light, and 6d to 6£d per ]b is tho ruling prico. Hudson's extract of soap shows a further advance in prico in consequence of increased freight and extra Home cost. The price to-day ia 9a per box. Tea paper is in very short supply- Tho current price is 7id per lb. C.M.C. iors of tongues havo been, reduced to 25s per dozen. Shipments o£ jrree-u Throe Castle eigstrettoß (20' a cartons) duo will come to a bare market.

Benzine has been advanced by Is 4d por case.

SOUTHLAND MARKETS. (Fsou Oob Own Coueespondknt.) INVEECARGILL, January 19. Since the departure of tho boat which loaded at Blull; recently for northern ports tho oat market lias ibeen at a. standstill, but in -view of quotations received from Australia tho market is decidedly linn at Into rates. If anything, merchants , ideas arc in tho direction of an improvement in price. The general opinion is tluit A grade Gortons are worth to-day not lees than 3s Hid, f.o.b.ac, B's 3a 10H and f.o.q. 3s 9d. As tho acreage in crop is very limited., and a coasiderable portion of it must be reserved for chatting, it is generally thought that prices aro not likely to recede to any appreciable extent. Tho demand for chaff is still entirely local, and merchants aro not anxious to do business at the prices asked by growers, many of whom think that tho price merchants are willing to pay —viz., £6 6s-—must bo exceeded before long. Supplies in tho country are undoubtedly now in small compass. Reports •from farmras who aro busy with tho binder aro to tho effect that ryegrass crops aro decidedly heavier than they anticipated, and if tho present weather holds for another week or two tho bulk of the ryegrass crop will too in stack in good condition. As to price, lx>th north and south seem to bo waiting for a load from each other. Tho flaxmills liavo now resumed wow; after tho holiday adjournment, but nothing of any moment in tho way of business has occurred sinco then. Buyers' ideas of valuo aro still in the region of £40 on trucks for high fair. During tho past week tho stock market has been quiet, and very littlo stock offering. Tho demand for cattle has eased somewhat, but all classes of etoro sheep aro in strong demand. At last Wallacetown sale on Tuesday a large number of two ond two-and-a-half-year-old steers were yarded, and practically tho whole of the entry was cleared at satisfactory prices, tho keenness in tho market being duo to buyers from as far north as Goro operating in fairly Largo lines. Tho beef market remains unchanged, but iat wethers, extra prime, ere bringing good prices. Values are approximately:— Fat Cattle.—Ox beef, 47s to 48s; heifer, 44s 6d to 455; cow, 42s 6d to 43s 6d. Fat Sheep.—Extra primo wethers, up to 39s 3d; primo, 36s 6d to 37s 6d; lighter, sorts, 33s to 355; fat ewes, up to 355. Store Cattlo.—Three and three-and-a-half - year-old forward steers, £13 10s to £15; twoto two-and-a-half-year-old steers, £10 10s to £11 10s; yearling and 18-month steors, £6 10s to £8 10s, according to quality and condition; two-year-old empty heifers, £7 10s to £9; this year's calves, weaned, £2 10s. Store Sheep.—Mixed sexes, two-tooth owes and -wethers, 30s to 31s for fairly good stuff; four and six-tooth wethers, 34s to 365; sound-mouthed young owes and lambs, all counted, 23s to 245; broken-mouthed, 18a to 20a '

OAMARU MARKETS. (From Ode Own Cobeespondent.)

OAMARU, January 19. The weather this week has been broken and unreliable, and consequently the very opposite of what is needed for the safe and successful prosecution of harvest work. Most of the early-sown oats have been cut, and a considerable part has been standing in stook waiting for thrashing, but the weather has prevented much being done in that direction for the paet 10 days. As a cor/sequence, few samples havo yet reached the market. No cutting of wheat has been done, and if 'the present weather continues it will be some tirao before tho wheatfields will be ready for the reapers. A few days bright sunshine would, however, bring a lot of wheat to the reaping condition, and never has a spell of that kind of weather been needed inore urgently than at_ present, for upon the early climate conditions will largely depend the character of tho harvest. A few samples of Algerian oats have come forward, and that may generally bo classed as good, though one sample cannot be pronounced of better quality than fair. Another sample of malting bariey has reached the market, but, as with oats, no sale has yet been made to set a standard of values. A very good sample of rape seed has alec- boon submitted, but no chance of placing it has yet been found. The volume of business passing in the stock market during tho week has not been of any particular note. Sales of sheep continue' to bo made, but these generally in most lines, if transactions in lambs for forward delivery arc excluded. There has been a revival of business in these latter, and evidently some speculators have confidence as to tho future, for business has been done up to 22s 6d, and there exists n. good inquiry for rape lambs up to that figure. A line of fat and forward lamfeg was placed for prompt delivery at 225. As to other sheep, sales are reported at the following prices:—Two-tooth ewes, 53s and 33s 6d; mixed two, four, and six-tooth owes 355; sound-mouthed ewes, 295; twotooth wethers, 28s; mixed four and sixtooth wethers, 31s 6d. . . There has been practically nothing doing m cattle. Some have been on offer, but buvers have evidently reached a conclusion that' prices havo been forced to a false level, "and are standing off. The only sale reported is one of two and three-year-old steers in forward condition at £15 15s.

OTAGO FARMERS' HORSE BAZAAR.

Tho Otago Farmers' Co-operative Association of New Zealand (Ltd.) report: Wβ held our weekly horse sale in our bazaar on Saturday, whon wo had an entry of 25 horses all told. The entry was mainly comprised of aged and done light harness horses and spring-carters, there being^practically no first-class farm or town horses forward. There was a fair attendance of the tmblic, but few were buyers for tho class" of horses offering, consequently very little business was done. Although prices aro not high, there is still a demand for good, useful sorts. Quotations: Young, sound, sharp, clifty geldings, £25 to £28; extra heavy horaes, £26 to £32; seven-year-old and over mares and geldings, £13 to £20; and what is usually termed aged, £10 to £12; vanners and spring-carters, £14 to £20; lignt sorts of harness horses, at fluctuating prices.

Fraser and Co., 146 Crawford street, Agents Otago Egg Circle and Southern Cross mcatmeal, report:—Egg: Market steady. Fresh, Iβ 3d; stamped, Iβ 4d. Poultry: All lines wanted. Cockerels, 5a 6d to 6s per pair; hens, 3s 6d to 4s; duaks, 5s to 6s; geese, 6s to Bs.—Turkeys: Gobblers, hens, 9£d. Honey: Wanted. Bulk, 7d to 9d, according to quality; 101b t.ins, 5s 6d. Pigs: Wanted. Primo baconers, overweights, 4d to 6d. Tallow: Wanted; 28s to 30?. Now potatoes, 6s per cnvt. Onions: Arriving, 12s. Wheat: Arriving, 7s 3d.