RABBITSKIN MARKET.

Otago Witness, Issue 1856, 17 June 1887, Page 19

RABBITSKIN MARKET.

Remshardt, M'Donald, and Co., manufac- ! turers' agents, Bond street, report as follows: — Since our last a fair amount of business has been transacted under this heading. During the past few days we are in receipt of information which again enables us to raise the market. In the meantime we guarantee the following prices, viz.: —Winter greys (including thicn and thin pelted), 16d to 17d ; selected lots, 18d ; winter black and fawn, lOd; other descriptions proportionally higher. Ab we are prepared to do business to any extent, we would respectfully nsk ruuholders and others to offer us their skins before consigning to London, as we may probably quote a better price than they would obtain by so doing. We understand that the bulk of the skins are being held back for extreme rates, whether this is good policy we willnotassumetheprovinceof determining, but will simply refer holders back to 1884, when skius were selling in London at as nearly as possible present rates. Many will doubtless recollect that in the three succeeding sales prices fell no less than Is per lb, nor was the decline arrested until the average price for New Zealand winter skins in London was 15d per lb, with a few extra fine parcels up to Is 6jd, which prices were recorded on the 19th February 1886. The following is an exact copy of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company's London circular referring to the above sale :— " Good to prime winters, Is 4d to Is 6jd; ordinary to good winters, 6jd to Is 1-jd; common and sum«mers, 2d to 6d; black and iawn, 6d to lOjd." ' It will thus be seen that winter skins were selling in London sixteen months ago at from B}d to 18jd, or an average of 13£ d, but whether prices are likely to recede to this point in the immediate future we are not prepared to say. However, it will further be seen that the prices we are now paying here are considerably above those then obtained in London, and as our instructions are to ship imnvdiately, we conclude that our clients are doubtful of the stability of the market. As promised in last week's report, we now give the charges incurred on rabbitskins from the time they, arrive in Dunedin until sold in London. In our endeavour to do business as nearly as possible direct between producer and manufacturer many of the these charges, amounting as they do to one-third of the cost, are saved. They are as follow: — Commission, Dunedin ... ... 21-per cent. Delivery, do ... ... 2| „ Classing, packing, labour, cartage, interest, fire insurance, &c. ... 5 „ Railage to ship, port dues, entries, &c. 1 „ Freight, fj on skins costing on the average 12J ... ... ... 5 „ Marine insurance, w.p.a. ... ... 2| „ Exchange, say ... ... ... I „ Commission, London ... ... 2| „ Discount, do ... ... 2£ „ Brokerage, do ... ... 1 „ Minor other expenses, do ... ... lj „ Loss in weight ... ... ... 7 „ 33£ per cent. Very few good skins have yet come to hand. The highest prices we have returned during the week have been to A. Cuy (Dunback), 17d all round fora line of winter greys; C. F. Dunnett (Kelso), 16d all round for winter greys; W. Cunningham (Dunback), 16d for winter greys. We will give full particulars of our transactions next week.