HEW ZEALAND PRODUCE IN LONDON. (From Our Own Correspondent.) London, November 27.

Otago Witness, Issue 2288, 6 January 1898, Page 14

HEW ZEALAND PRODUCE IN LONDON. (From Our Own Correspondent.) London, November 27.

, WOOL.

The sixth seriea of colonial wool salts began on the 25th ir,st. The total quantity from New Zealand was 13,300. In all 136,800 bales were offered for sale. Messrs Weddel tell me that at this time last year the correspoiidiu^ figures were 197,000. Trns. attendance at the sales this week was very good, and competition w»s well sustaiued. Prices for merino staple, both scoured and in the grease, ruled practically equal to the closing rates of the previous silcs, s> I learn. Bit there was exception in the case oE heavy and wssty grease, which was about par to 5 psr cent, cheaper. Messrs Weddel say that New Zealand waa not well represented in the cital >gue?, the offerings being mostly composed of sliped wools, the finer grades of which showed little change, but there was seme irregularity in the c^se of the coarser qualities, which went rather in buyers' favour.

Writing to me to-day about the first evening's sale, Messrs C. Balme and Co. say :—": — " DuriDg the interval which has eUpsed since the close of the last auctions the course of events has been such as to tead to reduce the ioflueocs of short supplies upon prices. Under these circumstances, although the qu&ntihy now available for sale in London is some 58,000 bales short of the net supply for the same series in 1896, wool values at this evening's auction marked a slight decline in average from last siles' parity. " The selection offered was, so far aa Australasian produce ia concerned, a fairly comprehensive one, iacluding, aa it did, a good many parcels oS: the new season's clip. Buyers were present in Urge numbers and from all quarters ; but competition can scarcely be called general, inasmuch as French and Gorman operators took the bulk of the offerings. " The better classes of nieriuo wool, which are in small supply, fully maintained the position they occupied at tho close of the fifth series. Owing to the condition of a large proportion of tho new clip_, however, faulty and inferior unwashed staple i«, and is likely to be, a predominating quantity, and rates for such descriptions in consequence have weakened to the extent of 5 per cent. " Although the anioanfc of crossbred wool ia the market at present is small, this class has also depreciated to the extent of 5 per cent, in average, the brunt of the incline bbing borne by sliped and scoured produce, wh'ch figured largely in this evening's catalogue*." Mr Thomas Mackenzie writes with regard to the opening of the sales : " Home and foreign buyers were present in large numbers, and tbe sales opened with spirited competition, especially from Continental buyers, the Home trade bought sparingly, and the Americans refrained from purchasing. Tbe opening sales contained a good seltction of merino fleece, but crossbred descriptions were generally represented by New Zealand sliped wool, the better qualities of which were uocbanged, but coarse goods were 5 per "cent, lower. Heavy, faulty, and inferior me.inoH showed a decline of about 5 per cent., but wools of better character realised former quotations. Lambs' wool- was in good request ab prices fully up to list sales."

NEW ZEALAND MEAT.

In the frozen mefct market there is still no improvement, supplies' continuing h--avy. Messrs W. Weddel and Co. tell me that " for really small prime Canterburys, weighing 48>b to 501b, values have hardened slightly, and in some cases 3|d per lb has been obtaiaed. Bub ordinary Canterbury sheep, weighing about 60lb, sell for no mote than they did a fortnight ago — namely, 'Z§& to 3^3. per lh."

Mr Thomas Mackenzie takes a similar view of the situation, and both he and Mr Weddel tell me that large sheep are more difficult to sell than ever. " Heavy sheep," s*ys Mr Mackenzie, "are quite neglected, and cannot be quoted at more than Is lid." And Mr Weddel says that even afc the reduced prices, such as 2^d per lb, very few can be sold, as buyprs do not care fov them. Sbeep of 65tb and upwards have found a slow market, even at ?|-3. North Island sheep are again weakar at 2| 1 for small weights. Obago and Soufcbltnd carcases have be^n in fair demand at 2|J to 3d. There is but small demand for lambs just now, the season being over. What few have been sold have realised 4d to 4^<l per lb for best. However, only some 15,000 remain in stock, and Mr Mackenzie expects that these will be cleared eff before the new shipments arrive. Messrs H. S Fitter and Sons tell me that inquiries are already beiDg made as to the probable date of arrival of the first new season's lambs from New Ztalaud, and they fully expecb a good market for the early lambs next fieswon.

The C C. and D. Company again complain of the indiffarent quality of many of the parcels of New Zealand mutton that have been received.

DAIRY ■PRODUCE,

New Zealand butter has been in good request during the past fortnight, atid Ihe quality of that received having been excellent while supplies have Le°.n low, good prices have b a en realised, ranging up to 106 i for finest quality, rr rather, I should S/iy, adopting the accepted technical term, " for choicest," an, under the present syntera, " finest " means second rate, and "eecondary" fourth rate. From Glasgow I received a highly satisfactory

an;d encou-a-jing account of the position and prospects of New Zealand butter in the Scottish market-. Writing to me to-day, Messrs Beoaps«r, Peterson, atd Co. say : " Choicest New Zealand i 3 eopecially inquired for, the ficst two shipments of the season having given great satisfaction to .our buyers, who are now more than conviuccd of its very excellent quality."

INTERVIEW WITH AN BXPEttT.

A few days ago I had an interesting interview with Mr K. H. M 'William, the wellknown expert, formerly of New Zealand, now of the firm of Messrs Dsmpster, Peterson, and C)., Glasgow. "I have been agreeably surprised," Baid Mr M'William, "to find New Zealand batter, co far, very fine indeed. I have never seen such choice butter so early in the season, yet there is still much butter coming to Sjot'and which is of a very second-rate character. There is a big outlet for choicest New Zealand bu'ter ia Scotland. It is asked for everywhere, but, of course, ouly the best qu-vlitiea realise satisfactory prices. Nothing bat the choicest butter will hold its own and maintain high priceßin Scotland."

Sa far the New Zealand butter has b?en of a pale colour, as ia liked ia Glasgow. This I suppose is attributable to tbe season having been dry in New Zealand. The Scotch people will not hvve h'ghly coloured bubSjr, bufe the psls coloured butter received this season wag sooa sold out, and we could have done with three or four times the quantity that came to hand.

"When I asked one specially capable critic for his opinion," continued Mr M'William, "he replied, ' The only thing I can pay is that the butter is perfect.' Many psbple ruu down colonial butter, end produce geivf-rally, besau'e they have been accustomed to Danish butter. They have yot to understand that the New Zealand product is an article of very high grade. Unfortunately it used to be sad rubbish, bat now I ana glad to say the tables are turned."

Mr M'William went on to tell me that he had jusb had a long interview with an expert from Australia, who had corns over to supervise the busiaess of the season. He found that buyers in the north held out for Continental, Finnish, Datch, and Daci*h butter, but that this was not the case in Glasgow.

" This- week," s>id Mr M William, "my firm obtained 103s in Gia«gow for the choicest New Zealacd bu ter. Pome other well-known brands were sold by different houses at 102s to 104- ■•, and that butter was Mipposed to bo quite on a footing with that which we sold. The fact is somo of the houses which sell buttec from New Zealand and Australia simply clear out th#ir stocks far tha first offer they receive, and do not make a market for themselves. So f*r this season Messrs Dempster, Pefcerscn, and Co hava m&de the highest prices that have been obtained for choicest; New Z jaland butter ; in fact the outside price 3 for the whole of Scotland. Colonial produco is goiog to take first rank in a year or two as a result of its excellent quality, but the trade ought to be more concentrated."

" For cbeese," Mr M'William proceeded, " there is bufe a poor demand, and if large quantities arrive from New Zealand ju«t now it will be much agiinst the choese tr-tde. Perhaps after the engineers' lock-out has been fix-d up thing* will improvs. At the earns time large quantities are being shipped from Cauada aud the United States, so that the Scotch market will ba liberally supplied. Some Canadian cheese (September) has sold as low ? s 43<, some of it being priced 47a and 48s, c.i f.

" In my opinion," continued Mr M'William, "supplies of dairy produce will not ba so liberal from "Victoria this year owing to heavy mortality among the cattle. There are so many representatives of Home firms in New Zealand just now that 'they are tumbling over one another,' bo my brether tells me. It is certain that the Home men greatly appreciate New Zealand butter as it i 3 to be met with at present. The supplies of butter from the Home factories are very limited, the milk supply being so scanty. Stocks have fallen off very much, and will continue to do so, hecca there will be all the more opening for bbc colonial product."

MISCELLANEOUS,

There is still no New Zealand wh"sat in the market. For New Zealand oafes the demand is bettor, and prices have impr wed. Highest quotations are £26 to £27. Beans are unchanged.

For £Ux, Mesjrs Weddel and Co. tell me there is more irq'iiry for forward shipments, and salei have been made at £13 c.».f. for good fair Wellington, November-January shipments. Other quotations are nominal. For preserved meats there has been only a modeiate demand, but prices rem;iin unaltered.

Tallow is brisker, and during the past week considerable bus ness has been done at better prices, the improvement in mutton ta'low being 6d to 9d, and in b'.ef 91 to Is per ewt. Out of 4579 caska ofrVivd at two recent sales, 3817 were sold at the advanced rates.

Both Messes Flack, Chsndler, and Co. and Messrs W. Weddel and Co. are sanguine that the improvement will coatinue. Hides are quick, and oniy be*>t qualities are in demand. Prices are about 1 »wer all round. In rabbitskins there is no change to record. Mes-rs Fiack, Chandler, and Co. tell me that tbe copra market rules faiily steady, values showing little change.

OUE, CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGfST (From Ova Own Co-respondent.') Cjiri»tchurcu, December 31.

The crops which had not been ploughed ia, fed cfr, or harvested benefited Tho Crops, largely by the nice rains of December 16 and last Sunday and the light show^ra that have fallen since. Nothing of course, could make good crops of them, but they will not be such total failures as those which ripened ea-rlier. A lob of wheat and oats that were nob expected to be worth cutting hsve shot up to 18in to 2ffc high, with fairly-filled though small Leads. Another good shower or two would c*uss further impiovernent. The crops along the billfoots »nd for a few miles out on the plains, and some of those

on the good land on the seaside, will give fair yields, but tho average will no!; be much more than half the normal production. Tha grain, also, will be a poor sample, badly shrivelled. The showers have given rape and turnips as well sis grass a fair start, but a nor'wester would undo all the good, and it, thoroagh soaking ia needed for everything. Very little hay has been made, and farmers aro eudeivouring to provide by catch crops for their, au'umn and winter needs. The 0017 change from former usage in this regard i* th*t crimton clover is being sown by those who can obtain seed. Whsre grown last season it provided an abundant supply of feed through the winter aad spring. lUpe has been very extensively sown, and turuips »lsa will be a larger area than usual.

Scarcity of feed is causing farmers on tha pl&ins much tribulation. They cannot Live keep their sheep, and they can Stock. scarcely give them aw*y. Fairly

souod ewes, which bave weaned their lambs and which are quite good for another crop, have been Bold for half a crown apic-ce. They would cost £h or 10s lvsfc March Nobody wants to buy anything that they would have feo keep for any length of time. Good forward wethers fetch 7-s to 8«, and la'nbs 6s to 8s 6d ; bab backwaid sorb 3 are only saleable &.t nominal prices. Old ewes, fairly fat, only fetch 2< 6d to 4-j ; call merinos have literally no price better than a shilling or two per dczen for feeding pig*. Tha Amuri wether fair, on December 20, brought out onlj 3000 sheep, mostly f r«s« zers and v<>ry forward wethers, and thesi sold extremely well, the exporters bidding very keenly for thetu. There is abundance of feed in the Aniuri, aod the sheep-farmers will get a good rise with their f*t lambs this season. Cheviot settlers have sold at 10* on tha spot. There is good feed there, and some grand crops, but also «orae failures. Bee? keeps very low, good steers and heifecs being purchasable afc 15s to 36- 1 , and only a few desirable beasta fetching up to 17s 6J. It takea a good two-yeir-old store to fetch 303. A few hundreds lia-ve been sent to the West Coast, and m&t a fair s*le, bub that market v now filled. The Waoginui beef competes too cheaply with that gra-zed on the Coast. A few good storea hive bought fjr the northern ran 3, and if ra.ia comes some will be wanted for South Cauterbuty, bub at present the mark&b ia practicUly non-existent. Pigs of all kinds sell at high prices ; baeouera to lully 4d per Ib, aud stores for the Peninsula and Ot»go dairy factories at up to 24-a for good Hues.

The intention of the Canterbury Frozen Meat

Company to adopfc a system of

Tha poolir-g aad grading their smii.ll Frozen Meat consignments — and largo too if Trade. the owners are wi'ling — was a

well-kept secrafc, aa very recently both Mr Grigg (bhe cb airman) and Mr Waymouth (the secretary) declared theinselvas very positively agaiubfc grading. The step is taken none too soon, for these small consignments have been a b*na to tbe trade. It indicates, too, tlsat tbis company intends to bid for a sh^re of the c.i.f. trade. Mr Grigg's attack- on tho other company in connection with bhe freight question has caused some comment. It is said that the Lonoon proposals did not include shipments from Timaru, and th*t the companies »plib on thi3 point. Everything tends to show thab this piecemeal making of freight contracts is most mischievous — meat, wool, and dairy produce exporters all wc-king s.'-parately in-tead of ueitiog to secure the best possible terms for all. I hear it said that an arrangement of the freight question will be one of the planks of the prospective Conservative Government — we ehall sea. Sir John Hall strongly advocates Government assistance in organising the trade, and his remarks ara in some qusrbers regarded a? a feeler in view of the coming shuffle of the political cards. Sir John, however, is a good deal more L'bcral than some of those who slyla themselves such. Bej oad question the trade requires radical reformation — the abuses ab -present are simply ecandalous.

Matters at this institution appear to have reached a crms. At the last Lincoln regul&r meeting of fcbe bo^rd College. the resignation of one of tha lecturers was received and accepted with regret, and immediately afterwards another sent in his reaigaatioa. These were the t"ro latest appointed members of the staff. There were rumours of other troubles, and yesterday the board meb in committee and considered the whole question of the state of the college ab length. I understand that no definite decision was arrived at as to the course to be adopted, bub that all were agreed that matters must be greatly altered. It is quite certain that there was more than met the public eye in Mr Henry Over ton's efforts to effect changes in the organisation.

The milk supply of the factories is beginning to diminish through the scarcity of Items. grass. It h surprising it hao

held out so long. The Central Factory hoped to make 100,0001b of batter this month, acd would nrarly or quite accomplish this record ; they turned out over 90,0001b ia November. Every box they bave shipped this season ha 3 been first grade. They are pushing pasteurised milk iv the town and suburbs, but there is a strong prejudice against it. The treated milk ig of equally good taste, and is free from dirt aud germs, and one would think everybody would be glad to be able to get it.

At the Wellington agricultural show a pen of Southdown ccows wethers, brtd, ft d, and shown by Mr John Deans, was awarded the first prize for fiefzors. Mr W. C. Buchanan, who was second (-&! so with Southdown crosses), protested sgiinsf; the winning pen, and it was am out ced they had been disqualified owing to one of tho sheep being 21b overweight (limit 74'b). It appeals, however, that the sheep weio weighed hot, and when subsequently weighed cold were within the limit, and Mr Deans therefore gets the prize. The exhibits are to be judged again in London for a further prize of £5 There U kscn rivalry in this eompetitiou. Some prime freezers wero shown at Wellington this year, but nothing like the display that was seen at the Chrißtchurch show.

The series of murdera of horses, which has extended over the last tyro years, culminated on Christmas Eve in the destruction of Mr W. F. M. Buckley's (Dunuandel) hackney stallion Zulu by the usual means — the severing of the jugular vein. Tfea horse was in the box ab Riccarton which he occupied on this part of his round, *nd though it ia within a few feet of a cottage the perpetrator was able to prise off the* lock and kill the horse without causing an alarm. A reward of £100 is offered, without much hope of its leading to anything ; more ia v hoped from the police. The rewird is in the hands of the Horse Protection Association, who appear so far to have spent their efforts in directipg suspicion to a gentleman who has fortunately been proved beyoud question to be inn^c^nt. Zuiu was a very nice horse, bred by Mr Grigg, Longbeach, and was winner of several prizes and very popular with breeders.