CANTERBURY MARKETS

Otago Witness, Issue 2600, 13 January 1904, Page 17

CANTERBURY MARKETS

Christchurch grain and produce report (Lyttelton Times, 9th inst.) : — The local wheat market is fairly steady, prices having apparently reached bedrock in the meantime. The amount of business passing is small, the only sales recorded being of a line of Hunter's at 2s lOd per j bushel delivered at Rakaia station, and 2s lid. ' per bushel at Ashburton for a mixed line, inI eluding velvet. Millers still adopt a verj independent attitude, and aie awaiting the new crop rather than pay higher prices for the old than those quoted The cable mess-age of yesterday referring to a cargo of wheat per the Polly TVoodside having been sold in London at 29s 3d per quarter refers tc a shipment of 12,000 sacks by a Chrisfchurch firm. Tha charges pei quarter on this shipment are • — Freight, 4s 8d ; sacks lid ; insurance, exchange, and commission, Is 2d ; — total, 6s 9d. This leaves 22s 6d per quarter to the 3hipper, so that 2s 9Jd f.o.\>., sacks extra, practically represents the price realised, with the exception that loss of weight and risk ot arbitration as to quality on arrival have also to be deducted. From this it is evident that the export value is still below local quotations. The Ashburton combine is said to bs shipping 50,000 sacks by the Montgomeryshire and Doiis, which are now loading Regarding future prospects for exporters of wheat it should be noted that a decided tendency to firmness has set in in the London market, and a cable of yesterday stated that the Russian crop for next year was hke'y to show a considerable deficit. The market for oats continues very quiet. There is a strong demand for short oats at current ouotations, but holders demand higher puces, and very little business is taking place The potato crop is likely to be excellent, the recent iain having come in the nick of time- for Derwents. Meantime, early varieties are coming forward freely The new season's ryegrass is being offered, but as the merchants have reduced their limits considerably since last season, hardly any business has taken plac so far It is stated that ?. big pioportion of last year's southern ciop is still on hand, and the prospect of another large crop, both here and ir ths sou:h, is having its effect on the market. Merchants are offering from Is 6a to Is Od pei 1b for farmers' ordinary samples, with 2s as an oulside price for especially good seed. Some of the samples to hand have turned out to be ■"cry light. The cocksfoot crop pi onuses to harvest avpll. A sample of good clean seed has clready .reached town, but none has jet been offprcd It is reported that, contiary to the usual experience, 'he heaviest seed is cornirp; fiom the high levels.

Ashburton grain nißrkets. for the week ended Friday last — "Wheat The monotony of the market has been broken with an irouiiy for gocd milling parcels both from the north and south, art! seveial snail hpes h?.\e changed hand?. Farmers r>re :noro reconciled 1c accent cmrent prices, alt'.iovujh sewial nf the larger holders have stated thcr mte.:tioi to s'.up eve:v back of their w>r>pr i,i i,u:'e,t.i-co io n<ceptmq; present rste = Oifbtfilio '<> nr- — Vp \r', 2s lid, 3<5, Tuscan, S=> 10 J, 2s lid; Hunter's, 2, lOd. Oats- There s a goo r l denied for ah classes of &<■<?, cats, rr.ore e=pefisHy fcr shcrt lurieties. which arc, hov.-cver very s:ajco. Sto.es ars gradually being emptied of stocks. tho bulk of which arc going for Home shipment. Prices are — Shorf fsed, Is 3d ; duns Is Id, la 3d; Danish, Is to Is Id Oatsheaf chaff. There is a batter inquiry, but the supply of piime heavy is very limited, and some difE-

cuity is experienced in filling orders of this description. To-day's price is £2 per ton..

Timaru grain markets (Jierald, 9th inst.) — Now that the holidays are over, business has been resumed in the grain markets, and though very few sales are passing, the tone generally is reported to ba much firmer than at the closing of the year. A fair-sized line of Tuscan changed hands this w-eek at 3s l£d f.o.b. Buyers are very careless about touching second qualities, but -whole fowl feed is meeting a good sale at 2s 9d f.o.b. Shipping both coastwise and to London is still being done on a large scale, and the large reduction of stocks is confidently expected to have a good effect on the balance for sale locally. It will no doubt harden the market for old wheat, for it is said that millers will have, at an early date, to make purchases. Large lines of oats are also being shipped, and. at time of writing two large steamers ?nd two sailers are busy loading grain cargoes. Locally there are no sales of oats to report. Both barley and potatoes are off the merchants' lists at present. The late welcome rams are expected, to have an excellent effect on the potato crops.

The exports of grain and produce from Lyttelton for Jast week included the following lines 1563 sacks wheat, 617 sacks and 2327 bags flour, 1235 sacks oats, 40 sacks meal, 230 sacks malt, 339 sacks bran, 60 sacks sharps, 20 sacks pollard, 2802 sacks chaff, 160 sacks peas, 4 sacks onions, 523 sacks seed, and 16 bales straw. Thirty .sacks malt were for Atistralia, 295 sacks bran for Fiji, and 500 sacks oats, 150 sacks peas, and 84 sacks seed for the United Kingdom. The balance of the exports were for New Zealand poits.