AUSTRALIAN MARKETS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2661, 15 March 1905, Page 22

AUSTRALIAN MARKETS.

MELBOURNE, March 9. The hide market is unchanged. Extra stout, 7d to Bd} stout* 6j£d to 7d; heavies, 63 to 514;

average and medium, 4!d to sd. Tallow shows a further improvement. Quotations : Prime mixed, £21; good mixed, £20. COMMERCIAL CABLEGRAMS. LONDON, March 7. Copper.— Spot, £67 16s 3d; three months, £68 3s 9d. Tin.— Spot, £132 17s 6d; three months, £131 15s. Lead, £11 18s 9d. Silver, 2s 3 3-16 d per oz. Wheat. — An Australian cargo sold at 32s 7id. The total quantity of wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom is 4,150,000 quarters, and for the Continent 1,310,000 quarters. The Atlantic shipments are 43,000 quarters. Australian and New Zealand Mortgage Company 4| per cent, debentures, £90. March 8. At the tallow Eales 1325 casks were offered, and 482 sold. Mutton : Fine, 29s 6d ; medium, 255. Beef : Fine, 25s 9d ; medium, 23s 6d. Copper : Spot, £63 3s ; three months, £63 8s 9d. Tin: Spot, £133 15s; three months, £132 10s. Lead, £12 Is 94d. March 9. The bank rate is fixed at 2J per cent. The American visible wheat supply is estimated at 50,907,000 bushels. Wool. — An animated sale, with every class shghtly harder. The sales included the clips Tenakoe, 10^d; Tapio, Is 72d'. March 10. The Bank of England report shows the stock of gold coin arid) bullion to bo £37,810,000, the reserve £30,856,000, and the percentage of reserve to liabilities 56.47. The notes in circulation total £27,344,000; public deposits, £16,619,000; other deposits,, £37,891,000; Government securities, £15.589,000; other securities, £26,424,000. Three months' bills are discounted at 2 3-J6. Consols are quoted' at £91 ss. Quotations for colonial Government stocks are subjoined, compared with those ruling a week previous :— • Mar. 3. Mar. 10. New South Wales 4's .. .. 108 103 New South Wales 3Vs „ .. 995 99i New South Wales 3's h. .. 88^ 88£ Victoria 4's 1* .' f 106 106 Victoria 3J's .. .': ■-.-; V. 99£ 100 Victoria 3's I', i. 89 $9 South Australia Si's V. .v 995 Wh South Australia 3's .. % .. 88} 88J Queensland 4's . a .. X ... 107 107 Queensland 3J's .. :l ?> ... 98| 98a Queensland 3's .. .. f. .. 88i 88?, New Zealand 4's :." V. .v 108 108 New Zealand 3J's -^ .. .. 99J 991 New Zealand 3's *. .. .v 88 83 Tasmania 3J's .. ..« .. r 100 100 Tasmania, 3's .. .." .". .. 88J BS\ West Australia, 3V's .i- »., — 100 100 West Australia 3's 88 BS£ Wheat. — European markets are dull, and owing to heavy shipments there is a downward tendency. American relapsed owing to improved crop reports. Cargoes are neglected. Australian afloat are held for . 32s 9d to 335; for shipment, 32s 6d to 32s 9d'. Flour. — Quiet, and weaker. London quotations, 25s 6d; Glasgow, 26s 3d to 26s 9d. Holders are asking 27s 6d. Butter. — Firm. Danish unchanged; steady demand for colonial. Choicest New Zealand, 105s to 106s ; Australian, 104s to 105s ; secondaries, 102s, Cheese. — Strong New Zealand, 52s to 53<?. Copper. — Spot, £67 8s 9d; three months, £S8 16s 3d. Tin.— Spot, £134 ss; three months, £133 2s 6d. Pig iron, 50s 3d!. Lead, £12 ss. Spelter, £24. " , Silver, 2a 3 5-163 pox c* \

Sugar.— Plat. First marks, 16s 6d; German, 15s. The Bradford wool market is quiet. Forties, 13|d ; others unchanged. The London sales included the Okitio clip at 9Jd and Tennant at 9?d. Americans are buying best and low crossbreds. March 12. Frozen Meat. — Light Canterbury lambs, 6|d; North Island, 51d ; Eiver Plate, 4fd. Beef- Fores, 2gd ; hinds, 2Jd. River Plate: Fores, 2Jd ; hinds, 2Jd. (The Frozen Meat Trade Association's Smithiield market quotations for the above-mentioned classes of frozen meats are based on actual sales of not less than 100 carcases of mutton or lamb or 25 carcases of beef of fair average quality ; these quotations are not for selected lines, but for parcels fairly representative of the bulk of the shipments now on the market.) New Zealand sheep : Crossbred wethers and maiden ewes, Canterbury light, 48-561b; Canterbury ruedmin, 56-641b ; Canterbury heavy. 64-721b ; Dunedm and Southland, 56-G4lb ; North Island, 55-651b ; New Zealand lambs, Canterbury light, 28-36!b; Canterbury heavy, 36-421b ; Dunedin and Southland, 28-421b; North Island, 28-12lb; New Zealand beef, ox fores, 1802201b. Hemp. — Quiet; near steamer, £30 10s. At the wool sales there was keen competition for all classes at top prices. There have been catalogued to date 52.559 bales, and sold 47.346 bales. Rabbits. — Scarce. New Zealands are exhausted. A few large Australian -were sold at 19d to 20d, c.i.f. Sales for April delivery 14d. At the rabbitskin _sales 2382 bales were offered, and 2352 sold at £d to Id advance ; suckers declined Jd to Id. "Wheat. — Ten thousand five hundred quarters of Victorian shipping or to be shipped -were sold at 32s 3d. Two Victorian cargoes sold at 33s ljd and 33s 3d. Silver, 2s 3d per oz. Copper. — Spot, JE6B 15s; three months, £C 9 2s 6d.