CANTERBURY MARKETS

Otago Witness, Issue 2663, 29 March 1905, Page 23

CANTERBURY MARKETS

Christchurch grain and produce report (Liyttelton Times, 25th inst.J,:— The fine weather has not greatly increased the offerings of grain, and business is still very small for what is generally the height of the selling season. Well-conditioned wheat is readily saleable at quotations. Transactions include sales of Tuscan at 3s 3d, Tuscan with a small proportion of Hunters at 3s 2Jd, Hunters and pearl a, 3s 2d to 3s 3d, pearl at 3s 2d, and Hunters at 3s Id to 3s 2d at country stations. Damaged or damp parcels are neglected by buyers. Rumours of &peculative purchases of oats have reached town, but no authentication is obtainable. Business has been done in Canadians and <3un3 at Is 83., j.net in sound Danish at Is 6d, and damaged at Is 4d at country stations. Holders oi sound parcels are very firm in their demands. Barley is readily saleable at quotations. For oatsheaf chaff holders ask 70s, which checks business; there are buyers at 60s at country stations. Discoloured is offering at 50s. Early potatoes are being sold in retail quantities at £5 per ton, but no contracts for main crops are being entered into. Onions are selling at £6 at near stations. Peas are beginning to come forward. For partridge the buyers' price is 3s 3d per bushel, Tmfa the growers are holding out for 3s 6d, wiwi the alternative of snipping on theii own account. For blues theTe is no demand; the current value is about 3s 6d to 3s Sd per bushel. Fresh eggs ha-ve advanced to Is 2d per dozen.

Ashburton grain markets, for the week ended Friday last: — Wheat: Several lines of sound, milling wheat have been on offer, principally, grain that Had been threshed before the- ram. interfered with harvest work. These met ;with. leady sale, but millers seem to be afraid to purchase large quantities, fearing a drop in prices. Tuscan is principally in demand. The bulk of the offerings so far has been for pearl and velvet. This, again, has prevented sales being made in many cases. To-day's prices are — Tuscan 3s 2d, pearl 3s Id, Hunters 3s, on trucks, for sound, dry, wheat. Oats: There has been a considerably easier feeling on the market. Merchants state that unless farmers are willing to sell at lower rates they cannot obtain outside orders, and thereby relieve the colony of surplus stocks. Already the Bluff buyers are taking up orders at Canterbury prices. A few sales have been made at quoted rates. Current prices are — Gartons, Roseberrys, and duns, Is 6id, Is 7d; Danish, Is 5d to Is sid.

Timaru grain markets (Christchurch Press correspondent): — The wheat market has a weaker tendency, and very little business is passing. There has been a good deal of grain rushed on to the market lately, and this, added to the fact that some of it is in decidedly bad condition, owing to its having been threshed from the siook, has caused millers and speculators to stand off in the meantime. Another factor in bringing about a reduced price is the fact that there is practically no outside demand except at low rates, and the best price now offering for wheat is 3s 2d. General quotations iv Timaru to-day are:— Velvet 3s to 3s Id, Tuscans 3s Id to 3s 2d, red chaff 3s, at country stations. A few parcels have been disposed of during the week ai these sates. Fowl wh-eat commands a fairly brisk sale at 3s f.o.b. There is a lack of animation on the oats market, though fair prices are offering. Duns (which are in short supnly) Is 9d to Is lOd, Danish Is 63. for good bright samples, and Is 5d for discoloured; Gartons Is 7d for prime lots, f.0.b., sacks in in each instance. Barley is offering very sparsely. Malting is inquired for at 3s to 3s 3d, and though feed is wanted, there is little or none at present on offer. When asked to buy potatoes, merchants assume a distinctly "stand-off" attitude, and say that they would prefer to have nothing to do with the tuber in its present blighted state. For potatoes guaranteed sound, however, as much as £8 to per ton has ■been offered. .

Tiniaru skin and wool sales (Herald, 23rd inst) : — Only small entries were received for the skin and wool sales yesterday, but there ■was a good attendance of buyers. The following' prices were realised: — Crossbred skins, 3s, 4s 6d, to 6s lid each ; 53d per lb. Halfbred skins, 2s 2d to 4s 9d and 5s 4d each; 6d to 7d per lh. Merino skins, 7d to 7£d per lb. Pelts, 6d, 83, Is, Is 4d, Is 7d, to 2s 5d each. Wool : Merino, 6d, 7d ; bellies and pieces, 6tr ; erutchings, 3d; halfbred, 7id; trimmings, 2d. Fat, 11s, 13s 6d, to 14s per cwt. Grain r and produce shipments : — The exports of grain and produce from Lyttelton for last week included the following lines:— s4oß sacks wheat, 639 sacks and 1047 bags flour,^ 2577 sacks oats, 187 sacks meal, 669 sacks barley, 264 sacks malt, 36 sacks bran, 10 sacks sharps, 65 sacks pollard, 4740 sacks chaff, 169 : sacks peas, 1149 sacks potatoes, 56 sacks, 251 bags, and 254 gunnies onions, 2496 sacks seed, and 315 bales hay. Of the foregoing 126 bags "and 175 gunnies onions, 618 sacks seed, and 32 bales hay were for Australia. The remainder was for New Zealand ports.