NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE IN LONDON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2727, 20 June 1906, Page 9

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE IN LONDON.

CFboU Oara Own Corbespojtdekt.) LONDON, May i.

WOOL. I hear to-day from Messrs Weddel and Co. that chiring the last fortnight the tendency 1 of prices for both merino and crossbred wools have been once more against the buyer. From q!1 quarters the reports indicate an exceedingly active state of trade, and, speaking of Yorkshire in particular, employment is on a most satisfactory scale, all mills running full lima, with orders in hand foi some months to come yet. The turn-over in cheaper woollen stuffs is excellent, but complaints are heard as to tile high prices at whicb shoddy ' and other siniilai articles have arrived. Per I tho worsted trade, tops are sold even before they are really combed ; in fact, the demanrl eeem3 to have overtaken the production. The arrivals of this month will help to ease the ; situation to some extent, but with no signs j of any falling o£ in the trade it is hard to see how raw wool caii help appreciating still further. The publio sales held in Antwerp this ' week were well attended, and the price showed an average advance of $d per lb over their March rates; a larger proportion than usual of the offerings was sold. WOOLLED SHEEPSKINS. Yesterday the third series of public sales of wooiled sheepskins for the current year took place, when 3122 bales were offered, 785 bales being from New Zealand. Messrs Charles Ba-lme and Co., in their report on the auction, tell me that there was a fair attendance of buyers, and that competition for full-woolled skins was animated. Some irregularity, however, was noticeable in the bidding for short - woolled merinos. Combing skiiis, whether merino or crossbred, were from par to 5 per cent, dearer; other classes were not quotably changed, although the rates paid for merino clothing descriptions ruled occasionally in j favour of buyers. As compared with tbo t prices current at the previous series, Messrs Balnie quote; Merino, full to three-quarter woo-lled, id per lb higher; merino, halfwooiled, par to Jd per lb cheaper; merino, , short and shorn, par; crossbred, fine, full to three-quarter-woolled, §d per lb dearer; crossbred, medium and coarse, full to three-quarte--woolled, Jd to 3jd per lb dearer; crossbred, half-woolled, pal ; crossbred, short and shorn, par; lambs, pa% to Jd per lb dearer. The | next sale will be held on the 21st June. Cur1 rent quotations for New Zealand wcolled sheepskins are: Merino, full-woolled, 9d to ll|d per lb; merino, half to> three-quarter-woolled, 7Jd to 9}d per ib ; merino, short and shorn, 6d to BJd per lb; crossbred, fullwoolled, fine, lid to Is lid per lb; crossbred, full-woolled, coarse, 92d to Is OJd per lb; crossbred, half to three-quarter-woolled, fine, 9d to lid per lb; crossbred, half to three-quarter-woolled, coarse, 8J& to lOJd per lb ; crossbred, short and shorn, 6Jd to_B2d per lb. TALLOW. Messrs Wed del report a less active demand in the tallow market during the past fortnighty vaiues for the better qualities are ill yome cases just the turn easier ; low sorts, however, have remained in good request an fuliy late rates. la finest edible mutton tal-lo-w there has been very little doing, no doubt caused through the somewhat unexpected weakness in lard, but now lard is steadier, aud nrobably finest tallow will follow suit. On c.i.f. terms business has also been restricted ; there are sellers of 43J good colour, mixed, at 28s c.i.f., which has not tempted buyers. GRAIN 1 . Supplies of New Zealand oats are very limited, and quotations are nominal. Tho ma-rket for New Zealand beans is quiet. The Tokomaru, MoraysJure, and Nairnshire have arrived from the colony during the past fortnight with further fresh supplies of various kinds of graiu, chiefly oats, of which the Morayshire brought 5798 sacks and the Nairnshire 6375 sacks. XKW ZEALAND JfEAT According to the report issued by Messrs "Weddel, supplies of New Zealand mutton are now much in excess of the current slow rate of sale, and, being widely spread over the market, sales have been rather pressed by some consignees. Arrivals during tho fortnight amount to the considerable total of 149,000 carcases. In this combination of adverse circumstances, values have again lost ground to the extent of id to id per lb. Canterbury sheep under 641b can now be bought at 3ldr to 4d per lb, and carca°es over 64Jb at 3Jd to 3Jd per lb Best North Island brands realise 3gd to 3Jd per lb, but inferior sheep are offered at 3Jd per lb. At about 3d to 3Jd per lb there is a fairly good demand for old eve mutton. Ko fewer than 257,000 carcases of Xew Zealand lamb have come to hand during tho fortnight, aud 80,000 carcases from Australia. Tho natural expansion of tho demand for New Zealand lamb has been somewhat handicapped at times by unseasonably cold weather. This is exceedingly unfortunate in view of recent very heavy arrivals, and, aa supplies are so widely spread over the market, Messrs Weddel say that free offerings have had the inevitable lesult of causing a further fall from the previously low level of values. Canterbury lambs under 42ib are now offered at 4Jd to 4Jd per lb, and ca-rcases over 421b are quoted at 4*d to 4gd per lb. Best North Island lambs realise only 4id to 4£d per lb, and secondary iambs no more than 4d to ■lidSupplies cf Australian lambs are now less heavy than they were, and, aa they are in few hands and fairly firmly held, the continued efforts to establish a. rice in prices is at last meeting with some success, notwithstanding the simultaneous reduction in prices of New Zealand lamb and the competition of secondary North Island carcases. Best Australian lambs- aro quoted at 4d to 4Jd per lb. In the ca=e of New Zealand beef the market has lost some of its strength now that supplies are more plentiful, to-day's prices being about 2jjd per lb for forequarters and 3&d to 3|d for hindquarters.