THE BREAUSTUFFS AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3100, 13 August 1913, Page 18

THE BREAUSTUFFS AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Friday evening. According to latest cable advice the European wheat markets continue to show a tendency Ju favour of buyers. The quantities ol wheat and flour being shipped to Europe from the exporting countries of tho world are now decreasing in volume. The quantity.afloat for tho United Kingdom and the Continent is 4,185,000 quarters, as against 4,445,000 quarters at July 27. Melbourne exchanges state that while a fair quantity of wheat is still held In Australia, it will probably require good general “rains throughout the principal wheat-growing States before any large selling takes place. Although New South Wales and Victorian conditions are generally satisfactory. South Australia is not making good progress, tho recent rainfall being too light to be of much benefit. The grand total shipped from all countries to Europe since the beginning of August, 1912, is now 71,750.000 quarters, against 50,285,000 quarters for the corresponding period of the 1911-12 season, and 74.955.000 quarters for tho corresponding period of 1910-11. Tho American visible supply of wheat is 51.457.000 bushels, as compared with 48.299.000 bushels last week. On August 2, 1912, the visible supply was given as 56.114.000 bushels.

Wheat is quoted to-day in Sydney at 3s 7d to 3s 8d (last week 3s to 3s 8d); Adelaide, 3s 8d to 3s Sid (unchanged). The local wheat market lacks animation, and not many sales have been put through since last report. Millers are not too anxious to buy, only operating when some inducement is offered in the way of price. A few hundred sacks have changed hands during the past few days on the following basis, ex trucks Dunedin : —Tuscan ?s Bd, velvet ear 3s 9d, and velvet 4s 2d. Good whole fowl wheat, 3s 4<\ to 3s 5d per bushel. The tariff of the Flourmillers’ Association for flour and on other lines is as follows: Flour: Sacks, £9 5s per ton; 1001 b bags, £9 15s; 50lb bags, £10; 251 b bags, £lO ss. Bran, £4 5s per ton. Pollard, £6. Oatmeal, £l3. Pearl barley, £l6 10s. Tile local oats market continues as slow as ever. There is very little outside inquiry, business being confined to a lather meagre coastal demand. One or two small lots of A Cartons have been taken for Australia, presumably for transhipment, at 2s 6d f.0.b., s.i. Apparently the North Island is still mostly filling its requirements from consignments which have boon going forward from Lyttelton, Tnnaru, and Bluff. Offerings are very light on the Dunedin market, and with the scarcity of supplies here merchants cannot very well quote less than 2s 6d f.o.b. s.i. for A Cartons, and 2s 5d to 2.s s£d for B’s. An Auckland broker writes* under date August 5: —“There is no improvement to rojKirt in the oats market Consignments still continue to arrive and bo sacrificed at very low figures. Stocks arc gong down a little, but the Wanaka is again due on Thursday, and will siinplement the quantity in store. On spot A Cartons have been sold at 2s 3id to 2s 4d f.o.b. s.i., while B Cartons realised 2s 2d to 2s 3d. F.o.b. quotations are in advance oi the spot market, sellers asking 2s 5d for A Cartons and 2s 4£d for B’s for early delivery, and Id more for Scptember-October.” PRODUCE REPORT. Large consignments ot chatf have been coming to hand during the week, but as farmers’ reserves are high, a lot of the chaff is going into store. 'Jibe demand ;s still confined to prime samples, inferior moving off very slowly. 'i lie potato market continues dull, with, if anything, a weaker feeling. Really prime lines are worth up to £3 15s, but such samples are scarce, the bulk of the consignments being of medium ujtd inferior quality. The outlook for holders of potatoes is certainly fur from reassuring. Adv ice from Auckland under date August 5 reads: —“Sellers of potatoes at 65s f.o.b.

c.i. are now plentiful, but buyers have again ceased operating. The .spot market is not so strong, owing to the near approach of the Wanaka, which is reported to have a big shipment on board. Early last week 95a c.i.f. was obtainable, but the Maitai and Wimmera brought ample supplies, and values are now back to 85s to 87s 6d c.i.f. s. i. On arrival of the \\ anaka 80s c.i.f. s.i. will probably be the ruling market late. Cables from Australia do not give any hope of export business, so the position of the near future practically rests with the growers.” Owing to increasing supplies of eggs the market has recoded Id per dozen. A better demand exists for onions. Prices, however, remain unchanged. Dairy butter is still in short supply. A keen demand continues for pigs. Current wholsalo prices arc as follow: — Chaff. —Prime heavy oaten sheaf, £4 to £4 5s medium to good, £5 to £3 15s; inferior, £2 and upwards (sacks extra). Straw.—Oaten, to £2 ss; wheaten, £2. Potatoes.—Prime tabic sorts, £3 10s to £3 15s; medium, £2 5s and £3 per ton (bags in). Hay. —£3; inferior, £2 and upwards. Onions.—Prime Canterbury, to £8; Victorians, £9 Eggs.—Fresh, Is 4d; stamped, Is sd. Butter. —Dairy, lid per lb; milled, Hid per lb; separator, in lib pate, Is. Pigs. —-Baconcrs, 6d per ib; porkers, 6Jd. Bacon. —Rolls (in quantities), lOd; sides, 9;,d: hams (under 20!b). Is per lb.

FRUIT REPORT. Supplies of citrus fruit have been very short consequent on the fact of the Sydney boat being taken off the running last week. Some 205 cases of oranges, mandarins, and lemons, and 240 cases of rasmanian-grown apples came to hand by the Melbourne steamer on Tuesday, prices ruling very high for the citrus fruits. The shortness is likely to be relieved somewhat by the arrival of 600 cases of these fruits per the Maunganui. In the meantime the market is quite bare of oranges. Two or three small lots of Rarotongan oranges were landed during the week, and realised very high values for fruit which was in only fair condition —from 13s 6d to 16s 6d per case as landed and 18s to 20s for repacks. Moderate supplies of Canterbury and Nelson grown apples have been arriving, and prices have firmed, .any good fruit selling at not less than 8s 5d per 401 b case. A small lino of Jonathans from Canterbury were sold under the hammer at 11s 3d per case. Pears are short on the market. A small parcel of Canterbury’s, out of cool store, brought 6s to 6s 4d per box, these prices, however, not being satisfactory to the

grower. Vegetables, more especially cauliflowers, arc coming in very freely. The quality of the cauliflowers is exceptionally good for this season of tho year, and despite the number being marketed, satisfactory prices arc being realised. The following are tho current wholesael prives:— Oranges.—Rarotongan very scarce, l?s to 21s for repacks; consignments as landed were sold at from 13s 6d to 16s 6d; Poorman oranges, 10s 6d to 11s; prices firm; Sevil'es, Bs 6d to Ss 9d.

Bananas.—Ripe, 3d to 3id; green, none offering. Apples.—Canterbury cookers, 7s 6d to 8s fid per 401 b case; Taicri, 2Jd per lb; dessert, 8s to 9s; choice, to 11s 6d per bushel caac; Hobart Scarlet Pcarmains, 12s 6d per case of 401 b; Sturmers, 11s. Tomatoes. —Three tomatoes, 6s 6d per case.

Pears. —Very few offering. Tasmanian, 5s to 7s 6d per box, for medium quality.

Lemons. —Mildura and Adelaide, very few offering, 35s 6d to 16s 6d per case. Mandarins. —Gins, 15s to 18s; bushels, 11s 5d to 15s.

Passion fruit, 8s to 9s 6d per box. Pineapples, 11s 6d to 13s fid. Honey. —New season’s, in 101 b tins, 4s 6d tin; bulk, to 4d; packets, 3c- to 3s 3d per dozen; bottles, 8s per dozen. Vegetables. —Plentiful. Cabbage, up to 4a lOd per dozen for large drumheads and Savoys; inferior sorts, 6d to Is 6d per dozen ; sacks, 6d to 3s. Lettuce, Is to 2s 6d per case, for medium (good inquiry); choice, to Is 6d per dozen. Cauliflowers, Is to 2s 3d per dozen for small; choice, 3s to 6s; extra large, 7s 6d; sacks, 2s 6d to 4a 6d. Table carrots, 6d per dozen bunches; from 2s fid to 3s fid per cental bag. Turnips, 4d to fid per dozen bunches; swedes, 2s 3d to 2s fid per sack, Is 3d to Is fid cental ba£. Parsnips, 6d per dozen bunches, 2s fid to 5s 6d per bag. Celery, 4d to 9d per bundle; choice, Is. Brussels sprouts. Is fid to 2s per box of 61b. Radishes, fid to 9d per dozen. Beet, Is per dozen bunches; 8s to 9s per sack. IMPORT MARKET. The market for carton dates is not overstocked in any way. On present indications parcels to arrive in November should bring nigh prices. Local stocks are quoted at Za 9d per dozen packets. Advice received from the manufacturers orf Boomerang brandy notifies an advance cf le per case. ' Prunes are in very short compass, and 6070’s are now quoted at 3|d to 4d per lu, according to quality. Tho new season's prunes will not bo to hand until some time in October or November. Advice received from London by letter efcateis that there is a disposition on the part of the Fig Packers’ Union to try to secure the whole of tho freight by tho direct steamer, and thereby prevent any shipments being made to outside sources. If they succeed in then- project local prices will bo affected in due course. Sydney advice under date August 1 states that spot supplies of canary seed are limited and that forward deliveries are likely to cause trouble in consequence of the inability of some shippers to complete contracts. It is reported that prices for haricot beans have advanced 15s per ton in tho East. is no change to report in tho tapioca market. Sydney advice states that prices are still on the easy s : dc, and fluctu sting within narrow limits. Cocoa: The high prices lately reached in london have been fully maintained, and as far as West Indian kinds are concerned have further advanced. Tho London Grooer of June 21 attributes the persistent_ rise to tho fact that crops in many countries have boon short, or at any rate late. Difficulty has been experienced by operators in fillimr contracts made ahead. Imports of prepared cocoa into the United Kingdom for tho first five month of the year show a marked

increase compared with last year on those of the raw product, this being doubtless duo to the lower duties.