THE BREADSTUFFS AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3115, 26 November 1913, Page 21

THE BREADSTUFFS AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Friday eTening:. Cable advice from London states that wheat cargoes are firmly held there, and that the tact that holders are asking an advance of ljd to 3d per quarter ha» checked the demand. A big lot of Australian wheat has been sold forward a* 35s 3d per quarter. This price ii on 4 considerably lower basis than that ruling for forward Australian deliveries this time last year. Wheat ia quoted today in Sydney ai 3s 5d to 3s sid (last week 3s 5d to 3s 6d); Adelaide, os od to 3s 6£d (3s sid to 3s 6d)j Melbourne, 3a 5d to 3s 6cl (old 3a sd, new 3s *Jd). Tho local wheat market continues ia & very depressed state, offerings from grower! being light. Few sales have been recorded during tho week, most of tho millers, owing to the strike, not being in the mood to buy. Prices are much the same—namely, 4e to 4s Id for velvet, 3s 7£d to 3s 8d for Tuscan, and 3a 8d for Marshall's white, at country sidings in the vicinity of Studholme. Fowl wheat is still in good demand, sound whole being quoted at 3s 6d to 3s 7d per bushel, ex store, Dunedin sacks extra. The tariff of tho Flourmillers' Association for flour and other lines ig as follows: Flour: Sacks, £9 5s per ton; 1001 b bags, £9 ss; 50!'b bags, £10; 251 b bugs, £IC ss. Bran, £4 5s per ton. Pollard, £6. Oatmeal, £l2 10s. Pearl barley, £l6 10s. There is practically nothing to be said of the local oats market, the only business passing being the usual local drmajid for feeding, etc. There being no shipping facilities, thcro is no export from Dunedin The same condition of affairs is reported from Christchurch, but it is understood shipments of oats are being got away to the North Island from Timaru and also from Bluff. The f.o.b. s.i. price for A Gartons is about 2a 3d to 2s 34d, a«d 2s 2id for B'a. PRODUCE REPORT. During the week the arrivals of chaff have not been too plentiful. There is, however, little life in the market, as carriers, consequent on the strike, are only purchasing in small quantities. Tho potato market shows fuither weakness, and it is somewhat difficult to effect sales even at tho reduced prices. A shipment of new potatoes is duo to arrive from Auckland some time next week. Eggs continue in full supply, but prices remain unchanged. The market is poorly supplied with onions, the strike preventing shipments coming forward from Melbourne. Victorian new seaeon's silverskina are quoted at 13s per case and upwards. The supply of pigs is not nearly equal t«

tho demand. Baconers have increased by id per lb. Current wholesale prices are as follow; Chaff.—Prime heavy oaten sheaf, £4 to £4 ss; medium to good, £3 10s to £3 15s; Inferior, £2 5s and upwards (sacks extra). : Straw.—Oaten, to £2 ss; whenten, £2 Potatoes.—Prime table sorts, 35s to £2; fcaedium to good, to £1 10s; inferior, £1 per ton (bags in). Huy, £3; inferior, £2 and upwards. Onions.—Japanese, in cases, 16s per case; .Victorian, from 15s to l6s per case. Eggs.—Fresh, Hid; stamped, Is. Butter. —Dairy, ?id to 8d per lb; milled, Bid per lb; separator, in 11b packets, 9id. Pigs.—Baconers, 6id per lb; porkers, 6id. Baooc. —Rolls (in quantities), lOd; sides, Bid; hams (under 201 b), Is per lb. FRUIT REPORT. The cool stores at Christchurch are being called on for supplies of eating and dessert apples to tho local market. A few pears sre also available from the Christchurch etorca. Reports received hero from Hobart state that ai quantity of apples was waiting to be picked up by tho UOmaroa, but these were not brought on. In fact, this vessel did not have any Victorian or Tasmanian fruit on board. It is thought probable that tho shipment of Californian apples for Dunedin which was landed in Wellington last week from tho

Willochra will bo brought on here next Tuesday. A parcel of Californian onions is also expected to arrive at the same time. Only a few of the oranges and lemons which arrived in the Moeraki, and were railed through from Bluff, are now left in the market. A few locally grown hothouse tomatoes . are coming in, and realising up to 2s 5d per lb. I It is considered that between 20C and 250 crates of strawberries, each crate containing from 24 to 36 pottles, are arriving daily from the Alexandra and Otago Central districts. Nothing like the quantity of this fruit has j hitherto come forward from those districts j at this time of the year, while the quality ! is specially fine, being much better than has been obtained from other in November of past years. Some of the Central Otago growers are sending supplies of strawberries as far north as Timaru. 1 Only a few lots of cherries are arriving ' on the local market-—from Alexandra- —and . these arc realising up to }>s per lb. I Peninsula-grown new potatoes arc the only sorts now available on the local market. They are in r'tally good order, and meet with a ready sale, j The principal feature of tho fruit market this week has been tho high prices ruling for vegetables, tho recent wet weather hav- ; ing restricted growth.

The following are the current wholesale prices: Oranges. —Market bare. Milduras, 20s. Bananas. Ra rot origan, market bare owing to strike. Apples. —Canterbury cookers, 10s 6d to 12s; medium, 9s to 10s; Sturmers, 10s to 12s 6d; Tasmanian and American, none offering. Lemons.—Market bare ; 20s. Mandarins. —None available. Tomatoes. —Local hothouse, 2s to 2s sd; Christchurch, Is 6d to Is 8dGrapes.—Local hothouse, 3a to 3s 6d per lb. Pineapples.—None offering. Strawberries, to Is per pottle. Chories. —Local, 8d to Is per !b. Honey.—ln 101 b tins, 4a per tin; bulk, 3£d to 4cl; ilb packets, 3s to 3s 3d per dozen; bottles, 8s per dozen. New Potatoes. —Local Peninsula, 3d to 3jd per lb. Green Peas. —Canterbury, 2d to per lb. Vegetables. —Cabbages, Is 9d to 3s 3d per dozen; sacks, up to 4s 6d. Lettuce, Is 6d to 3s per case; choice, to 2s 6d per dozen. Cauliflowers, short supply; 3s to 12a per dozen ; sacks, up to 9s. Table carrots, Is to Is 6d (old), Is 2d to Is 8d (new), dozen bunches. Turnips (new). Is 2d to le 8d per dozen bunches. Spinach, Is to Is 6d. Silver beet. Is to 2s. Radishes. lOd to Is 2d tier

dozen. Rhubarb, 14s to 18s per cwt; supply short of demand. Spring onions, 6d to 8d per dozen brunches. IMPORT MARKET. Local merchants are receiving many inquiries from the retailors us to when further supplies of sugar will be available from Auckland, but state that they cannot give much information on the point. It is understood that the Ennerdalo will bring a cargo to Timaru, and that a portion of the shipment will bo railed to Dunedin. Th s sugar will have to bear the increased cost of the railage charges. The Wanaka is expected to bring 150 tons for southern ports, about 100 tons of this shipment being for Dunedin. It is pretty certain, however, that no supplies can be brought forward before next Monday. In the meantime stocks in merchants hands’ are practically nil, and what little is offering has had to be purchased at an increased price. The following linos are either short on the market or out of stock altogether;— Melhuish’s pickles, desiccated oocoanut, Goar Meat t'o.’s meats and pastes, cube sugar, currants, whole pineapples, figs, syrup and treacle, icing and custard sugar, etc. Hardware merchants received with satisfaction the nows of the arrival of the Turakina, as she had on board a largo quantity of hardware and ironmongery lines for this port. Amongst these are standard iron, There is still, however, a shortage of certain sizes of rofiing iron, but the position will be relieved with the arrival of the Dorset. So far local ironmongers have not made an advance in any of their prices.