THE BREADSTUFFS PRODUCE MARKETS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3148, 15 July 1914, Page 18

THE BREADSTUFFS PRODUCE MARKETS.

Friday evening. Latest London' cablegrams state that the Home market is but inactive. In Sydney wheat is quoted at 3s lOd and 3s lOgd (unchanged from last week) ; Adelaide, 3s 9d (3s-9d and 3s 9id); Melbourne, 3s 10£d (3s 10id). Continued favourable reports of the American croos, and the consequent strong /Sellers, have been depressing values in the European markets. The first of American winter, crop will be shipped to Europe this month, apd the consuming countries will have ample wheat for many months to come. The European crops, according to the latest advices, appear to be in good condition generally. Business in Australian cargoes has been limited, and the dry weather has kept the market in “Melbourne above shipping parity. Shipments of wheat and flour to Europe from the producing countries, on the . whole, show a fair increase since last week, both Russian and Indian*. shipments being materially larger, while the North American figures are still large fdr this time of the year. Since the beginning of August shipments to Europe from all sources have aggregated 66,125,000 quarters, against 67,410,000 quarters for the corresponding portion of the 1912-13 season and’ 54,200,000 quarters for 1911-12. There is little of note to record in the local wheat market. Millers are not operating to any extent, although a good deal of -grain is offering from the north. The quality of this wheat, however, in a great number of cases is only medium, and prices are casicl. Agents are-keener to do business, and are submitting counter offers when their first offer meets with no response. Velvet- is quoted at about 4s Id to 4s 2d,, red oats 4s to 4s Id, and Tuscan’ 3s lid to 4s, Dunedin, sacks extra ; or about 3d lower in each instance at country sidings beyond Oamaru. There was no Victorian flour on the Maitai, this week’s Melbourne boat. Good whole fowl wheat is worth 3s lOd to 3s lid per bushel. The tariff of the New Zealand Flour and Produce Agency .Company is as follows: Flour: Sacks (2001 b), £lO 10s per ton; 1001 b bags, £11; 501 b bags, £ll ss ; 251 b bags, £ll 10s. Bran, £4 ss. Pollard, £6. Pearl barley, £l4 per ton. Oatmeal, £l2 IQs. There is practically no change in the local oat market on the week. yThe London market has been rather inactive, but there has been a little more inquiry during the last day or two, although the prices are not high enough to encourage further shipments. Merchants’ stocks are not heavy, and as there docs not seem any great likelihood of prices coming back in the meantime, they are prepared to retain their holdings. If, however, they desired to add to their stocks they could not do so at lower prices than those of their present holdings. Farmers are firm holders of best grade oats, but there does not seem to be many left in the country for delivery before spring. The quantity available for thrashing in the spring is quite an unknown one. The coastal demand 15 very small, Auckland merchants especially keeping off the southern market. Northern merchants must apparently be carrying fairly heavy stocks, both on spot and for forward delivery. A Garton’s remain at 2s Id to 2s f.o.b., s.i., and B’s at Is lljd to 2s. Farmers arc asking Is Sgd to Is 9d, on trucks, sacks extra; for heavy A Gartens. PRODUCE REPORT. Consignments of prime samples of chaff arc not offering too freely, consequently medium quality is meeting with rather more inquiry. Prime samples have firmed in price. The potato market continues in a quiet state, and the demand is poor. Stocks.

in stores aro heavy, sufficient, it is considered, to supply the local demand for two or three months. The chief demand is for prime lines. Consignments of eggs ha\§ not been so heavy this week, and prices have firmed a little. Consignments of dairy butter arc wanted. Supples of onions have been more plentiful of late, and as merchants carry good stocks sales aro more difficult to effect. Current wholesale prices are as follow: Chaff.—Prime oaten sheaf, £3 5s to £3 10s; medium to good, £2 10s to £3 (sacks extra). Potatoes. —Choice; to £4 10s per ton ; medium to good, £3 to £5 10s (sacks in). Straw.—Oaten, to £2; wheaten, '£l 15s. Hay.—£3 ; inferior, £2 and upwards. Onions. —Prin.f-Canterbury, to £5. Eggs.—Fresh, Is sd; stamped, Is 6d. Butter.—Dairy, lOd per lb; milled, lOd to 10gd per lb; separator, in lib packets, lid. Pigs.—Baconers, sjd per lb; porkers, ssd per lb. Bacon.—Rolls (in quantities), to 9£d; sides, 9ad; hams, lOd to per lb. FRUIT REPORT. Business in the wholesale fruit trade is still on the quiet side. There is a scarcity of first class dessert apples and pears. Small lots of both these fruits arrived during the week from Alexandra and, Roxburgh, and wore disposed of at high rates. About 1100 cases of Suva bananas came to hand last to a bare market, and wore promptly disposed of at prices ranging ' from 8s 6d to 12s 6d, per case, according to condition. One or two small parcels of Rarotongan repacked oranges have been landed from Auckland. These realised from 5s 6d to 8s i 6d per case. The market is now bare of supplies of oranges, but advice has been received that a further small consignment is duo to arrive on Monday. About 400 cases of Nelson-grown apples, chiefly cooking sorts, were landed on Thursday. These are gelling under the hammer at from 7s to 7s 9d per case. Two small shipments of citrus fruits — • mandarins, lemons, and poorman oranges—arrived last Monday from Sydney, and brought high prices at auction. Some choice cauliflowers have arrived during the last two days. Cabbages are in short supply, as also are other vegetables. All sound vegetables are fetching high values.

The following arc .current wholesale prices:

Apples.—Cooking wanted, good to 2£d; second quality, 4s to 6s;' Nelson Epp’s Seedling, 7s; Alexandra Scarlet Nonpareil, Cleopatra, -Jonathan, 3jsd per ib; Tasmanian Scarlets, 12s, per case; Siturmers, 10s 6d to 11s; short supplies. Mandarins, 12s to 18s per gin. Marmalade oranges, 10s to 12s sd. Lemons. —Mildura, 13s to 14s. Pineapples, 10s to 15s. ■ Passions, 7s to 10s. Tomatoes. —Practically finished ; local hothouse, 8d to 9d. . Pears. —Choice Winter Nelis, worth up to 4i; Josephine, 3|d; others, 2d to 2jd; cook--ing, 2d to 2jd. Pears are wanted. Oranges.—l-tarotongan, repacked, 8s 6d to 10s; short supply, further consignments next week.

Bananas. —Ripe, to 2Jd per lb; green sold at 9s to 11s.

Vegetables.—ln moderate supply. Cabbages, Is to 3s 6d per dozen; sacks, Is to 4s. Lettuce, up to 9d per dozen. Cauliflowers, 2s 6d to 4s fid. per dozen for medium; choice, 5s to 7s fid; 4s to 6s fid per sack. Table carrots, 4d to fid per dozen bunches; 2s fid to 3s per. cental bag. Turnips. 4d to fid. per dozen bunches; garden swedes, Is 9d to 2s 3d per sack (plentiful). Celery, 4d to 9d per bundle. Marrows, 6s to 7s per sack; wanted. Pumpkins, dull sale; 3s to 4s per cwt. ' IMPORT MARKET. The reduced price of sugar will take effect on Monday, as supplies ot the lower-priced sugar are due to arrive from Auckland by' to-morrow’s boat. The new quotation, ex store, is £l7 5s per ton. An alteration has taken place in the price of Burmah candles, which are now quoted: 25 box lots sd, less than 25, sgd. M'Lebd’s Ducal and comnosite candles

have been further reduced, being now quoted at 5d per lb. Crystallised cherries are in very short supply. Further consignments are expected by the Opawa, due about the 20th of the month. As reports from Auckland state. that some of the Delphic’s cargo may have been damaged by water during the rough weather she , encountered on her voyage out from England, local- importers have decided to ask Captain Sundstrum to examine the goods for this port, and protect their interests. The Delphic is due to arrive here on Monday. Advice from Sydney states that a start has been made on the milling of the new season’s rice, and that the quality is very satisfactory, being fullv up to the stapdard. Further advice from the same quarter states that supplies of peanuts are rapidly diminishing. Cloves are a little easier. New season’s supplies of .whole ginger have now arrived, and prices arc very favourable. Stocks of lima beans in the producing countries are exhausted. Java coffee: The market has advanced owing to strong demand from Europe. Fish.—Under date of May 23, the Seattle correspondent of Dun’s Review states that estimates of the 1914 salmon pack indicate a falling off of approximately 2,000,000 cases compared with last year. The pack, however, will measure up well with that of other previous years. • The recent advance in the price of pink salmon from 62jC. to 75c. has been of great help to the few packers who held this grade of fish. There is every indication that opening prices will be slightly higher than a year ago, as prices already named on early packs of Columbia River salmon point in the direction of higher values Practically the total estimated 1914 pack of panned salmon has already oeen - sold, subject to buyers’ approval of opening prices. Advice has been received of an advance in the price of block tin. Local quotations are: English 2s, colonial Is 10« d per lb. Prices of sheet lead continue to advance. Local values are £2B a ton. The increase is having an effect on the price of white lead. AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS. The fact that many farmers in the Ashburton district have decided to go in for sheep-breeding this year, in preference to the less profitable industry of grain-grow-ing, probably accounts for there being fewer farm labourers required at present, who would, in the ordinary course of events, be employed at ploughing. A Pendarves farmer told a Guardian reporter that, while he would at any other time now have five ploughing teams at work, he had done away with four of his hands since taking . up fat sheep-breeding. At the annual meeting of the Hampden branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, the following were elected officers for the ensuing year: — Mr James M‘Kerrow, president; Mr George Gould, vicepresident ; Mr W. D. S. Trotter, treasurer; Mr M'Wiiliam, auditor; Mr R. Walker, secretary. Mr W. Murcott was unanimously elected a life member of the branch. There was a good attendance of members, and evidence of renewed interesting in the union owing to the many things of importance to farmers being dealt with by it for the benefit of tho whole farming community.

The Holstein-Friesian Cattle Breeders’ Association has allotted gold medals for the championship bull and cow at the Stratford (1914) and Cambridge (1915) A. and P. Shows. A cup, to be won twice in succession or three times at intervals before becoming personal property, will bo competed for at the Manawatu A. and P. Show (1914). A gold medal lor most points in Holstein-Fr. esians will be allotted to all A. and P. Shews where the number of entries reach at least 40, all animals to be entered in the Holstein-Friesian Herd Book. It has been decided to allot yearly medals in the divisions for two, throe, and four-year heifers, mature cows, and in the semiofficial test, open to all animals that have undergone test since the inauguration of the scheme, and to go to the highest producer of butter-fat in each division, entitled to the department certificate on December 31 in each year.

Payments to milk and cream suppliers by the Opotiki Dairy Association, though now diminishing rapidly, are still considerable, and show a sabsfactorv increase over those recorded for the corresponding period last year. The amount being paid out for May is £1559 19s 2d, as compared with £llBO 15s 3d for May, 1913. ' The two largest cheques are for £ll4 and £7B respectively. Mr W. J. Byrne, chief officer of the Thames Valiev Cow-testing Association (says the New Zealand Herald), has been invited by the Colac Dairy Company, Victoria, to

visit its district and instruct suppliers in the methods of cow-testing pursued in New Zealand. The Colac Dairy Company s the second largest in the Commonwealth, producing between 70 and 80 tons of butter jweekly. Mr Byrne left for Sydney by the Mararaa last Tuesday evening.

A total of 7163 boxes of butter was taken from Auckland by the steamer Niagara to Vancouver. For the corresponding period of last year a total of only 4259 boxes of butler was shipped from Auckland to Vancouver. In spite of the Niagara’s large shipment, a quantity of butter remains in store, so that there is no likelihood of a shortage of local supplies this winter. Tho high prices for fat stock and the scarcity of good steer calves are causing farmers in the Stratford district to turn their attention to a more suitable bull than the Jersey, and it looks as if the Shorthorn will again corao into favour (aays an exchange). In a herd where tho Jersey has been kept it has been the custom to only rear the heifers. These have now become too plentiful, whilst there is a great shortage of Shorthorn steer calves. A private letter received in Dunedin reports the death of the champion Clydesdale mare, Nannie, owned by Mr Stephen Mitchell. The mare, with a foal at foot, was shown in our illustrations on June 24.