THE BREADSTUFFS AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3314, 19 September 1917, Page 13

THE BREADSTUFFS AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Friday evening. Recent mail advices state that in regard to the Government estimate of the Canadian wheat crop, commercial authorities estimate the acreage at 7.6 per cent, less than the* preceding season. The Government figures are 13,450,000 acres, as compared with 12,879,000 acres for last year. The condition of the wheat crop at the time of the report was officially estimated at 84 per cent. The crop in Northern Italy has been kept back by unseasonable weather, and will not be gathered before August. Broomhall's Rome correspondent thinks the total outturn will not exceed 21,000,000 quarters, which compares with 22,000,000 quarters, the final estimate for last year, and 21,300,000 quarters in 1915.

Australian wheat producers, although fully cognisant of the seriousness of the freight position, are hoping that the unexpected may happen. The outlook, however, is more and more discouraging. It was thought that a little relief might have been afforded flour miller* by shipments to the East, but labour upset calculations, and a curtailment of milling operations has resulted. The completion of the stores at Newport is looked to with interest. Progress there is satisfactory' but several weeks will elapse before flour can be accommodated. The prevalence of weevil in wheat at the seabord i» a matter of somewhat serious concern, and steps are being taken to gri=t the affected grain at the earliest opportunity. There is very little to record in the local wheat market. Offerings are scarce, and the shipment of Australian wheat is about finished. Two of the local mills are closed down, and the others are rapidly exhausting their stocks of wheat. Fowl wneat is getting into small compass, and can be readily sold here at 6s 6d, ex store.

Oatmeal 13 quoted at £2l a ton for 25's; pearl barley, £2O 10s; pollard, £7 10s (fixed by Government); bran, £4 5s (fixed by Government). The oats market is weaker in tone, but there is little alteration in prices. North Island buyers are marking time and waiting to see if _ they can obtain their purchases made in Australia some time ago. A Gartons were sold early in the week at 4s 3sd f.o.b.sX, and one or two extra quality lines realised Id more; B Gartons, 4s 2id, f.o.b.s.i. Heavy lines suitable for seed and milling are in good demand, and high prices have been offered in south for these either for railing to Canterbury or for local buyers. PRODUCE REPORT. Fair supplies of heavy oaten sheaf chaff are arriving, and are meeting- with a good demand, as the market is bare. Sales are being recorded at £6 5s to £6 10s per ton, bags extra. There is not the same demand

for medium quality, which is selling slowly at £5 to £5 iUs, ox storo. Canterbury consignments of potatoes have cased right off. with tue result that there is a good demand at £4 6s per ton for freshly-picked lines from the south. The present firming may, however, be accepted as more or less temporary, as supplies in the oountry are too plentiful for requirements for the next few montns, atter which new potatoes will be on the market. A few consignments of oaten and whaaten straw have arrived, and have met with a ready demand, as the market has been bare for some time. Eggs are coming in in increasing numbers. Thero was a small yarding of pigs at Burnside on Wednesday, ail being i>oid under keen competition. Best porkers realised up to 9d per lb; others, B£d per lb; best baconers, from 7fd to 8d per lb. Current wholesale prices are as follow: Chaff.—Prime oaten sheaf, £6 to £6 sa; medium to good, £4 10s to £5 10s (sacks extra). Straw.—Oaten, £3 5s to £3 10s; wheaten, £2 10a to £2 15s. . Prime clover hay, £5 10a to £5 15s. Potatoes.—Prime lines, £4 5s per ton (sacks in); medium to good are unquotable. Melbourne onions, 20s per owt Eggs, Is 2d. Butter. —Milled bulk, Is 4d per lb; dairy and separator, in lib packages, to Is 4d. - Honey.—Bulk, 6d; 101 b tins, 5s 6d;"2lb pottles, 15s to 16s a dozen; 21b tins, 15s. Pigs.—Baconers, to 8d per lb; porkers, Bid to 9d. Bacon.—Rolls, local, Is 2d ; Christchurch, Is 2d; sides, Is Id; hams, Is 2d; ham rolls, Is 3d.

FRUIT REPORT. Tho market is barely supplied with both dessert and cooking appies. The local demand is much above the quantities available. High prices are being obtained, and the market has an upward trend. Vegetables are also in short supply. Some of the. Chinese gardeners have fixed a minimum price at which they will sell their vegetables, but as these are not plentiful prices above the minimum are forthcoming. Some of the larger Chinese growers have not joined the "combine"—in fact, it is said that the combine has been formed by the smaller growers to combat the activities of the larger growers. The small supply of cauliflowers and firstclass cabbages available realise high prices. Advices received from Sydney and South Australia state that shipments of oranges and lemons will be forwarded as soon as a steamer is available. . The following are the current wholesale prices:— ■ Apples are in very short supply; Otago Central—Dessert, Sturmers and Rokewoods, choice, 4£d; cooking, to 4d; CanterburyLord Wolseleys, 12s; dessert, 12s to 14s. Lemons. —Aucklands only available; 10s to 14s. Oranges.—Poorman, for marmalade, lis to 12s, about finished; Island, 14s to 19s, as landed, 22s 6d repacked; Valencia, 40s. Walnuts, 9id to 10£d. Cucumbers, to 12s per dozen. Rarotongan tomatoes, to Is 3d per lb. Bananas.—. —Wanted. Cabbages: Good, to 7s 6d per dozen; inferior, 2s to 3s per sack. Cauliflowers: Best, 10s to 10s 6d per sack; medium, 8s to 9s; inferior, 2s to 4s. Lettuce, to 3s per dozen. Parsnips, 3s 6d to 4s per cental; sacks, to 10s; cases, to 3s 6d. Carrots, 3s to 4s per cental; sacks, to 7s. Beetroot, Is 6d per dozen. Spring onions, to 6d per bundle. Radish, Is per dozen. Swedes, 4s per sack; 23 to 2s 3d for cental bags. Potatoes. —Taieri-grown, in sack lots, 5s per cwt for choice; medium, 4s to 4s 10dl MERCHANDISE MARKET. Fresh supplies of merchandise lines which have been short on the market are expected. Supplies of Mellor's and Lea and Perrin's sauces are getting into small compass. American brooms have been advanced by Is per dozen. Scott's Emulsion ishows a slightly increased cost. Seeded raisins have increased in value, and are now being sold at 6s 9d to 7s per dozen packets. Japanese safety matches are quoted at 5s 6d per gross. Carbonate of soda is worth 30s. Caustic soda, ones, is quoted at 9s 6d per dozen tins. The current quotation for preserved ginger is Is per lb. Ground almonds are now selling at 2s 6d per lb. Parchment paper is very scarce and is now worth about 9d a lb. CO-OPERATIVE FRUIT-GROWERS OF OTAGO. MEETING OF PROVISIONAL COMMITTEE. A meeting of the Provisional Committee of the Co-operative Fruitgrowers' of Otago Society was held in Roxburgh on Saturday. There was present: Messrs John Bennetts and J. H. Waigth (Teviot), J. R. -Webb (Upper Chxtha), E. F. Dutkie, A. Ash worth, SI A. Stevens (Central Otago), W. Robertson (Taieri), and H. Turner (Ettrick), and the society's solicitor (Mr Aslin). Since the conference held the previous Saturday at Alexandra, the various districts have been canvassed for support, and the results as reported to the committee were gratifying in the extreme. The result of the canvass showed that over 90 per cent, of the suppliers had signified their intention to support the co-operative. It was confidently anticipated that still further support would be forthcoming from a number of growers who had not been reached. Arrangements are in hand for the immediate registration of the society, and

applications are now being invited for the position of manager. It is possible that in the meantime .the committee will decide to loaso premises, although the consensus of opinion is that before the problem of quality can be solved it will ultimately be necessary to have premises which are accessible by railway siding. The fruitgrowing districts are a glorious sight at present with a wealth of peach and apricot blossom, and everything points to a bountiful crop provided the frost makes no belated calls. This contingency, however, is being prepared for in many orchards by systems of smudge fires.