THE BREADSTUFFS AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3316, 3 October 1917, Page 15

THE BREADSTUFFS AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Friday evening. There is nothing new to report in the local wheat market. Millers continue to look in vain for supplies of milling wheat, and there are no further lines of Australian wheat in eight. There is not, however, any prospect of an immediate shortage of flour. Fowl wheat is becoming very scarce. The price to-day is 6s 6d per bushel. Oatmeal is 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 mancot is lifeless, and the only demand expected is for North Island October requirements. Merchants there, however, seem inclined to hold off, waiting for the resumption of shipments from Australia. Stocks in the North Island are rcnorted to be light, and unless the strike In Australia is shortly settled a better de-

mand can be looked for from the-north. A few merchants are holding in anticipation of this market, but the majority seem anxious to sell. B Gartons have been offering during the week ut 4s l£d, f.0.b., sucks in, without buyers. A Gallons aro quoted at 4s 3d, f.0.b., sacks in, A sparrows at 4s 2£d, and B's at Id less.

PRODUCE REPORT. Few consignments of chaff aro arriving from the south, but the market is kept well supplied from Canterbury, where the cbaff, although on the light side, is bright, and can bo classed as good quality. It is selling here to-day at £6 10s per ton, sacks extra. Prime southern is worth £6 15s, but the recent heavy rains will prevent growers cutting for a few days. Medium quality is in better demand, and the stores are taking the opportunity of quitting stocks at £5 10s to £6 per ton, sacks extra.

Stores are still busy picking over lines of sprouted potatoes, and these, with the few consignments of freshly-picked potatoes from the country, are equal to the- requirements of local merchants. The demand is purely local, there being no shipping inquiries, as Canterbury are underquoting local prices. Good tables are selling to-day at £4 ss, and prime quality at £4 ICs per ton. Medium quality are still out of favour while there are supplies of better potatoes available. Consignments of oaten and wheateri chaff are arriving from Canterbury, and the market is now getting well supplied. Melbourne onions are in snort supply,and prices have advanced Is per cwt. * - Eggs aro fairly plentiful, Dairy butter meets with a <*ood demand. There was a small yarding of pigs afe Burnside on Wednesday, very few porkers being penned. Best porkers made B£d per lb; best baconers, 7£d per lb; Current wholesale prices are as follow: Chaff.—Prime oaten sheaf,' £6 10s to £6 15s; medium to good, £5 10s to £6 (sacks Straw.—Oaten..£3 10s; wheaten £2 15s. Prime clover hay, £5 10s to £5 15s. Potatoes. —Prime lines, £4 5s to £4 10s per ton (sacks in); medium to good are unquotable. Melbourne onions, 20s per cwt. Eggs, Is 2d to Is 2£d. Butter.—Milled bulk, Is 4d per lb; dairy and separator, in lib packages, to Is 4d. Honey.—Bulk, 6d; 101 b tins. 5s 6d; 21b pottles, 15s to 18s a dozen; 21b tins, 15s. " Pigs.—Baconers, per lb; porkers, to aid. Bacon.—Rolls, local, Is 2d; Christchurcb, Is 2d; sides, Is Id; hams, Is 2d; ham rolls, Is 3d. ERUIT REPORT. Fair supplies of Rarotongan 'bananas : hava reached the market from northern ports. A few lines of Island oranges - and Californian Valencia oranges have also come forward. The fruit arrived in good order, and fairly high prices have ruled. The market is almost bar© of apples, choice desserts especially being very scarce.A few lots of cooking apples from Canterbury cool stores have been sold at up to 13s 6d per bushel, equal to 4d per lb wholesale. -

Rhubarb is -in a little better supply, and prices have fallen a little. A few cases of Auckland-grown cucumbers arrived by the Monowai. These were sold under the hammer at lis 3d per box of nine.

Only small lots of cabbage are available. These brought 5s per dozen for good sorts. The following are the current wholesale prices:' — Apples are in very short supply; Otago Central—Dessert, Sturmers, and Rokewoods, ohoice, 4|d; cooking, to 4d: Canterbury—; Lord Wolseleys, 13s to 13s 6d; dessert, 12s to 14s. .

Lemons.—Auckland only available; 15a to 18s per case;. Oranges.—Valencia, 35s -to 40s; Islands, 22s 6d.

Walnuts, 9£d to lO^d. Bananas.—Fiji, green, 12s 6d to 13s 6d; ripe, to 18s 6d; Raratongan, green, lis to 13s; ripe, to 14s 6d. Cabbages: Choice, 5s per dozen; inferior, 2s to 3s per sack. Oauliflowers: Best, 10s to 10s od per sack; medium, 6s to 7s; inferior, 2s to 4s. Lettuce, to 3s per dozen. Parsnips, 4s 6d to 5s 6d per cental; sacks, to 10s; cases, to 4s. Carrots, 3s to 4s per cental; sacks, to 7s. Beetroot, Is 6d per dozen. Spring onions, to 6d per bundle. Radishes, 9d to Is per dozen. Swedes, 4s 6d to 5s per sack; 3s to 4s for cental bags. Potatoes.—Taieri-grown, in sack lots, 5a per cwt for choice; medium, 4s to 4s 6d. MERCHANDISE MARKET. A number of the local merchandise houses are busily engaged at the present time in stock-taking. Large quantities of teas are held up in Sydney and Melbourne, consequent on the strike in Australia. The position of the tea market is not very satisfactory in Dunedin to-day, as certain grades of Ceylons are either short or quite unobtainable. There ia very little China tea on the market. Some northern houses are inquimg here for possible supplies, and on the other hand in« quiries have gone from Dunedin to the north. The importation of China tea ia prohibited in Australia. _ Advice has been received from Sydney of an increase of £2 per ton in the price of rice. Ground rice nas advanced to 27s 6d per cwt for 31b bags; bulk, 24s per cwt. A slight advance has to be reported in the price of mixed spice. Champion vinegar shows a sharp increase in price. Walnuts are practically unprocurable. In fact, this shortage applies to all descriptions of nuts. The excessive freight from China on a bulky cargo like nuts lias been one of the chief causes in restricting supplies from this quarter, but the lack of steamers running on this particular route has also had a material effect. Sago and tapioca are very short. Those

stocks which are available are quoted up to 40s per cwt. No advice has been received when further shipments may be expected via Australia, where the strike has upset things.

A -small parcel of Colman's starch was. received during the week from the north. Cerebos salt shows a further advance in price. The methylated spirits market is very firm. The quotation for Argo edible oil js now 114 s 6d per cwt, c.i.f. and e. Glucose is quoted at 45s per cwt c.i.f. and e. Latest adyioe from America states that the congestion on; the railways and the scarcity of tonnage have for many months very much delayed shipments. Moreover, the fact that the Government has -put an embargo on the export of a large number of lines, except a license is obtained for -their export, is also helping to delay the fulfilment of orders.