THE BREADCLIFFS AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3512, 5 July 1921, Page 12

THE BREADCLIFFS AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Friday Evening. to a cable message received by Li-dley, Walker Co-operative Wheat Company 'Ltd. (Melbourne), from its Liverpool representatives, wheat crop conditions m the United States have taken a more prenounced turn for the worse. It is advised that a loss of 18 000,000' bushels is estimated in Amen can winter wheat, and still greater losses are expected. American spring wheat and European crops, however, promise well. With the unfavourable outlook for winter wheat in the United States, the prospects of supplies for Europe next season are considered lo b' less hopeful, although actual conditions indicate that there -vu-1 be sum cient for needs. . . When recently the selling price of Australian flour in London was advanced by ±2 10s a ton of 22401 b, the effect upon the market was a general cessation of buying, the recent damage to the United States winter cron, and afco the revival of the European demand for wheat, influenced an upward tendency in the price of gram, which is now seen in an additional advance of Is a quarter just made in the British markets buyers have renewed operations m Australian floui, and during the last few days moderate parcels have been sold to Great Britain. LOCAL MARKETS. Few samples of milling wheat have been Oil offer lately, but several lines are expected to be oil the market for July delivery from the Balclutha district. Good quality meets a sound demand from millers at the full Government rates. There is 110 reference at present to any importations o-f Australian wheat, although it is anticipated that there will be a shortage of milling quality. The position is accentuated by the fact that there will be an exceptionally heavy sowing of wheat this season, and it is reported that about a million bushels of seed will be required. Farmers are evidently inclined! to grow wheat instead of oats. The prices for next season’s wheat crop have been fixed by the Government. There has been an improved demand for fowl wheat from !ho North Island ports, with the exception of Auckland. In the Auckland district poultry keepers are mostly Using Australian-grown maize. Sales of fowl wheat have been made at close to the Government named prices. Millers’ prices are as follow: —Flour, £2l 10s per ton; 100's, £2O; 50’s, £23 10s; 26 8,

£24. Bran, £7 per ten. Pollard, £lO. Pearl I barley, £22. Oatmeal, 200's, £2O; other quail- ! tities, £2l. The oat market has been quiet since the shipments for the Home market were despatched. Sales were then made at up to 8s Bd, f.0.b.5.i., hut the London market has since cased to the extent of 3d per bushel. North Island merchants are net prepared to offer at even reduced prices, 'they report that business in oats is dull, and that they are satisfied to work on a hand-to-mouth basis in the meantime. As regards local supplies, few lines are -held in stores. Growers . are firm in their ideas of value, -and are 1 asking from 2s 8d to 3s on trucks, country sidings, sacks extra. The demand for oats from local millers and merchants is quiet. It looks as if there is going to be a carry-over this season. Indications point, however, to less oats being sown this spring than usual. That _being so, it may be that cat--- will not be so plentiful as they are this season. PRODUCE REPORT. Consignments of chaff are on the light aide, but on the other hand the inquiry is small, as most of the feeders are fully stocked at present. Good quality white oaten is selling a‘t £4 15 to £5 per ton, sacks extra, ex truck, and black oaten commands 2s Ed per ton more. There is no shipping inquiry, and reports from the -sort!i Island state that the market there is over-stocked, and that there is little demand. Auckland is still being supplied with chaff grown in the pal- 1 merston North district. Blenheim merchants are quoting £5 10s per ton, f.0.b.5.i., and Dunedin merchants cannot look at this price. Small supplies of potatoes are coming to hand, but there are sufficient stocks held in stores to meet the local demand for the next two months. Retailers report that the present demand is very poor, and as some growers are showing an inclinaion to get rid of their tubers the market lias weakened to £1 10s per ton, sacks included, ex store. Even at this price sales are difficult to effect. Reports from Auckland show that the potato market has a slightly better feeling, but that prices are nevertheless very low. Sales have been made there at £5 lbs per ton, ex wharf. The ryegrass market is firmer, and sales have been made at an advance of about 6d per bushel as compared with the rates ruling two weeks ago. Stocks in merchants’ stores are held firmly, and there is now little seed in growers’ hands. Heavy-weight seed has been sold at 5s per bushel, sacks extra. There is a good demand for pressed oaten straw at £3 5s to £3 10s on trucks. This straw is being used for feed by farmers, xtie market is over-supplied with wheaten, which is difficult to quit at £2 15s, ox truck, Dunedin. Current wholesale prices are as follow: j Chaff: Sound oaten sheaf, £4 15s ( 0 £5; ! medium and light, £4 to £i ss. Potatoes: Prime quality, £4 10s; extra quality, to £1 15s. Eggs: Stamped, Is lid; preserved, Is Gd. ! Dairy butter: Pats, Is lid; milled, Is lid. Onions: Canterbury, £6 per ton; Melbourne, £8 103 per ton. Margarine, lid per lb. Bacon: Rolls, Is Id per lb; sides, Is 21d. Hams, Is 4d. FRUIT REPORT. Business has been fairly brisk in the fruit malts. A few hundred cases of bananas arrived on the market early in the week, but theso did nc-t meet with a very ready sale, the fruit being somewhat on the small 6ide. Fair supplies of South Australian-grown navels and oranges arrived by the Paioona. The shipment was rather smaller than usual, end prices remained fairly firm. Between 500 and 600 cases of citrus fruit arrived by the VVanaka from Sydney, via Bluff. Some of the fruit was not in very good: order. All sound quality sold readily. Tho first Auckland Poor man oranges are expected to arrive to-morrow (Saturday). These will lie sold on Monday. First-class apples meet a good inquiry, but Beoond quality are hard to quit. Some nice Stunners were on Ihe market this week and brought up to 11s 6d per case. Well-coloured Delicious are inquired for, and so are large cookers. Pears are not plentiful, and good dessert have a sound inquiry. Cauliflowers have an excellent inquiry. Choice realise very high prices. Cabbages meet a fair demand only. Anything but prime is practically unsaleable. Carrots, parsnips, swedes, turnips, artichokes, and sprouts move off under a fair Inquiry.

Current wholesale prices are as follow: Apples: Dessert Jonathans, 9s to 10s; Scarlet Pearrnain, 8s Gd to 9s Gd; Sturmer, 10s to 31s; Delicious, 14s to 16s; Cleopatra, 10s to 12s 6d; cookers, 7s to 8s Gd for choice; medium, 5s to 6s; small, 3a to 4s. Lemons: California, 40s to 42s 6d; Adelaide, 15s to 10s; Sydney, 10s 6d. Grapes, Is to 2s 3d; extra choice, to 3s per lb. Poars: Extra choice, to 4d per lb; others, 2sd to 31d. Pines, 22s to 25s per case. Passion fruit, 17s 6d to 20s. Oranges: American, 38s to 40s; navels, 21s to 243; Sevilles, 12s 6d to 16s; mandarins, 20s to 22s 6d for best. Potatoes: Sacks, 5.3 to 6s per cwt. Table carrots, Is pier dozen bunches; 5s 6d to Gs per cwt. Parsnips, Is per dozen bunches; sacks, os to 7s. Beet, Is- per dozen bunches. Cabbages: Best, to 3s 6dl per dozen; medium, Is Gd to 2s per sack; prime, 3s to 4s; inferior, 6s to Is per sack. Cauliflowers: Choice, to 14s per dozen; extra choice, to 22s per dozen; medium, 4s to 6s pier dozen; small, 2s to 3s 6d pier dozen; sacks, to 13s. Lettuce, Is Gd to 2s Gd per case. Spring onions, 3d per bundle. Celery, Gd to 8:1 per bundle; choice, 10c! to Is. Spinach, Is per dozen bundles. Leeks, 2d to 4d per bundle. MERCHANDISE MARKET. Daily Times Office, Saturday morninv. The Katoa brought a shipment of eu ur, which came to a bare market. Merchants were anticipating that when the sugar contract . between the Government and the Colonial Sugar Company exDired (the contract was to July 3) there would be a red notion in price, and hence there was a tendency to keep stocks down. A sharp rise has taken place in the price of cornflour, which cannot be landed here to-day under Gd per lb. Bicarbonate of soda also shows an increased cost. A reduction is announced in the price of Fry’s homoeopathic cocoa. Sicily almonds have firmed considerably in price. The current quotation is in the vicinity of la 9d per lb. Echo grate polish is quoted at 9a Gd per dozen. It is interesting to note that there has been an inquiry from Australia during the week fqr medium matured cheese, but up to the moment, no business lias resulted, sufficient time not having elapsed for a reply 'to bo obtained. Local wholesale prices to-day are to Is Id for large and to Is 2d for inc-diums. Mediums are in somewhat short supply. Otina has been advanced to I9s per dozen. P. and O. pickles, case lots, are now quoted at 17s per dozen; less quantity, 17s Gd. A line of desiccated coooanut arrived by the Wanalca to a bare market. The quotation is 9sd per lb. Jute twine, in balls, is quite unprocurablo on the local market at present* Stocks of .nugget polish outfits, brown, are now again available.