THE BREADSTUFFS AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3802, 25 January 1927, Page 23

THE BREADSTUFFS AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Friday Evening. The milling wheat market is uncertain at preesnt, as millers are satisfied to mark time, waiting to see the trend of prices. Quotations from the wheat-growing districts are most irregular. In Canterbury it is reported that tuscan is offering at 5s 6d on trucks, for early February delivery. In the North Canterbury district there is a good deal of wheat in stook, and it is expected that next week harvesting will be in full swing there. At Ashburton the quotation is 5s 9d to 6s Id for tuscan, February delivery; in Timaru it is as high as 6s sd, and in the Taieri 6s. It will thus be seen that the market has not settled down yet. .The warm weather experienced during the past week or so has hardened up the wheat, and the quality should be very good. Those millers who are urgently in need of old wheat have to pay more than the above prices. Some of them are, however, disinclined to do this, and are not milling. Others again are buying Australian flour to supply their customers’ orders. It can thus be seen that both the milling and wheat markets are in a most difficult position. It is too early yet. to give any clear information regarding the returns of wheat from the new season’s crops. It is quite evident with the large quantities of Australian flour coming to New Zealand that the demand for milling wheat will not be nearly as great as has been the case in previous years. Fowl wheat is quoted at about 7s 6d ex store, for best quality. Business in this cereal is quiet, consequent on the ruling high price. Miller’s prices for flour are as follow*— 2001 b, £l7 xss; 100's, £lB 10s; 50’s, £lB 15s; 25’s, £l9 ss. Bran, £7 10s per ton. Pollard. £lO 10s. Oatmeal—2s’s £24; 200’,s £23. Oatmeal has been reduced £1 per ton. Supplies of chaff are equal to the demand, w-hich is confined to best quality. Other lines are hard to quit. The. oat market continues in a stagnanl condition, and er.lv a few transactions have taken place in the local markets since the holidays. The shipping demand for the North Island is practically nil, as some merchants in the north have still to clean no their holdings of Canadian oats. Oats are still held in Dunedin stores by northern merchants, as they can find no outlet for them. In the oat market also prices are very irregular, and it is difficult to name a basis for A Gartons. Offerings by farmers of A’s at 2s 9d on trucks have met with no response. The current shipping quotation for A’s is 3s 3d, f.0.b.. s.i., and 3s for B’s. These are also the prices quoted bv merchants for spread delivery April to September. Produce ’ines are quoted wholesale as follows: — Chaff, £5 10s per ton for best quality. Dairy butter, milled bulk, lOd to lid, according to quality: pats, 9d to lOd. Potatoes, £7 to £7 10s per ton. Eggs, stamped. Is 8d; case, Is 6d. * Bacon, Is 2d per lb. Hams.. Is 2d per lb ; boneless, Is 3d. Canadian onions, 13s 6d' per crate. FRUIT REPORT. Only moderate supplies of stone fruit are coming forward from Otago Central and Canterbury. Plums are coming chiefly from the northern province. Supplies of tomatoes have eased, and prices have firmed considerably. A few lots of new season’s dessert apples have arrived. These are bringng good prices. Transhipments of American oranges and Rarotongan bananas arrived yesterday by tlte Progress. A small shipment of Fiji bananas is expected ex the Kurow. These should be auctioned on Monday. The Tofua is due at Auckland on Monday Her transhipments of fruit from the Islands should reach here on. the following Monday. Regular supplies of loganberries and raspberries are still coming forward. They are not sufficient to glut the market, and better prices are thus being obtained. Vegetables are meeting with a fairly -good sale. Supplies of peas are plentiful, mostly’ from the Canterbury province. Potatoes are very plentiful, and prices are low. Current wholesale prices are as follows: — Apples.—Gravensteih, 12s to 14s per case; Beauty of Bath, 4d to 6d per lb. Californian navels, ’2os per double case.

Lemons.—Californian, 35s per double case. Bananas.—Green Rarotongan, 22s to 245. Raspberries, 8s to 9s per bucket. Loganberries, 8s 6d to 9s. Black currants, 4£d to 5d per lb. Red currants, fid per lb. Cherries.—Extra choice blacks, Is 4d to Is 6d; Florence, Is 3d to Is 4d. Gooseberries, lid to 2J>d per lb. Red plums, 4d to 5d per lb; dark, 5d to 6d.

Nectarines, fid to 8d per lb. . Christchurch tomatoes lOd to Is; seconds, 8d to 9jd; local hothouse, Is to Is 3d. Cucumbers, 7s to 10s per dozen. Strawberries, 10gd to Is per pottle for small, extra choice- to Is 6d. Ripe gooseberries, 3d. Apricots, 6d to 7d per lb. Peaches, cases 5s to 7s; crates, to 63d per lb. • Cauliflowers, 6s to 8s per sack (choice only); others, 3s to 45.. Green peas, 2d to 2gd. White turnips, Is per dozen bunches. Swede turnips. 3s to 3s 6d per dump case.

Potatoes.—New Peninsula, 3s 6d to 4s per case of 501 b. Rhubarb, Id to 2d per lb. Cabbage.—Choice, 5s to 6s per sack of two dozen; others, Is to 3s. Spring onions, up to 4d per bundle. Lettuce.—Choice to 5s per dozen. Parsnips and carrots, new season’s Is to Is 6d per dozen bunches. Broad beans, Id to l£d per lb. French beans.—64d to Bjd per lb. MERCHANDISE MARKET. There is not much of moment to record in the merchandise market, as business has not settled down yet after the holidays. The Kurow has brought a cargo of .sugar. The next sugar boat will be the Waikouaiti, due about February 1. ' Varsity cigarettes are now m plentiful supply, a fair-sized parcel having been landed off the Northumberland. The Sussex, from Singapore, brought parcels, of tapioca and sago, also pineapples, castor oil, lentils, and nutmegs. Stocks of desiccated coconut are getting low in the wholesale, market. : Amongst the cargo on the Hororata, which met with trouble shortly after leaving England for New* Zealand, was a line of Zig-Zag cigarette papers. The mishap to the vessel will considerably delay her arrival out here. Included in tbe cargo brought from the East by the Waihora was coarse castor oil and a line of corn sacks.