COMMERCIAL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2875, 12 June 1882, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

S. C. Times Office,, ~ Monday,Evening. Messrs B, Wilkin and Co. report as follows In consequence ofjthe inclemency of the weather, business has been rather slacker during the week, and the same cause ha,d a prejudicial .effect on as many entries from the coun try that were made.dld not turn up: but taking all things into consideration the sales for the week have been highly satisfactory. Cattle—Prime beef may be quoted at 20s per lOOlbs. At Studholme Junction on Monday, they sold 12 head prime bullocks at quotations. Stores—At Washdyke Yards on Monday, sth inst., they sold 10 head good fresh condition bullocks at £5 19s; 3doat£2 7b 6d each. Privately during &e week they have placed 40 head at market rates. Sheep—The market is fairly 'supplied wi'h fat stock, and no improvement in prices can be quoted,. Store sheep—Little or no business is doing in this class of Bto~k, although good crossbred for turnip feed are saleable at good prices. Wool and Skins—On Wednesday at their wool sale rooms, they held their usual fortnightly sale. There was. a good attendance of buyers, and biddings were spirited, Their catalogue consisted of about 1600 skins, 5 bales and 10 bags wool, 14 casks and 12 bags fat, hides, &c., all of which were cleared as per quotations, as under For best lots, from 4s 8d to 4s lOd was obtained, while lower grades brought from 2s lid to 3s 9d ; longwooled skins, 3s Id to 3s 6d; merinos, 2s 3d. to 3s 4d ; pelts, 8d to Is 9d ; 5 bales scoured wool, Is Id, Is 3d and Is 4d per lb ; merino, 7d; longwool, 7d, and a quantity of locks and to 4d pec lb rough fat, in bagflßpSd; 12 casks fat at 2|d; bides, • Pictures—On Thursday they held a sale of oil paintings, which drew a large number of purchasers, and from the spirited manner in which the bidding was kept up, there were evidently judges of art present, who knew the value of them. About 30 pictures were d'sposed of, at'pricea ranging from £1 to £l2 each, the lower figure being obtained for small sized paintings, and the latter for larger ones according to merit. This must be considered highly satisfactory, as the pictures were seen to a great disadvantage, owing to the cloudy and dull state of the weather. On Saturday they held their usual weekly sale of horses, drays &c., hut the weather evidently marred its progress, and consequently very little business was done. In the afternoon they submitted a number of fruit and forest trees, and shrubs, but being rather early in the season for planting, only a few lots were disposed of, which brought prices satisfactory to the vendor.

Messrs Maclean and Stewart report for the past week as follows : Horses—4B horses were on Saturday entered at their yards for sale, a number of which were very good useful farm sorts, but owing to a certain extent to the wet day there was little business done, the demand for all kinds of horses being extremely dull, and where sales were effected! a considerable reduction in prices had to be given. They placed -14 head at the following prices From £l9 to £24 for fair good draughts; from £l3 to £l6 for ordinary harness horses ; and from £8 to £lO for inferior.

Sheep—Store sheep are difficult to sell, ahd they have no sales of importance to report since last week. At the Washdyke yards on Monday last they offered, a line of about 700 merino wethers, bdt they„were passed in, the prices offered not reaching owners’ideas. Pat sheep—At Studholme Junction on Monday they sold a line of prime fat merino wethers, about 650 at 9s 9d, and privately they sold 1400 prime cross-breds, ewes and wethers, at a satisfactory price. Cattle.—Store cattle are in rather better demand, but the prices still offered are much under values, At Washdyke sale they yarded a number of odd lots, but a considerable proportion was passed in. At Studholme Junction on the 6th, they sold 20 steers and heifers at from £5 to £6 2s 6d ; also 19 steers, heifers and cows, from £3 10s to £B.

Skins.—They held their usual fortnightly sale last Wednesday, and sold the various lots at from 2s Od to 3s 6dfor medium farmers’ lots.

Messrs Southan and Stubbs report for their weekly market and auction on Saturday as follows:—The attendance was in excess of previous occasions, the entries were large, and all submitted brought very fair prices:—Blue and red Derwent potatoes—There was a large quantity to hand, and now the Victorian market has been supplied, they have somewhat declined in price. Sales, 455, 48s, to 645, closing at 48s; onions, 4s 8d : per cwt for line of inferior ; 8s 6d to 9s 4d for good sound sorts; damaged wheat, 9s 6d, 4s, to 4s 6d per bag, sacks included ; chicken wheat, 9s to 12s per bag ; damaged oats—this line was cleared at 5s per sack; bacon, 4d to 6d for good prime; hams, inferior to finest, 4d to 8d per lb. Cheese is now in fair demand, but little for ham. Sales at 3Jd Jfor inferior to 6Jd for good sorts, -Fowls, plucked, 2s 9d to 3s per pair; do, in feather, 2s to 2s 6d ducks, 3s fid, 3s 9d, to 4s per pair; geese, ss, 5s 6d, to 6s 6d, A number of lines of useful household furniture and effects were disposed of, which brought very fair prices. On the whole business shows an improving tendency.

Messrs William Collins and Co. report a large attendance at their regular weekly produce sale on Saturday. They quote: —Flour. £l2 ; potatoes, 50s to 65s pef ton; carrots, 50s ts 555, bags in; seconds wheat, 2S'9d to 3s per bushel; fowl wheat, 8s to 12s per sack onions. 7s per cwt; cheese, 4id per lb ; t keg batter, 8d to lOd ; bacon, cured, fid ;' hams, fid ; bacon, pigs

3Jd per lb; oats, 3s; fowls, 2s to 3s per pas; geese, 6s 6d per pair; ducks, 4s 6d per pair f cock canaries, 10s each ; pigeons §s Gd per dozen. Groceries were. in good demand at the following figures: —Soar» lls per owt; box tea, 14s; white sugar, 4d per lb; Do Roubaix candles, B|djper lb. Furniture and sundries found buyers during the day at satisfactory rates. At the sale of stores ex City of Perth, held by them-ron Wednesday, - June 6, at their rooms, there was a large attendance cf buyers, and all lots were qnitted : at prices which leave no cause for complaint- from the captain - and' owners of the ship; On Friday, June. 9, they held a clearing sale of the stock-in-trade of a beer bottler on the preraiscs.Sopfiia street, when the whole lot was cleared at fair rates.