COMMERCIAL.

Southland Times, Issue 1557, 29 March 1872, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

DUMEDIN. Messrs Driver, Stewart, an! Co. report for the week ending 23rd March : — Fat Cattle. — 20 heal were yarded on Wednesday, all good to prime quality, and mH with a brisk sale, realising an average of full 20* per 100 lbs. We quote medium qua'ity at 17s 6d. Fat Sheep. — The number penned was 550, all of which were cleared as follows : — Say, 390 cross-breds, at 9s to lis ; 100 merino wethers, 6s 3d; 60 lambs, 7s 6d. We have sold privately and delivered 800 merino wethers at 2d per lb. We quote prime quality cross-breds and full at 2id ; prime merino* full, 2d per lb. Store Sheep. — Transactions have been limited to the sale of a few lots of old ewes. Young sheep are in uncommon demand, but apparently the prioes offering fail to induce holders to place any upon the market. Nor is this altogether without reason, when it is considered that present quotations are but a shade in advance of the prices quoted and obtained in the corresponding month of last year, when wool was almost at its owest, and the prospects of the wool-growers anything but encouraging. Our quotations (nominal) are : — Cross-breds, 2 snd 4-tooth, 6s fid to 7s ; lambs, 6s ; merino wethers, 4 and 6-tooth, 4s 9i to ss ; merino wethers, 4 and 6 tooth, 4s 6d to 4s 9d ; do do, full-mouthed, 3s to 3s 3d ; broken-mouthed, Is 6d to 2s ; lambs, 4s. Store Cattle. — No transactions. Wool. — No public sales have been held, and the business done privately during the week bas been very limited. We placed 32 bales greasy fleece, BEST (say Best under the sun), at 13d per lb. Our next sale will be held on Wednesday, 27th inst., when we shall oifer a few choice clips and a number of odd lots, in all about 450 bales. Our London agents' report, via Suez, of date llth January, is as follows : — Since the close of the last sales there has been no alteration in the state of the wool market, which is still very firm, trade in the North being very active, and large orders having been booked at full rates. Stocks on hand are limited, and dealers Btand out for high prices, and as the quantity for offer at next sales will be moderate, we expect that present prices will be fully maintained. Should any alteration take place, we fancy there will be a further advance in values. About 30,000 bales have arrived to date for the February sales, which are fixed to commence on the Bth of that month. The public telegrams to hand by the same mail, announcing the opening of the sales, call for no comment. They are as followß : — The wool sales opened on the Bth, with 113,000 bales to hand. There was a crowded attendance, and spirited competition. 2d advance was established. And again, under date 17th February — The wool competition continues. Greasy is 2d, and unwashed and scoured 3d, perlb higher than in December. Medium sold at the greatest advance. New Zealand Flax.— The demand for this fibre has been well maintained Bince the December sales. Further quantities havebeen taken for export to America, and tbe market is now bare of all qualities. Quotations may be advanced about £2 per ton. For good and medium qualities, say, £32 to £35, and £28 to £31, respectively j common, £25 to £26, partly nominal, owing to want of supplies. The Otago Daily Times of the 25th inst. reports : — The grain market has not shown any great amount of briskness, and though we hear of good sized transactions taking place along the coast generally, the town operations have been slow, and the deliveries of grain light. A rather better supply of wheats has come to hand, chiefly from the North; the sales transpiring show a nearly stationary value, 4s 6d is the ruling figure for new samples ; for some old parcels on hand, 4s 9d is asked, but the excellence of the new samples is against this figure being obtained, and generally the millers are operating little upon the spot. In oats, gales have been making — both of new and of last season's — at 2s ; the demand is not, however, brisk. Barley (malting) is quoted at 4s 6d to 4s 9d, the quantity coming in light, and sales are made without difficulty. Townmade flour stands at £12, the demand confined to immediate requirements. Further shipments of potatoes from Victoria are to hand, and sales are reported at 80s and upwards. In colonial provisions there is no improvement upon the late low quotations observable.

The Oamaru Times of the 22nd inst. reports : — Wheat remains at 4s (nominal) for prime, difficult cf sale. Oats very dull. Is 61 to Is 9d. Barley, in good demand, 3s to 3s 6d, according to sample. Potatoes, none in the market. We learn that the yield has turned out much lighter than was anticipated. Many farmers have thrashed out, and it is said that for wheat not more than 15 bushels to the acre may be counted upon as the average.