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Southland Times, Issue 3361, 29 March 1879, Page 2

' (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH). '„ I > , Dunedin, March 28. Mr Henry Driver (on behalf of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Limited) leports „for the Iweek ending 26th March as follows : —The following fat stock came forwaid at the yards to-day, viz,:—l9 calves, 3675 sheep. 334 lambs, and a number of fat cattle. About half weie of fair to prime'quality, the remainder medium. Store bullocks brought up to £12 10s per head, cows up to £12 5s —or equal to"3os per lOOlbs for prime quality, medium, 24s to 275. At the-above quotations/we sold a draft'of'3s headat-theyards,-and have placed 600 head privately at f nil market iate_.. „ Fat Calves — 19 were yarded,'and sold at late quotations/ Fat Sheep —These consisted of cross-breds and merinos, but > the 5 snpply being too large for theji-equirementsof the tiade, competition was rather languid, and a.consideiable number were turned, out unsold. Be3t cross-breds brought np to lls6d each; merinos (medium.), 7s. We quote mutton at 2d per lb. ' We sold 600 at above lates, Fat Lambs —These'were sold at 0s 3d to lis each. Store Sheep—We have no change Atd report in this class of stock. Inquiry .cdntinues brisk for young sheep,, especially merinos, of whieh few, are offering. 'During the past week, wc have placed 1000 merino wethers. Store Cattle —' No transactions to report. Mr J. Fleming/ reports :—Wheat, 3s Gd to 3s 9J uer.- bushel :< fowls.' feed, 2s Cd to 3s; gate,.new 2s'6'dl-tQ' 2s Bd,'old 2s 0d to 3s per

bushel ; barley, 5s 6d to 8s ; feed, 3s to 3s 6d per^bushel ; potatoes, £4 iOs to*£s per ton ; hay, new -_S4, oJa. £6 per ton i chaff, £4 to io\£4'lol"per ton': straw, £2 per ton; bran, £4 per ton; flour (large 1 sacks), £9 to £9 10s "per ton ; oatmeal, £17 per ton ; pearl barley, £26 per ton A onions, *9d per cwt.; cheese, 6£d" to "7d per lb,: bacon, 9£d perlb.--;' s v -"--' * " '/ " Messrs Anderson and Co., millers, report: — Four in sacks, £9 10s ; oatmeal, 1 £18 ; pollard, £5 ; bran, £4 10s per ton ; pearl barley, £26 ; -fowlsVwheat,~2s 9d to 3s 6d per bushel ; new oats, 2s 9d." .- - - Christchurch; March 28: Grain quotations : — Wheat "remains about the same as last week's quotations. The disposition amongst farmers to.selLwith greater freedom continues, although large quantities are still going into port for shipment on pro- , ducers' account. For best milling, we quote 3s 3d to 3s sd, and for extra choice lots a shade over that figure might be obtained. Average parcels range from 3s to 3s 2d. The demand for chicken wheat is maintained, and lots of this description find ready buyers. - Pats are quiet. Our Southern friends monopolise outside orders just now, and likely to do so. Fu-st-class milling may be quoted at 2s lid to 3s, and good feed at 2s 9d to 2s lOd. ■Transactions, however, at these rates have not -been extensive, and the prospects of an immediate improvement in prices is considered remote. . Barley values have not undergone much appreciable change. Best malting samples ai e still quoted at 5s 6d to 6s, and other kinds at 4s 7d to 5s 3d. Potatoes are coming into notice, although business is yet meagre. Prices range fiom 50s to 655, according to quality. Flour — For the best brands, closing quotations are unaltered, £8 to £9 being paid. Grass Seed— Tbe inquiry for rye grass during the week has been even worse than the preceding, and prices have in consequence weakened where sales f be . made. \We doubt if quotations!.'- could b,e realised^'riiore 4 especially if the parcels offered was a laige one. Ciean samples are worth 4s 9d to ss, and good to fair lots 4s 3d to 4s 6d. Several medium-sized lines of cocksfoot have been sold within the last day or so "at 50 to 54s per cwt. Dairy Produce — The price of butter continues! abouti 10d.- • Cheese is in fair demand, at 6d to 6£d. ln hams and bacon, we have no alteration lb repdrt*.\~ "The weather , during the:, past week "been 1 ' cool, : and there has been a~ nice fall of rain in some por Lions of the province, though 'in' "'the immediate neighborhood of Christchurch, which is suffering from drought, the country looks parched up, ana j very "bare of pasture. We hear complaints of I the'spread of aphis over; both' turnip and rape, crops, so that the prospects of winter feed is certainly not improving. At Addington on Wednesday last, 4332 sheep and lambs. 276 cp.( tie. and 92 p;gs were yarded for the week. Of sheep, there was a moderate supply for trade purposes, of medium .quality, for which there was but little competition. v Most of 'the line was cleared, last week's quotations being barely maintained. Fat beef is in fair supply, Doth in quantity and quality, but meets with, but' little attention from the^lrade. ' Prices receded fiom last week's quotations, best quality, summer weights, barely making 255 ; medium, 21s 6d to 24s 6d. Fat lambs are in short supply, and no demand, the best making 6s- 6d; inferioi, downwards. Pigs are selling freely at fair prices, according to description and quality. In slore stock there is no improvement in. this description, and With < the winter approaching there is but little prospect of any change. , Nothing but well conditioned young cattle claim any attention, aud even for these glaziers are careless to compete., Cull sheep now find a nominal value for boiling. The coin exchange in their weekly report say there has been an average amount of business done during the week. Wheat continues to be shipped in laige quantities to London. Grain carried by Christchuich, Dunedin. and Inveicargill railway, for eight weeks ending March 8, shows an increase over quantity carried during same period last year by 6170 tons. The total .grain carried for the eight weeks this year has r?ached 27,168 tons. Although this may appear large and a guage of the carrying capabilities of our railways, it is insjgnificantand as compared with Victorian railway facilities^ as it is recorded that for the first two weeks in this year, 16,834 tons of grain and flour were carried over the Victorian line3 to Melbourne. The conclusion is palpable that, -in Victoria, in two weeks, the railways do as much work in the, grain, line as is done by the New Zealand railways in eight weeks. This clearly illustrates the fact that our carrying system by the New Zealand Railway is defective. Business during the week has beeu at a stand still. Storekeepers evince no disposition to buy, and importers are equally indifferent about selling except to well-known marks. The feeling of distrust, which has been growing stronger week by week, has been intensified by the suspension of Mr Wm. Saunders, though when the causes of this gentleman's "embarrassment are fully considered it ought not to affect commercial credit, seeing that disaster has been brought brought about by adverse circumstances outside his mercantile operations. To the locking up of capital in the purchase and improvement of lands, losses on cropping, heavy aisburseinents in fanning plant, aud interest on mortgages, must be . attributed the cause of Mr Saunders' difficulties, which doubtless would have been averted but for short crops and the impossibility of realising on propeKies at the present moment.' It is therefore to be hoped that alarm will not' be kindled from causes so remotetfrom comI mercial pursuits. ' Some large b'nes of merchandise were at auction on Thursday at the stores ''of Messrs Dalgety and Co., when the prevail, ing'dulness in trade was fully exemplified by the spiritless bidding. Sydney, March 28. | Adelaide flour is unchanged, Wheat, 5s 3d ; New Zealand wheat. 4s 3d to 4s 6d ; New Zealand oaLS,3sCd: Kerosene, rice, tobacco, and sugars without quotable change.