COMMERCIAL.

Southland Times, Issue 16689, 18 March 1911, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

PRODUCE PRICES CURRENT. THURSDAY. MARCH 16, 1911. •he following prices are approxmate quotations. The quotations are obtained each week from the Secretary of the Grocers’ Association, and are a fair statement of the current market, but are, of course, liable to fluctuations . WHOLESALE. Fresh Farm Butter 9d Separator Butter lOd. Factory Butter Is llAd Eggs is id per dozen Potatoes £3 per ton. Flour, £9 to £9 15s. Oatmeal, £ll to £ll 10s. Bran, £4. Pollard. £6 10s. Chaff. £4 10s. RETAIL, Fresh Farm Butter lid Separator' Butter Is Factory Butter Is 3d Eggs Is 4d Potatoes 4s 6d cwt. 201b Is. Chese, 8d per lb. up to 61bs, over that quantity, open. Bacon, sliced, lOd per lb. Hams. lOd. Flour, 2001bs 20a ; 1001b, 10s 6d ; 501b, 5s 6d ; 251b, 3s. Oatmeal, 50ibs, 6s 9d; 251ba, 3a 6d. Pollard. 7s 6d per 1001b Bran, 5s per bag. Chaff, 5s per cwt Onions 161bs Is. OUTHLAND STOCK, GRAIN, Etc., MARKET. Times Office, Friday. Fat Sheep.—The number of fat ewes ion offer is interfering with the fat wether trade and with pasturage improving the market is likely to be well supplied for some time. Fair values are from 15s 6d to 16s 6d for best wethers, and 10s 6d to 13s for best ewes. Stord Sheep.—The change in climatic conditions has practically been the salvation of the store sheep trade. Feed was becoming so scarce that many farmers were compelled to accept practically any offer made to them, and prices had consequently reached a very low ebb. A spell of warm weather will now result in the refreshened grass springing up apace, and the market will gradually firm and improve. Young ewes In particular will be in demand between now and tupping time. Uamaru and other northern districts are expected to be large buyers in due course, stock in those centres having been almost cleared out through absence of feed. When northern buyers return to operations, rates should resume something like old proportions. Current quotations may be, set down at from 15s to 16s for 2tooth ewes, 16s to 17s 6d for 4-tooths, B4s to 14s 6d for 6 and 8-tooths, 10s 6d to 12s for guaranteed sound-mouths, and pp to 7s for older ewes. Two-tooth wethers are worth up to 13s, and 4 and «-tooth up to "S4s Cd. Lambs. Fat lambs rule at 4d per lb, equivalent to 13s and 13s fid per bead, according to weight. The freezing works are all busily engaged. Store lambs have, despite the drought, always had a healthy tone, especially for

Fat Cattle.—The Wallacetown sales on Tuesday were responsible for a decline in beef to about 25s per IOOIbs. but the same cannot be regarded as a fair criterion of the true state of the market. There were not many fished ewes. Best lines sell freely at up to 11s 3d, and average lots range from 6s 6d 10s. beasts on offer, most of the yarding being restricted to rouj.'.i sorts. Owing to muggy weather butchers also only operated on a small scale. Holde. ; of prime fat stock continue very firm in their ideas of value, and quite anticipate a rise by next month. In private dealing with forward delivery not less than 29s per 1001' s for best ox beef and from 21s to 23s for cow and hei'.r beef is accepted. Se -ral lines have this week been picked up by no hern butchers and >' >alers at the rates quoted. Store Cattle. —Until tlv a" ent of the rain store cattle eased somewhat in price through feed getting short, farmers being compelled to restrict their holdings instead of buying new or additional stock. Now, however, transactions will again become brisk and recent rates will hold. Vales are from £6 10s to £7 10s for three-year-olds. £4 10s to £5 10s for two-year-olds, up to £3 10s for yearlings, and up to 30s for calves. Oats. Comparatively few samples of oats are offering, growers anticipating that prices will harden. What .sales have taken place Iw.ve been mostly at the rate of from is lid to Is I *-/.d per bushel on tn cks country stations for A Cartons, but 2s is the minimum price at which farmers generally are disposed to deal. As stated last week local merchants cannot at current rates afford to speculate, and only hand-to-mouth buying is taking place to meet orders received. Shipments have this week been made from Bluff to Auckland and other northern ports, and until fresh demands come to hand from those quarters little business will be passing. The North Island is importing Algerian oats from Australia, such grain being obtaina’-'e ->t a cheaper scale than Southland oats, but its quality is admitted to be much inferior to the Southland article. Wheat. —The course of the world’s wheal markets during the week has again been unfavourable to sellers, the position iu London being influenced by pressure to sell cargoes from India. Australia, ami the Argentine Republic, especially the last - mentioned. Local millers continue to give from 2s lid to ,3s per bushel on trucks country stations for velvet, and from 2s 9d to 2s ltd for

Red varieties. Several growers are. however, putting their wheat into store on the off - chance of getting higher values later on. the opinion entertained by them being that at any rate the market will nut further depreciate. Chaff. —A fair quantity of new season's chaff has been bought at from £3 5s to £3 10s per ton on trucks country stations, aim old chaff is being purchased at up to £3 15s. The market is firm at these lutes and business as brightened up. Rye-grass. Little or'no business has been passing tiiis week, exports having temporarily ceased. 2s 9d to 3s per bushel still the nominal value. POTATOES. —£3 per ton on trucks is expected to be the basis of operations in potatoes for shipping purposes, but so far little, if any, business lias been transacted. HEMP.—Without any apparent cause, except recent difficulties in Manila, the hemp market is improving week by week, and there has been a rise of quite £2 per ton from the lowest point of a month ago. Values now are £2O 15/ per ton for "good fair” and £2O for "fair,'' equivalent to £l6 15/ and £l6 respectively to the miller after allowing for merchants' commission. The improved market has been taken advantage of for consignments afloat or already landed in London, but otherwise only a few sales are taking place at the figures mentioned, millers in respect of store.-; or contracts for forward delivery bolding on for. a still further advance. There is also a small local enquiry for "high point good fair" at about £l9 on trucks, but only one or two Southland mills turn out that article. With prices gradually reaching a payable basis the industry looks like once more entering into some degree of prosperity. TOW.—The tow market is very Arm and values are £5 5/ per ton for third grade and £5 15/ for second grade. Very little is, however, offering, and demands are much in excess of the supply. Bnr&BSSAiii: stock sals. There was a yarding of about 5000 sheep at the Riversdale saleyards yesterday and the proceedings were conducted before a very large attendance of fanners. Apart from a good concourse of actual buyers, many agriculturists were present nut of curiosity to see how the market shaped as the result of the rain. Before the sale concluded rain recommenced and was received with general favour on all sides. The entry consisted mainly of ewes and' lambs. Prices had a healthier tendency of late and apart from a slight advance in rates the spirited bidding and willingness of farmers to operate indicated a renewal of confidence in Southland’s sheep trade. The N.Z. Loan Company had a catalogue of 2000 head and their sales are a criterion of the doings, viz.:— Ewes.--19 four-tooth Romneys (extra good) 19s, with same number of lambs, 14s; 65 four-tooths, 14s lOd; 55 four and six-tooths, 14s sd; 70 sound-mouth-ed, 12s 2d; S7 ditto. 10s 2d; 116 ditto, 9s 6d; 92 full-mouthed, 6s 3d; 20 aged 6s; SO ditto, 5s I0d; 70 ditto, 5s 2d; 46 ditto, 5s Id; 30 ditto, 3s 6d. Lambs.—73 fats. 12s XOd; S3 ditto, 12s 6d: 70 ewe lambs, 11s 3d; 265 mixed sexes, 11s 2d: 240 ditto, 11s; 145 ditto, 10s Sd; 250 ditto (small), Bs.

AUSTRALIAN PRODUCE MARKETS. (By ' Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright). SYDNEY, March 17. Wheat is firm and there are small offerings to shippers at 3s 2d to 3s 3d, and to millers at up to 3s 4%d. Flour —The market Is quiet and Is unchanged at £B. Bran and pollard are quoted at £4 ss. Peas (Tasmanian), 4s 9d to 5s 3d. Oats —Tasmanian Sparrowbllls are quoted at 2s 8d; Algerian milling, 2s sd; feed oats, 2s 3d per bushel. Barley— Victorian (Cape), 2s 6d to 2s 8d per bushel. Maize. 2s 6d per bushel. Onions, £3 per ton Potatoes, £5 15s to £6 10s per ton. Butter, 86s per cwt. Bacon, 7d per lb. Cheese. 5d to sVid per lb. MELBOURNE, March 17. Hides are in fair supply and are an eighth ot a penny per pound dearer in all classes. Wheat, 3s per bushel. Flour, £7 15s per ton. Oats, Algerian, milling, to 2s Id; feed oats, Is liy 2 d per bushel; barley. English malting, 4s 9d per bushel; Cape, feed barley, 2s per bushel. Maize, 2a 2d to 2s 3d per bushel. Flour. £lO per ton. Onions, £2 ss. Potatoes, £3 10s to £4 per ton. ADELAIDE, March 17. There is a good demand for wheat, and shippers’ lots are quoted at 3s 4d per bushel. Sellers are asking slightly more but little business is being done. Flour is dull at £8 to £8 ss. Oats, Algerian, 2s Id to 2s 2d. Barley, malting, 3s 9d. LONDON WOOL SALES. LONDON, March 16. The wool sales are animated with a hardening tendency. Continental buyers are operating freely in medium and fine crossbreds. The sales included Ngalo, top price oy 2 d per lb, average B%d; Waihuka, lad and 9?id; Kaputone, 19d and 17-rsd. WAIHI SHARES. LONDON, March 16. Waihi quotations, 62s 6d and 655. CHRISTCHURCH PRODUCE MARKET (Per United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH. March 17. There is no change to be recorded in the local wheat market. There is not a very active demand for export, and buyers are giving only 2s lOd (o 2s lid at country stations, according to distance. There is a fillr quantity offering and the quality is excellent. Oats arc very linn and scarce, and Increased supplies cannot apparently be looked fur locally. 'Hie market is likely to be ruled by Southland, which has the bulk of the on I crop available for coastal Shipment or export. Oalsheaf chaff is without change. Partridge peas are in good supply and prices are fairly steady. DUNEDIN STOCK EXCHANGE. DUNEDIN. March 17. Stock Exchange sales:—Saxon, 2s 4d; sale reported—Waihi, £3 3s 6d.