COMMERCIAL

Southland Times, Issue 16786, 15 July 1911, Page 4

COMMERCIAL

PRODUCE PRICES CURRENT,

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 1911. WHOLESALE. Fresh Farm Butter, lid. Fresh Separator Butter, is. Factory Butter, %lb prints, Is 3%d. ■ Eggs, Is 3d. ■ Potatoes, £3. Flour, £9 to £9 15s. Oatmeal, £l3 to £l3 103. ■ Bran, £5. Pollard, £6 j.os. Chaff, £4 10s. BSTATL. Fresh Farm Butter. Is Id. . Fresh Separator Butter. Is 2d. Factory Butter, %lb prints, Is sd. Eggs, Is 6d. Potatoes, 4s per cwt. Cheese, Sd per lb up to 61b, over that quantity open. Bacon, sliced, lOd per lb. Hams, lOd. Flour : 2001b 20s, 1001b 10s 6d, 501b 5s 6d, 251b 3s. Pollard, 7s 6d Oatmeal, 501b 7s 9d, 251b 4s Bran, 6s. Chaff, 5s per cwt. Onions 12 or lOlbs, Is. Turnips, swedes, 2s sack. fOOTHLAUD STOCK AND PRODUCE MARKET. TIMES OFFICE. Friday. Business in the stock market continues to be fairly brisk, a noticeable feature being a decided diminution in the yardings that have come under notice. Reports from Gore are to the effect that at the stock sale on Tuesday last there was the smallest yarding of sheep that had been experienced during the past six months. FAT CATTLE. —These continue to gel! well, there being a decided firmness for good prime finished stuff. Prime ox, up to 35s per lOOlbs ; heifer, up to 30s. STORE CATTLE. —The enquiry, for well-bred, good-conditioned sorts is good, but this class is scarce. Unless in fairly good condition there is little demand. Cows coming to profit and springing heifers are being sought after, and for this class of stock good prices are Dbtainable. Good three-year-olds for turniping sell readily at from £6 15s to 'S 5s ; two-year-olds, £5 to £6 ; yearnings, £3 5s to £3 15s : calves, £2 to *3.

FAT SHEEP. —The demand for fat vethers continues keen. For good stuff - shade more than 4d per lb may be obtained. Prices rule 19s to 22s for prime, 17s 6d to iSs Gd for lighter sorts. STORE SHEEP. —During the week the demand for store lines has if anything declined slightly, but, nevertheless, a nealthy tone still pervades the market, and good, strong, well-constitutioned jheep are keenly competed for. Within the next month it is expected that there will be a distinct advance. Prices ruling are :—Four-tooth ewes, 18s to 19s : two-tooths, 16s to 17s ; four, six, and eight-tooth, 14s to 15s Gd ; failingmonth, good sorts in lamb, Ids to 11s 6d : ewe lambs, 14s to 15s Gd for tiptop sorts : mixed sexes, 11s Gd to 13s ; •wether lambs, 11s to 12s ; small. 9s to 10s Gd : four and six-tooth wethers, 15s to 16s : two-tooths, 14s to 15s Gd. FAT LAMBS. —The Home market continues good and a shade more than 6%d per lb may be obtained, offerings, however, being meagre. The advance In prices, unfortunately, arrived too late tor farmer*’ to benefit hv it

OATS. —There is very little doing, although export prices are unchanged, merchants asking 2.s C V2 d for A Cartons; 2s 6d for A Sparrowbills and B Cartons ; and 2s 5%d for B Sparrowbills. Sales have been effected at those figures, but no large quantities can be purchased on this basis. As business is restricted, merchants are not eager to buy from farmers, and will purchase only at a slight reduction to the figures lately ruling. Prices to farmers may be quoted for A Cartons 2s l%d, 0.t., s.e., and correspondingly less juices for B Cartons and A and B Sparrowbills. At present the volume of Southland business is being done about Gore, as Dunedin merchants are buying there er. store and railing through to Dunedin where shipping facilities are better than at Bluff, the services from Dunedin being more frequent and more regular. Southland merchants are considerably hampered owing to the fact that for Napier, Gisborne, and Auckland there is a direct boat only, in the most favourable circumstances, about once in three weeks, and more frequently the interval is considerably longer. Boats leave from Dunedin for these ports twice a week. CHAFF. —The market continues firm, and merchants are offering £3 15s, 0.t., although in most cases £4, 0.t., has had to be paid. POTATOES. —The market continues quiet, there being very little demand from the North for table potatoes. Merchants are still disposed to remain inactive, unless in the region of £2 10s o.t. Growers, however, do not appear to be at all anxious to sell at this low figure, most of them asking for £3, 0.t., but in the meantime merchants cannot afford to pay this price. HEMP. —The market is about the same as last week, and there is not a great demand. Nominally prices to millers are £ls 10s, 0.t., for fair, and £l6 15s for good fair, nett. RYEGRASS. —There is practically nothing doing. Very little Is offering from farmers, and merchants are busy getting ready for cleaning for the spring ; but good types of farmers’ undressed lines are worth 2s 9d, 0.t., and for extra prime lots probably a little more can be obtained.

WHEAT. —The Home market is rather firmer, but this has had practically no effect locally, owing to most lots being now in millers’ hands, and farmers who do happen to be holding are as a rule unwilling to accept prices millers are offering, viz., 3s to 3s Id for red straw and 3s Id to 3s 2d for Tuscan and velvet, o.t, s.e. DAIRY PRODUCE. —Butter buyers are still much perturbed over the present price asked by factories, to 16d per pound. Many firms some time ago concluded contracts with retailers at ll%d, and where they have not covered must be losing fairly substantial sums. There is not expected to be any relief until the new season’s make comes in, somewhere about the middle of next month. In the meantime some factories will have to continue buying butter to meet their engagements. But little assistance may be looked for from Australia, where the price rapidly advanced so soon as New Zealand became a buyer. The trouble all seems to have arisen over the shortage of the May make, which caught many people napping. Some factories have intimated that offers of ltd for the July-August makes combined would be considered if made. A shipment of 320 boxes of butter arrived at Wellington from Australia this week. Latest cables from Sydney 'indicate a drop of Id per lb on Saturday. Victoria’s butter exports for the season just closed amounted to a c.i.f. value of £2,483,665, as against £1,613,024 for the previous season. Cheese export values, too, advanced from £2653 in 1910 to £13,601 this season. Dalgety’s (London) report that the United Kingdom has received this season over 35,000 tons of butter from Australia, and more than 15,000 from New Zealand, making a total of at least 50 v OOO tons. “It is remarkable that arrivals have been cleared as rapidly and at such good prices as have been the case. The season has proved the truth of warnings we have given more than once to the effect 'that if factories do not take particular care to keep up their quality, they would find one day a very wide margin bet cen finest and secondary and inferior, with a consequent heavy loss on badlymade butter.”

Referring to Australian cheese in London, Dalgety’s state that they have been sold at good prices during the season. “We have,” they conclude, “considerable confidence in the future prospects for Australian cheese consigned to London.” At the moment, the English and local prices for New Zealand cheese are very firm. WOOL. —The cable message from London with reference to the July wool sale, which opened on Tuesday last, will be eagerly scanned at this end. The offering wlil consist of some 175,500 bales, 20,500 bales more than were offered at the July sale last year. It is feared that there may be a decline of 5 per cent, to IVs per cent, on the May prices. This conclusion is arrived at by the absence of American competition ; the dullness of trade following the big shipping strike ; and the dispute of the woolcombers. The recent Antwerp sales, too, showed prices for both fine and coarse wools to be slightly easier. Reporting on the May series, Jacomb, Son, and Co. stated that the brighter prospects indicated at the opening series were 'not fully maintained throughout. “Towards the middle 'of the second week a distinctly weaker tone In the biddings was manifested, and it can hardly now be claimed that any wool is selling at higher prices than in March-April, while medium and fine crossbreds, short and faulty scoured locks and pieces, and some of the lower grades of greasy merinos are certainly cheaper than at the opening by 5 per cent. Low and poor slipes and rough crossbreds have continued to be well competed for up to the close, at prices almost on par with opening rates.” The U.S.A. bought 1000 bale>. Withdrawals were somewhat heavy, and the quantity held over for July was rather larger than was at one time anticipated. There was no limit fixed for the July sales. In Australia it would seem that there is an uneasy feeling as to the future of the market. A heavy clip is anticipated for next season, but it is far too early to say much about it at the present time. In any case some reservation should be shown in accepting such “preliminary” reports. Much was made at Home about this time last year, and the market was depressed in consequence. Early in the season these estimates had to be corrected as the wool opened out. It is hoped this 1911-12 season that the misleading reports which gained currency early in the season just closed will not be repeated, and that the mistakes which were made will be avoided.

Rabbitskins.—The following prices are being paid in Invercargill for rabbitskins;—Superior high country winter does, ISVzd: medium winter does. 15dto leVfcd; winter bucks, 15d to 17d; incoming winters, 15d to 15% d; autumns, lid to I4Vid; summers, Sd to 9 J /6d; superior winter black, 20d; low country skins are ruling Id to less. Sheepskins.—Best half bred ?l-wool. in good condition, 6d to 7d per lb; best halfbred, ■% to full wool, in good condition, 6d to 6%d per lb; best merino, 5d to 6V 3 d per lb; lambskins, fid to fiV&d per lb; pelts. 2i/.d to 4Vid per lb. Hides. —Good average bides in good condition, fid to per lb. Calfskins. —Calfskins, in good condition. fid to B%d per lb; inferior calfskins, 4d to 5d per lb. CDEABZNCI SALE AT MOKOBETA. Messrs Henderson and Co. report: We conducted a sale of Mr W. 11. Johnstone's farming stock at Mokorota on Thursday, as advertised, and although the weather was very unfavourable there was a good attendance of buyers present. The farm having been sold to Mr James-Reid, of the Lakes District, everything went under the hammer for absolute sale, and throughout bidding was brisk. The dairy herd, consisting of well-bred and young cows( came in for much attention, three cows making £lO apiece and several others coming within close range of this figure. The horses were good workers and of the right ages and very satisfactory prices were realised for them. All present were hospitably treated by Mrs Johnstone and her assistants. The chief sales were:—Draught gelding, 7yrs. £3l; do., syrs, £35 10s; draught mare, syrs, £3l 10s; harness gelding, £l4 ss; harness mare, £l4; 2yr gelding, £l3; two hacks £9 and £8 ss; three cows at £10; three do. £9 2s fid to £9; six cows, £8 5s to £8; four do. £7 5s to £7; three do. £6 10s to £6; six do. £5 15s to 5 ss; 10 ewes at 11s 7d. A number of implements and a quantity of sundry lots also sold at satisfactory prices.

HAWKE’S BAY FARMERS’ CO-OP. NAPIER. July 14. (Per United Press Association.) The annual meeting of shareholders of the Farmers’ Co-operative Association adopted the report recommending a dividend of 3 per cent., a bonus of 25 per cent, on commissions, a bonus of 5 per cent, on salaries earned, and that £IOOO be carried forward, in moving the adoption of the report, Mr H. D. D. McLean, Chairman of Directors, said that the prospects of the wool market were very bright. A Bradford man had informed him that tlie market would he good next rear. He also referred to the prospects of introducing New Zealand frozen meat into continental markets. The meeting resolved to increase the share capital to £200.000 by the creation of an additional 20,000 shares of £5 each. WAIIZI : ' 11133. (By Telegraph—Press itian.— Copyright.) LAN DON. July 13. Waihi ; Buyers. G2s 6d ; sellers, 655. Junction : Buyers, 26s lOd; sellers, 2Ss. Talisman ; Buyers, 48s 9d ; sellers, 51s 3d. TEE WOOE SAI.ES. LONDON, July 13. There is strong competition In crossbreds, with prices unchanged. There is a capital selection of merinos, which show a hardening tendency. CO-OPERATIVE INSURANCE. SYDNEY, July 14. The promoters of the Co-operative Assurance Company state that the New South Wales issue is largely over-applied for. DUNEDIN STOCK EXCHANGE. (Per United Press Association.) DUNEDIN, July 14. Dunedin Stock Exchange sales : Waitangi, 3s 2d ; Waihi Grand Junction, 28s 3d and 27s 9d. Sales reported : Union S.S., 41s 9a ; Saxon, 2s 5d ; New Sylvia, 3s lOd, Waihi Grand Junction, 27s 9d. DREDGING RETURNS. DUNEDIN, July 14. Dredging returns : 909 dredge, 117oz sdwt ; Electric No. I, 740z 3dwt ; Good Chance, 490z 6dwt ; Karaunui, 460z 11 dwt ; Koputai, 41oz 12dwt ; Electric No. 11, 260z lldwt ; Walkala, 19oz 7dwt ; Central Charlton, ISoz lOdwt : Hartley and Riley, 17oz ; Manuherlkia, IGoz ; Masterton. 12oz 7dwt ; Mystery Flat, Soz 6dwt.