COMMERCIAL

Southland Times, Issue 17934, 27 January 1917, Page 4

COMMERCIAL

SOUTHLAND STOCK AND PRODUCE MARKETS. TIMES OFFICE. Friday. . OATS,—There is not a great deal of business doing, northern buyers seeming inclined to hang off. However, there is very little available in Southland at the present time. Vendors in Canterbury are still offering to sell for forward delivery round about 3/-, and this is having the effect of keeping down the prices for immediate delivery. To farmers the best prices offering in the meantime is 2/6, 0.t., but, for the beat part, farmers are not inclined to accept this figure. CHAFF. —The market is inclined to bo easier as deals are now more plentiful. Nominally, prime chaff is worth £3 5/-, 0.t.. but merchants are not very anxious to buy. owing to the shortage of storage aeeninmodutiun. POTATOES.—So far there is very little doing in potatoes, sales being confined to small distributing lots from half a tun or so. The price is about l'/4d per lb wholesale. RYEGRASS. —Some new season’s seed lias now been thresiled, and has been offering. Farmers, however, seem disinclined to sell at the prices which merchants are offering—about 3/-, o.t. In view of the low prices being accepted in Canterbury, it does not look as though tiie outlook is very hopeful for higher prices. Of course the quality of Southland seed this season Is probably as good as it ever has been, which may mean that it will be preferred to the lighter Canterbury seed. UEMF. —The market is firm, although the shipping difficulty is still present. High-fair is worth £35, 0.t., or possibly a shade more. WHEAT and FLOUR, —There is nothing lining in the wheat market owing to tiie fact that none is offering from the country. Flour remains unchanged, the wholesale price being £ls 10/- per ton. .STOCK.—Business at present is limited, but. as soon as the handling of the wool is over for the season agents and farmers are bound to get down to work again and the market ought to be livelier. The market continues very firm for fats of both descriptions, freezing operators being very keen to get supplies and even outbidding butchers at recent sales. A greater enquiry than has been the case Cor tiie last week or two is noticeable in store sheep circles. The recent rains have apparently been most beneficial, and certainly rape and turnip crops have been pushed forward in fine style hy the past week or so’s showers. Good store cattle —both well-grown ami young stuff—are in better demand than some time ago, and, although prices arc hardly up to those obtaining six weeks ago, there is really very little difference. There is likely shortly to be a greater enquiry from the north for young stuff, and this ought to have u hardening effect on the local market. Values may be quoted;— FAT (BATTLE. —Ox beef, 44/6 to 46/-; heifer, 43/- to 44/-; cow, 41/- to 42/6. PAT SHEEP. —Extra prime wethers, 34, - to 36/-; prime, 32/- to 33/-; medium, 3u/. to 31/ . Extra prime ewes, 29/- to 30/-; prime, 26/- to 26/6; medium, 22/to 23/-. STORE CATTLE.—Three and 3 ‘A-year-old bullocks. £ll 5/- to £l2 15/-; 2 U-year-olds, £lO 10/- to £l2. Two-year-old steers, £9 10/- to £lO 5/-; 18-month-ers, £5 15/- to £6 12/6; yearlings, £4 10/- to £5. STORE SHEEP —Two-tooth ewes, 26/to 27/6; four-looth, 27/6 to 28/-: sixtooth, 26/- to 27/-; sound-mouth, 20/- to 21/-. Forward lambs, 18/6 to 20/-; medium sorts. 16/- to 17/6. Two-tooth wethers, 23/6 to 25/-; four-tooth, 28/- to 30/-. Tussock ewes, 25/- to 26/6; tussock lambs, 17/6 to 19/-. TOKAETCri STOCK SAT.n. Messrs Henderson and Co., Ltd., report that there was a fair yarding, as above. Prices were a little easier, and they passed one pen of cattle and one pen of sheep. They sold the balance of their entry as follows: —30 lambs at 25/-, 12 ewes at 18/4, 11 heifers at £lO, It) heifers at £8 15/-, 2 at £4 10/-, 1 steer at £4 10/-. Messrs Hunter Bros, and Rice report that a small entry came forward. The attendance of farmers and others was fairly large, and prices realised were quite equal to those ruling at other local markets, They offered and sold; 10 forward steers, £ll 15/-, 2 do. heifers at £9, cow and calf at £9, calf at 22/6, lat cow at £ll 10/-, store cow at £8 2/6. VTXNDHAM STOCK SALE. The National Mortgage and Agency Co., Ltd., report a good yarding of sheep and cattle. All classes of sheep met with keen demand. Cattle were slow of sale. Our sales were;— Hheep—in two-tootii wethers at 18/9, 88 do. 25/9, 106 lambs 21/-, 99 do. 20/7, 96 do. 17/8, 100 fat wethers 32/8, 38 do. 36,G0, 21 fat ewes 30/-, 10 do. do. 35/-, 13 do. lambs 28/6, 80 full and failing mouth ewes 16/1, 75 two-tooth ewes at 26/9, 15 do. R./S, 112 wethers 26/-, 2') do. 26/-, 25 do. 24/6. Cattle —Bull £7, cows at £7 2/6, £!) 15 £! 2, £ll 10/-, 9 steers £ll, 5 do. £7 5/-. Passed —300 two-tooth ewes at 26/3. Messrs Wright, Stephenson and i'o,, Ltd., report:—A fair entry of sheep earue forward for tiie- ordinary monthly sale. The quality, if anything, was not up to its usual, the bulk of the entry being old ewes. For anything in forward condition ttiere was a good demand, hut low conditioned stuff was hard to quit. Wc sold-

! Sheep—ss lambs at 20/-, 10 cull lambs at 10/-, 41 b.m. ewes .17/6, 52 do. 17/10, 30 lambs 18/4, 30 ewes 18/10, 50 ewes 13/1, 38 f.m. ewes 19/-, li old ewes 11/-, 100 forward ewes 22/-, 37 fat lambs 26/-, 6 do. 25/6. 56 forward ewes 21/6, 17 small lambs 16/-. Cattle —A medium entry. The demand throughout was barely up to last month's prices. We sold—fat cows at £l3 12/6, £ll 10/-, £ll 5/-, £lO 10/-. £lO, £9 5/-, 11 yearling heifers £4 2/6, !) forward heifers £7 12/6, 2 yearlings at £2 17/6, bull £7 12/6. Messrs Hunter Bros, and Rice report a large yarding of both sheep and cattle. Bidding throughout was fairly brisk, ami the demand in all cases showed a slight increase on prices recently ruling. We sold as follows; — Cattle —22 two-year steers at £lO. 3 do. £9, 6 two-year do. £9 7/6, 1 do. £8 10/-, yearling steer £6. 16 do. £5 10/-, ; 2 do. £3 7/6; fat cows—£l4 7/6, £ll (2/), £l2 5/-, £l2 (3), 8 from £ll 7/G to £ll, I 9 from £lO 35/- to £9 5/-, 10 from £S 5/to £6 2/6, 12 calves at £3 2/-, 1 at £2 1/-, 5 dairy heifers at £5 6/-, dairy cows £lO 12/6. Sheep—Wc sold 6 fat ewes at 20/3, 41 f.m. ewes 16/2, 50 two-tooth ewes and wethers 18/3, 50 small lambs 14/-, 150 store lambs 21/11, 27 fat ewes 23/6, 77 store lambs 19/2, 10 lambs 20/-, 3 wethers 21/-, 48 two-tooth ewes 27/2. Pigs—Wc sold 9 weanors at from £1 8/6 to £1 3/-. Patriotic —We sold a horse (donated by Mr Henry Robinson to Red Cross Fund) at 25/-, the purchaser being Mr Allan Leitcli. Messrs Henderson and Co,, Ltd., report a fair yarding of sharp and cattle. The bidding on the sheep was brisk throughout, and all our lots were quitted at prices very satisfactory to vendors. Cattle sold well at from 10/- to 15/- a head over last month’s rates. The bulk of the yarding consisted of fat and forward cows and heifers, very few steers being yarded. We sold dairy herd on account of Mr W. W. Heaps, and considering the lateness of the season and the fact tliat a good few buyers had left before they could be offered for sale, the herd sold very well. Tie following were our chief sales; — Sheep—Sl two-tootli wethers 30/3, 77 two-tooth wethers 25/-, 289 two-tooth wethers 23/4, 6 fat ewes 30/-, 27 twotooth ewes 23/7, 85 two-tooth ewes 25/7, 38 lambs 25/-. Pigs—Two at 21/-, 4 at 20/-, 1 at 15/-, 2 at 10/-. Cattle—Dairy cows at £l2 10/-, £9 17/6, £9 15/-, £9 12/6, £9. £8 17/5, 3 at £8 15/-, £8 12/6, £8 10/-, £8 5/-, 17 10/-, 3at £7. Fat cows at £ls 5/-, £l3 10/-, 2 at £l2 5-/, £l2. 10 at £ll 10/-, £ll, £lO 15/-, 5 at £lO 12/6, 3 at £lO 10/-, £9 17/6, 3 at £9 13/6, £0 3 0/-, £9 2/G, £9. 6 at £S 10/-, £S 2/6. 2 at £8 3/-, I at £B, 2 at £7 17/-, £7, £6 5/-, 7 fat'bullocks at £ls 17/6, 2 empty heifers at £8 1/-, 2 steers at £5 5/-, heifer £4 2/6, heifer £1 10/-, bull at £lO, do. £9. CHRISTCHURCH PRODUCE MARKET. (Per United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, January 36. There lias been a fair amount of wheat offering, hut, in the uncertainty regarding price, little business has been done. It is reported that a few straight-out sales have taken place at 5/6 to 5/9 at country stations, and others nominally at 5/6, and subject to adjustment if a price is fixed by the Government. Very few oats are offering and prices are unchanged. Barley is now beginning to come forward and the quality varies considerably, ranging from feed to prime malting. The latter is selling at 4/- to 5/3, and medium quality and feed lines at lower rates. Owing to farmers being busy with the grain harvest there is a mucli smaller quantity of grass seed offering. The scarcity of good samples has made this quality a little firmer, and more attention is being paid to 201b to 231b seed, which is selling at from 2/6 to 3/1, and under 201bs at 2/- and upwards. Borne business has been done in new oatsheaf, sales having beeh made at from £3 5/- to £3 10/- for early delivery, and £3 for forward delivery at country stations. MELBOURNE MARKETS. (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association). MELBOURNE, January 26. Barley, English, 4/3 to 4/6; Cape. 3 - to 3/3. Oats, milling Algerians, 2/3 to 2/3' A; feed, 2/1 to 2/2. Potatoes, £3 10/to 16 10/-. Onions, £7 to £7 10/-.