COMMERCIAL

Southland Times, Issue 19459, 26 January 1925, Page 2

COMMERCIAL

THE RIALTO. William Todd and Co., Ltd., report the following sales for market day, Saturday, 24th Poultry: Heavy entry; poor demand. Hens 17- to 1/7. Cockerels 9d to 1/4. Ducks 1/7 to 2/1. Geese 3/3. Pigs: Good entry, demand easier. The entry comprised several lines of very small weaners which realised 10/6 to 20/-. Weaners 22/6 to 27/6, small stores 24/- to 30/-, stores £2 to £2 2/-, porkers £2 7/6 to £2 16/-. Produce: Potatoes 9/- to 12/- cwt, onions 12/- cwt, chaff £8 to £8 10/-, wheat 29/-, oats 18/- to 25/-, barley 22/6 to 25/-, partridge peas 25/-, crushed peas 20/-, crushed barley 15/-, pollard 14/6, bran 9/-, Rock Salt 9/' cwt, Farro Food 13/-, Moose Meal 20/-, Moose Nuts 18/6. Vegetables: Rhubarb 2d to 3d lb, cabbage 1/- to 2/9 dozen, lettuce 1/6 dozen, carrots 1/6 to 2/6 dozen, turnips 1/6 to 2/-. Miscellaneous: English barb wire 30/cwt r No. 8 galvanised wire 24/-, fowl netting 15/-, do. (6 feet) 29/- per 50yd roll, fireproof safes from £l2 10/-, Ceylon tea 2/3 to 2/6 lb. D. W. McKAY, LTD. Messrs D. W. McKay, Ltd., Exchange Mart, Invercargill, report as follows, 24/1/25 : Bacon Pigs.—During the hot weather consignors please communicate with us before consigning. We are paying top prices for bacon weights and receive any day except Saturday. Produce: The market is very quiet in regard to chaff and oats, there being very little demand. Fowl feed is scarce and buyers are inclined to pay the high prices asked for first-grade fowl wheat. Oats at 25/-, split peas 21/-, barley 25/-, are selling freely as fowl feed. Prime chaff £8 10/- per ton, oat dust 5/-, bran 9/6, pollard 11/6, onions 12/- cwt. Fruit.—Exceptionally busy week in this department. Large quantities of peaches, Apricots, plums and apples have reached the market from Central Otago; pears, apples and tomatoes from Nelson and bananas from Raratonga. The demand for fruit generally has been fairly good and prices realised have been as follows: Plums, Burbanks, 2d to 3d, jam plums 14d to 2£d, apricots 3/- to 6/- per box, crated apricots to 4id, peaches, boxes 3/- to 6/-, crated to 4d per lb. Grapes 1/10, loganberries 8d to lOd per lb, bananas, green 15/- to 27/- per case, tomatoes, Canterbury hothouse lOd, Nelson up to 6d lb, peas to 2d, new potatoes Id to lid, peanuts 5-id, walnuts 10id. General: Exchange tea 13/6 per 51b box, Ford motor van £3O, panel doors 10/to £l, sashes 6/- to 8/- each, Shacklock range £5. Furniture.—Fairly satisfactory business in this department, though the demand for furniture is not as good as it was some little time ago. Under the circumstances we are making special quotations to clean up stocks before the end of the month and buyers should note that for complete furnishing we are offering special inducements. BRAY BROS.

Messrs Bray Bros., Ltd., report exceptionally brisk business during the past week —very heavy consignments of fruit and vegetables have come forward daily, but the market has been able to absorb all the ripe fruit. Approximate prices:— Apricots 2d to lb, peaches 2d to 4d lb, nectarines 3Ad to s£d lb, pears 2d to 44d lb, plums 2d to 4d lb, apples—dessert to 5d lb, cooking apples to 3£d lb, raspberries from 7/6 to 12/6 bucket, loganberries to 15/- bucket, gooseberries 2d lb, tomatoes, hothouse 7id to 10Ad lb, outdoor grown from 4d to 9d lb, oranges, fresh stocks arrived from Melbourne to-day, to 27/6 case, bananas, Fiji arriving about the end of this week, beans to 3d lb, vegetable marrows 2Ad lb, cucumbers, hothouse 5/to 12/- dozen, outdoor grown 3/6 to 6/dozen, rhubarb from bld lb, cabbage from 1/- dozen. Produce: Onions 12/6 cwt, potatoes from 8/- to 10/- cwt, chaff to £8 15/-, wheat 25/- to 30/-, oats 18/- to 27/6, sorrell 5/-, oatdust 5/6, bran 9/6, pollard 14/6, Sucrosine—a high-grade pig food scientifically prepared—l 7- bag, straw £5 5/-, Lepp Salt Lick—the ideal cattle tonic—2/brick, honey, 101 b tins 6/-, 51b tins 3/6. Motor cars —we have a number for sale, and prices range from £l5 to £l5O. Indian “Scout” motor cycle, as new, any trial, £75 or near offer; Harley-Davidson and side-chair combination, £65 or near offer; B.S.A. motor cycle £2O; Douglas £lB. P'urniture: We supply furniture direct to the public, and our clients thereby get a “better” article at a lower price. We are at. present specialising in up-to-date Chesterfield suites in moquetle. These ar» absolutely the latest type of design—call and inspect. F. BOWDEN AND CO. F. Bowden and Co., report another very busy week, heavy supplies of stone fruit came to hand early in the week, but eased off towards the end. Apricots must be nearly finished. Peaches are short being between first and second crops. Some special lines of dessert plums are now coming to hand, and cookers are plentiful. Greengages are now coming forward in greater quantities, growers advise there is a great demand for them in Wellington, and we doubt if they will be any cheaper this year than what they are at present. Nectarines are slow in coming to hand only a few arriving. Tomatoes are more plentiful and prices are easier. Supplies of pears are about equal to demand, Bon Cretein are now arriving on to our market. New season’s dessert and cooking apples are advised. We handled an exceptionally good line of bananas on Wednesday, Fiji are expected next week. Raspberries are still coming to hand. Vegetables are slow of sale. We have some very choice lines of potatoes arriving fresh daily. Stocks of fowl wheat are diminishing. The week closed with prices ruling:— Peaches, crates 2|d to 3£d, cases 2d to 3d; apricots, crates to 3id/ cases 2d- to 3d; plums l§d to 3Ad according to variety; greengages 34 to to 4d; tomatoes 7d to lid; dessert pears to 2|d, cookers 2d; apples, dessert 3d to 4|d, cookers 2Jd; nectarines 3jd to 3Jd lb; bananas 13/6 to 26/-; bmoni 30/» ewe; raspberries 12/. bucket. Vegetables, Produce, Etc,—Potatoes Ijd to lid; rhubarb 2d to 2Jd; parsnips 1-Jd; green peas Ijd to 2d lb; fowl wheat 3Q/« sack; csbbage 2/-; turnips 1A; cucumbers 4/- to 8/- dozen. DUNEDIN MARKETS. RULING PRODUCE CONDITIONS. DUNEDIN, Jarfuary 24. Millers are not showing much interest in the wheat market. It is stated that there may be an arrangement in regard to the prices for flour and those for wheat. The whole position depends, of course, on the price of Australian flour. If New Zealand millers have to compete against the Australian flour it means that the flour prices in the South Island at any rate will have to be fixed on a basis of the cost to land this Australian flour in the North Island.

The present quotation for Australian flour is about £l9 10/-, delivered into the North Island ports, and this means that the South Island prices will have to be in the vicinity of £lB per ton, if millers desire to retain their shipping connection with North Island merchants. At this price for flour, millers cannot pay the prices for wheat being asked by the growers. It will not be long before the new wheat is available in this district. Any early lines will probably be sold as fowl wheat, stocks of which are very short in Dunedin. It will not take long, however, before the demand is satisfied, and the prices to be paid for

milling wheat will then become regularised. At the present time fowl wheat is selling in Dunedin at the very high price of 7/6 per bushel, sacks extra, wholesale. Merchants are only buying from hand to mouth at the above value, as prices are expected to come back shortly. Some wheat crops have already been cut in the Taieri. Where the wheat has not been affected by frost the samples promise to be good. Some of the frosted wheat is also being cut, and the farmers intend using it for chaff, as it is not worth while threshing it. It is not considered, however, that this wheaten chaff can be sold in competition with oaten chaff, as the last-named produce is quoted at a lower price than the wheaten sheaf chaff. There is very little doing so far in the local markets in regard to the new season’s oats, but in Canterbury thrashing is becoming general. Most- of the oats offering in Canterbury are Algerians, which are very plentiful. A good quantity has been discoloured by the weather, and it is difficult to find a market for these. Sound Algerians, suitable for machine dressing, are selling at 2/9 to 3/- on trucks. White oats are also available in Canterbury in small quantities, and these are being quoted for prompt delivery at 3/8 for B’s and 3/11 for A’s, f.0.b., s.i., These prices show a substantial drop on the prices ruling for old season’s oats. There are some Canadians still left in the North Island. These are quoted at 5/2 to 5/3, ex store. The forward market for New Zealand oats is weak, with sellers of B’s at 3/6, f.0.b., s.i., April-September delivery. On present prospects there should be a plentiful, supply of oats during the season, but with the early harvest oats will be offering from growers at a time when there is no great consumptive demand. Moreover, store accommodation will be limited. The local chaff market is weak, with odd inquiries only being received from feeder’s. It is difficult to get £7 10/- per ton for the best quality, and a fair quantity is still held in stores. New season’s chaff will not be available for about six weeks, but growers are showing anxiety to sell for forward delivery. The prospects for good prices do not seem hopeful, and an outlet will have to* be found for the surplus suppxes, presumably to the North Island. The North Island market, however, is being competed for by Tasmanian merchants, who are offering good quality at £4 10/-, f.0.b., s.i., from Devonport (Tas.), and the cost of delivery into the North Island ports from Devonport is only 5/- per ton more than the delivery from the South Island ports. The position, therefore, is that little business can be done with the North Island at over £5 10/-, f.0.b., s.i., and the price is equivalent to £3 10/- «on trucks to the growers. Blenheim is offering to-day at £5 10/-, f.0.b., s.i., February-March delivery, and Canterbury is also prepared to sell at £5 15/- for the same delivery. The potato market is over supplied with consignments, and prices have dropped to about £5 per ton. Growers have now stopped digging because of the low price. When the accumulated stocks have been worked off tbi position may improve. The forward .position is quiet, with sellers at £5 5/- for April, May, June delivery. The critical stage in the potato crop is now approaching, and if there is not an outbreak of blight there should be good returns throughout the South Island. In the Taieri, however, a fair proportion of the crops were frosted. The potatoes have come away since, but the yields are sure to be affected. NORTH OTAGO MARKETS. DULLNESS CONTINUES. OAMARU, January Z 4. The dullness of the local markets continues, even sales of new potatoes, for the time being, at all events, are moving slowly. Nevertheless, there is a feeling in some quarters that in the course of a fortnight or so there will be a hardening all round for tubers. The season has been a good one in some respects, but the crops are on the light side. Blight has not made its appearance to any extent this year, and if favourable weather conditions continue, potatoes will be comfortably free from any disease. Reaping and threshing is now becoming general throughout the district. Oats are claiming attention principally, but the yield will be light, as rust has made considerable inroads on crops, while in the Awamoa district twitch has accounted for poor growth. The early sown crops are the most promising, as they had the benefit of plentiful rains in November. The late sown areas are patchy, and will hardly be worth threshing. At Waitaki the oat crops are remarkably fine considering the adverse conditions. During the past week a number of samples of Algerians have been placed on the market, but the quality is only fair, the grass being discoloured and really only fit for feed purposes. xA few samples of perennial ryegrass-seed have also been submitted, but they are poor, and not likely to command much attention in the meantime. Rust has also appeared in many plots of perennial ryegrass, and has also made its appearance in cocksfoot grass. SOUTH CANTERBURY MARKETS. WHEAT HARVEST APPROACHING. TIMARU, January 24. The recent hot weather has been very suitable for the wheat crops, which are now ripening fairly rapidly; many are showing a nice golden colour, but others are hanging in the black, stage. The latter are not expected to yield up to the average, but the crops which look well are likely to yield well above the average. No wheat has been threshed yet, but it is expected that some will be on the market next week. Speculation is still rife as to the price likely to be obtainable by growers, for milling wheat. Fowl wheat is weaker, buyers hanging off as much as possible, for the new season’s wheat. Supplies of old are negligible. The nominal quotations is 7/6 f.0.b., sacks in. Oats are commencing to offer, threshing mills being at work in different parts of the district. The demand is confined to small lots for immediate shipment. The yields so far, have not been heavy, and it is not expected that the crops will be good either in quantity or quality—so far, at all events, as early oats are concerned. Gartons are offering at 3/- for B grade; Algerians at 2/6; and Duns at 3/« to 3/3 on trucks, sacks extra. The Algerians are very inferior in quality, and there is practio?dly no demand for (ten. There are apparently fairly heavy supplies of last year’s imported oats still on the market. Chaff is inquired for, but owing to rust, it seems unlikely that it will be up to the required standard. It is worth £3 10/to £4, on trucks, sacks extra. Ryegrass is plentiful, buU most of the lines are slightly discoloured, and very light. Only choice lines of Western Wolths are inquired for at 2/6 to 2/9, country stations, sacks extra. Italian is quoted at the same prices. The quality of the perennial so far offered has been very disappointing; samples 16 to 18Ibs are quite common, and the loss in dressing will be considerable. Even then the weight will not be up to the average standard—26 to 27Ibe, machine dressed. The price ranges from 2/3 to 3/3. The linseed crops are growing well, and those already in flower, present a pretty sight. Some of the crops have been attacked by rust, and this is bound to have the reverse of a good result. Potatoes, in common with other root crops are making phenomenal growth this season. Many potato fields now have as good a crop as a fully matured crop in an average season, and the prospects are far a heavy yield. There is blight, in some of the early crops, but this may disappear if there is a spell of hot, dry weather. The market remains steady at £4 10/- to £4 5/- for whites (April-May-June delivery), £5 for March delivery, and £4 5/- for Dakotas.

DAIRYING INDUSTRY. POSITION IN CANADA. The secretary of the Dairy Control Board advises as follows: “It is a source of satisfaction to note that at a time when cattle for slaughtering and feeding are fetching so low a price, the dairying industry in Canada is rapidly assuming larger proportions. Recently issued official returns indicate that the total annual value of milk and its products is now 250,000,000 dollars. Last year 67,609 tons of cheese and 71,720 tons of creamery butter were produced. In addition to this a large quantity of mlik is either condensed or dried. While the domestic market shows no signs of lessening its demands, there continues to be at the same time an expansion in the volume of exports. The Dominion Dairy Commissioner states that there is no reason why Canada should not compete successfully with any other country in the chief markets abroad for dairy products, and it would appear that, as frequently indicated in these letters, every month progress is being made in establishing the position of Canadian dairy products in foreign markets. The past season has been unusually favourable for milk production, and in consequence there will be an increased output of butter and cheese, providing a larger surplus for export. In Manitoba, for instance, the production of creamery butter will exceed that of last year by 670 tons. One dairy in Saskatchewan reports having shipped its thirtieth car this season, and the output from Alberta is greatly in excess of that of last year. Some measure of the increase may be gathered from the trade returns for exports of milk and milk products, as follows : (12 months ending October.)

In October the value of dairy products exported was 1,500,000 dollars greater than for the corresponding month of last year, and for the twelve months ending October 3,100,000 dollars greater than a year ago. The October shipments, therefore, accounted for nearly half of the increase during the twelve months, and as fodder crops are above the average, and a high standard of product is being maintained, it ia probable that November and December export* will be equally large." THE SHAREMARKET. SATURDAY’S TRANSACTIONS. (Per United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, January 24. Sales reported: Standard Insurance 42/6, New Zealand Breweries’ Bonds 21/9. DUNEDIN, January 25. Sales reported: Kawarau Gold Mining 25/-, Bank of New Zealand 61/6. NEW ZEALAND MEAT. SMITHFIELD QUOTATIONS. LONDON, January 24. (Received January 25, 7.5 pjm.) Sheep: New Zealand ewes Australian firsts BAd, seconds Bfd; Argentine, light 91 d, medium BJd, ewes Bd. Lambs: New Zealand new season’s super selected*, light 13Ad, medium 13Jd; North Island firsts 13id; Australian firsts and other states 1/-, second, Victorian ll|d, others lid; thirds 10|d. Chilled Beef: Argentine fores 4j, hinds 6d; Uruguay fores 4£d, hinds frjd; others are unchanged.

Milk. Gallons. Butter. Tons. Cheese. Tons. 1924 .. .. 2,689,314 9,515 53,068 1923 .. .. 1,937,602 5,452 52,594