COMMERCIAL

Southland Times, Issue 20171, 6 May 1927, Page 2

COMMERCIAL

FINANCE AND TRADE

LOCAL MARKETS. Times Office, Friday morning. GRAIN AND PRODUCE. Oats.—The oats market has shown some improvement, this apparently being due to competition between the merchants, rather than on account of any improved outlet. Sales of “A” Gartons have been made at 2/6 per bushel, whilst B’s are not very keenly sought after, the general price being about 2/3 per bushel, with undergrades proportionately less, according to quality. These prices, of course, fluctuate slightly according to loading stations. Duns are worth about 2d bushel more than "A” Gartons. Chaff. —Chaff is offering fairly freely, both new and old lines being available. Merchants are offering £3 10/- per ton for best quality. Wheat.—So far there has not been a great deal of wheat offering, many farmers preferring to allow their grain to remain in stack to give it time to season thoroughly. Value to farmers has risen slightly and the on truck price to-day for Tuscan quality is about 5/6 per bushel. Ryegrass.—The offerings of this seed are not large. Really good lines of heavyweight are in demand up to 2/9 per bushel, with other lines proportionately less according to their bushel weight and the percentage of impurities and general condition. Potatoes.—Digging has been seriously delayed owing to the continued wet weather and lines purchased some time ago are only now drifting in. The quality generally this season does not seem to be up to the usual standard, and yields in many districts are light. It may be stated, however that the position in regard to potatoes seems to be considerably easier further north. Potatoes from Canterbury can be landed at a fairly reasonable rate. Merchants’ offers to farmers are about on the basis of £4 per ton on trucks, with the usual slight rail variations. FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. Business in the fruit marts has been fairly quiet during the past week, the principal lines offering being apples and pears. Tomatoes are almost finished for the season, there being only small and irregular -parcels coming to hand. The apples forward are confined mainly to Jonathans, Delicious, and the various cooking varieties. Well coloured samples are mostly in demand, but the small and undersized fruit is found difficult to dispose of. Large cookers only are in demand. Pears are in full supply, but as the values ruling are lower here than in the north easier consignments may be expected and incidentally higher values. The market is bare of oranges and lemons. The next supplies of Island grown are due about May 16, as also are bananas. Quinces are scarce and realising good prices. The vegetable market is good, all lines meeting with fair inquiry. Current prices for the week are as follows: —Apples (best dessert) to 13/6 case; other samples from 5/6 to 10/-; cookers to 8/6; pears lid to 3d lb; quinces to 4d lb; grapes to 1/4; cabbages 2/- to 4/6 dozen; marrows to 14/- cwt; carrots 12/6 cwt; parsnips 14/- cwt. STOCK MARKET. There are still large numbers of fat cattle and fat sheep being brought forward for Wallacetown and Burnside sales, and consequently prices for such stock are still on the low side. Fat cattle are hard to sell and the market is very sticky, only the primest sorts meeting with any competition. Fat cow’s and heifers still comprise the bulk of the yardings and the supply of this class of cattle seems io be unlimited. On the whole, the cattle yarded are of good quality, but some vendors still persist in offering unfinished cattle and for these there is no demand whatever. The local fat sheep market is firmer and, of late, higher prices have been realised at Wallacetown stock sales. The demand is good for prime heavy-weight and prime medium weight wethers, but lighter sorts do not sell so well. The demand is good for prime fat ewes and sheep of this sort sell readily. The store sheep market is quieter and prices remain steady. The following is a range of prices:— Fat Cattle.—Extra prime heavy bullocks up to £l4 10/-; prime heavy bullocks £ll to £l3 10/-; medium weights £9 to £lO 10/-; lighter sorts down to £7; .extra prime heavy heifers up to £9 10/-; prime heavy heifers £7 to £8; medium weights £5 to £6; lighter sorts down to £4; prime heavy cows up to £8 10/-; medium weights £5 to £7; lighter sorts down to £3 10/-; vealers £1 to £3, according to quality and condition.

Store Cattle.—3-year-old steers £7 to £8 10/-; 2-year-olds £5 to £6 10/-; yearling steers £3 10/- to £4 15/-; good quality cows £3 to £5; boners down to £1; good dairy cows up to £B. Fat Sheep.—Extra prime heavy wethers up to 32/-; prime heavy wethers 27/- to 30/-; medium weights 24/- to 26/-; lighter sorts 21/- to 23/-; prime heavy ewes up to 17/3; medium weights 12/- to 15/6; good butchers’ lambs 23/- to 25/-; good freezing lambs 22/6 to 23/6. Store Sheep.—2-tooth ewes 30/- to 34/-; 4, 6 and 8-tooth ewes 25/- to 29/-, according to quality and condition; failing-mouth ewes 14/- to 18/-; aged ewes 5/- to 8/-; better sorts up to 10/-; wether lambs 14/to 17/-; ewe lambs 22/- to 24/-. CURRENT PRICES. —Wholesale.— Eggs, 2/7. Bacon, 1/1. Pollard, £ll per ton. Butter, factory 1/SJ, farm 10d., separator 1/-. Bran, £7. Flour, £l7 5/- to £lB 15/-. Oatmeal, £26 to £3O. —Retail.— Eggs, 3/-. Bacon, 1/5. Pollard, 11/6 per 100. Butter, factory 1/7 nett cash, 1/8 booked; farm 1/-; separator, 1/3. Bran, 9/6 per 100. Flour, 25’s 6/-; 50’s 12/-; 100’s 22/6; 200’s 41/6. Oatmeal, 251 b. 8/9; 501 b. 17/-; 1001 b. 31/6; 2001 b. 59/-; loose 5d lb. Cheese, 1/1; matured 1/4. Onions, 2d per lb. Potatoes, 71b. for 1/MATAURA STOCK SALE. • A SMALL ENTRY. (From Our Correspondent.) There was a small entry of sheep at yesterday’s stock sale at Mat aura, the bulk of the yarding being composed of old ewes of only medium quality. These sold at from 9/6 to 13/-, with culls from 3/6 to 7/-. A few pens of fat wethers were on offer and realised from 23/6 to 26/6 tor prime sorts. A pen of fat ewes brought 17/3. Rams sold at from 3£gns up to 6lgos for young sorts, down to 17/- for old rams. Sales were as follow: Southland Farmers’ Co-operative Association, Ltd.: 13 fat wethers at 20/-; 1 Romney ram at 2<gns; 1 do. at 19/-; 1 do. at 26/-; 1 do. at 20/-; 44 f. and f.m. ewes at 9/6; 10 two-tooth ewes at 29/7; 3 f. and f.m. ewes at 13/-; 1 ram at 17/6; 2 one-shear Romney rams at 64gns; 1 do. at 4Agns; 1 do. at 3gns; 2 do. at 2|gns; 1 do. at Ign. National Mortgage and Agency Co., Ltd. —6 fat wethers at 26/6; 14 do. at 23/6; 24 do. at 24/6; 19 fat ewes at 17/3; 70 f. and f.m. ewes at 9/4; 50 do. at 9/3; 12 do. at 3/6; 50 do. at 10/1; 41 do. at 10/1; 51 do. at 11/-; passed in 50 do. at 10/3; 72 do. at 15/3; 91 do. at 9/-; 58 do. at 7/-; 81 do. at 11/-. Dalgety and Co., Ltd.: 12 f. and f.m. ewes at 8/-; 2 wethers at 14/-; 80 f. and f.m. ewes at 8/9; 2 rams at s.}gns; 2 at 2fgns; 3 at 3sgns; X at 2gns. Passed in: 200 wether lambs at 13/6. CATTLE. There was a fair yarding of cattle, the i bulk of which was sold at auction. Prices were as follow: National Mortgage and Agency Co., Ltd.: 1 dairy cow at £3 12/6; 1 do. at £6 5/-; 3 empty cows at £4 10/-; 1 do. at £4 15/-; 16 mixed yearlings £2 13/6; fat cow at £6 15/-; 1 at £4 7/6; dairy cow at £10; empty cow at £4; 1 do. at £2 8/-; 6 do. at £5; 4 empty heifers at £5. Passed in; 5 dairy cows at £4 12/6. Southland Farmers’ Co-operative Association: fat cows at £4 17/6; 1 do. at £4; 2. do. at £2 17/6; 2 do. at £4 2/6; 1 do. at £3 17/6; 1 bull at £5; 1 dairy cow at £lO. Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd.: 23 f. and f.m. ewes at 10/-; 72 ewe lambs passed at 15/-; one old ram at 15/-. LONDON MARKETS. WOOL SALES. Under date of May 3 the London office of the National Mortgage cables as under:— The auctions opened here to-day with a large attendance of buyers. Competition irregular. Home buyers operating sparingly. Compared with close of last sales we quote: Greasy Merino, best Id lower; average Id lower; greasy halfbred 50/56’s sd; greasy crossbred 48/50*6 do. do. 46/48’s M; do. do. 44/46’s jd; 40/44’s |d; 36/40’s id. Fine slipes unchanged, medium and coarse slipes Ad to id lower. BUTTER AND CHEESE. We are in receipt of the following cable from Messrs A. J. Mills and Co., Ltd., London, dated 28/4/27: Butter.—The market is steady with good demand 151/- to 152/-. This week’s allotments 90,000 boxes—selling well. Cheese.—Market firm. Allotments 45,000 crates, selling well 76/-. Stocks clearing fast; will not last as long as anticipated. Will be soon selling current arrivals—making position much more healthy. TALLOW PRICES. Messrs Dalgety and Company, Limited, report having received the following advice from their head office, London, under date of the 4th instant:— London Tallow Sales: At the tallow sales this week 1060 casks were offered, of which 477 were sold. Prices unchanged. THE SHAREMARKET. YESTERDAY’S TRANSACTIONS. (Per United Press Association.) Auckland, May 5. Sales on ’Change: Bank of New Zealand 60/-; Hikurangi (A pref.) 2/1; Pukemiro Collieries 58/-; Westport 35/9; Devonport Steam Ferry 27/3. Christchurch, May 5. Sales reported: Bank of New Zealand 60/1; Goldsbrough Mort 50/6; Christchurch Gas 24/4. Sales on ’Change: Commercial Bank of Sydney £25 2/6; Bank of New Zealand 60/- (2 parcels); Christchurch Gas 24/5; Stockton Coal (ord.) 1/9. AUSTRALIAN MARKETS. (Rec. 9.10 p.m.) Sydney, May 5. Wheat is quoted at 4/9? at country stations, and 5/5 ex truck, Sydney. Flour for export is quoted at £l2 5/f.0.b., and local at £l3 5/-. Oats: Tasmanian, Algerian and white 5/-; maize (yellow and white) 5/3; potatoes (Tasmanian) £6 to £8; onions (Victorian) £6. —A. and N.Z.. (Rec. 9.10 p.m.) Adelaide, May 5. Wheat: Growers’ lots to 5/4A; parcels trade 5/6J to 5/9. Flour (baker’s lots) £l3 17/6. Oats 3/-.—A. and N.Z.