COMMERCIAL

Southland Times, Issue 20614, 12 October 1928, Page 2

COMMERCIAL

FINANCE AND TRADE.

LOCAL MARKETS

Times Office, Friday morning. Grain and Produce. Oats.—The market has shown a firming tendency during the week and sales have been made* at 4/- ner bushel, f.0.b., s.i. Local merchants’ stocks are now reduced to their estimated requirements for seed and feed, and they will not now be greatly interested in the market until the new season’s crop is available. There are no offerings from farmers, but prices are nominally 3/- per bushel for “A’s,” one penny more for super “A’s” and good Duns, and 2d per bushel less for B’s. W’heat.—There is no business passing as between farmer and merchant, and the only transactions are in sales for local fowl-feed purposes. Value to farmers for milling quality Tuscan is about 5/8 per bushel. Chaff.—Supplies are inclined to be short and offerings from the country are small, due no doubt to the bad weather and the fact that farmers wish to push on with spring cultivation. The price to farmers runs about £4 10/- per ton, on trucks, country stations, for good quality. Ryegrass.—There is very little doing in this market as there are no offerings from farmers and merchants’ stocks are nearly cleaned up. Occasional sales of dressed seed, mostly in small lots are being made from the North Island. Value to farmers runs about 3/8 to 3/9 j>er bushel, on trucks, country stations. There is no improvement in price in the Crested Dogstail market, value to farmers for dressed seed of shipping quality not exceeding 7d per lb. Potatoes. —The Southland crop is practically cleaned up and merchants have been drawing their requirements from the north, but are limiting their purchases to a bare necessity. Canterbury prices ran up to £l2 10/- per ton on trucks, but seem a little easier now, due probably to the restricted demand, and are offering at £ll 10/- to £ll 15/- per ton. Local prices have not reached the equivalent of these quotations. Fruit and Vegetables. The first hothouse tomatoes of the season were sold in Invercargill yesterday morning and realized up to 2/7 per lb. This price is much lower than is usually secured ■ for the first hothouse tomatoes, but is explainable by reason of the large quantities of Island tomatoes of good quality on the market at present and selling at reasonable rates. The market is glutted with lettuce of an inferior quality principally from the north. Cauliflowers are also plentiful. Cabbages are scarce antk confined mainly to small samples of locals. The supply of apples is now in small compass, Stunners being the principals. First Canadians* are due next week. Pears are coming forward in small parcels, but the quality varies and only good fruit is saleable. Oranges are in heavier supply, both from Adelaide and Sydney. Adelaide lemons are also available. The market is only lightly supplied with bananas. A small parcel of Fijis sold readily yesterday. Prices—Apples, Stunners to 10/6 case, Delicious to 12/6, cookers to 9/-; pears, to 3d lb; Californian grapes to 1/- lb; Navel oranges 14/- to 25/- case; Valencies to £1; Adelaide lemons to 25/-; Cook Island tomatoes to 1/2 lb, Christchurch hothouse to 2/7; cauliflowers 2/6 to 8/- dozen; cabbage4/6; lettuce 1/- to 2/6. Current Prices. —Wholesale. Eggs, 1/1. Bacon, 1/1. Pollard, £9 5/-. Butter, factory 1/6 and 1/7; separator 1/2. Bran, £7 15/-. Flour, £l7 5/- to £l9. Oatmeal, £2B to 30/-. —Retail.— Eggs, 1/4. Bacon, 1/4 ta 1/5. Pollard, 11/- per 100. Butter, 1/7, 1/8, 1/9; separator 1/5. Bran, 9/6 to 10/- per 100. Flour, 25’s 5/9 to 6/3; 50’s 10/6 to 12/3; 100’s 20/6 to 22/9; 200’s 40/- to 41/6. Oatmeal, 25’s 7/6 to 8/9; 50’s 13/6 and 15/6 to 17/-. Cheese, 1/1; matured 1/3 to 1/4. Potatoes, 61b 1/-. Onions, 5d per lb. [The above list of prices is compiled from a range of values obtained from the various merchants in the town. Where prices do not actually coincide a range is quoted.] . STOCK MARKET. There is not much activity in the stock market at the present time, and practically all business is confined to the saleyards. Wallacetown is the only sale of any size, and the bulk of the yardings there are fat stock. Yardings at country sales are very small, and the attendance of farmers is poor. Prime fat cattle meet with a keen sale, and values in this quarter are very satisfactory. The quality of the beef at present offering is very mixed and there is a decided tendency to offer unfinished cattle. Prime, well finished, heavy and medium bullocks sell well, while light and unfinished sorts do not meet with so firm a demand. Good heifers and cows are keenly sought after —this class of beef being very popular at the present time. Rough and unfinished sorts do not meet with as satisfactory a sale, butchers having no time for this class of beef. The store cattle market is quiet, and the demand somewhat easier. There is a steady sale for good lines, but pastures are not coming away too well, and this is resulting in cattle meeting with a slacker sale. Fat sheep are selling well and yardings are not too large for local butchers. Fat ewes are selling particularly well, there being a keen demand for well-finished lots. Wethers meet with a firm sale and the market in this section is very satisfactory as the quality of some of the lines offering recently has not been up to standard. Spring lambs are now coming on to the market—the first being offered at last Wallacetown sale. There is little or no movement in the store sheep market, the only sales reported being occasional lines of ewes and lambs. The following is a range of'prices:— Fat Cattle: Extra prime heavy bullocks up to £23 15/-; good butchers’ bullocks £l4 to £lB 10/-; lighter sorts £lO to £l2 10/-; extra prime heifers up to £l5; good medium weights £lO 10/- to £l2 10/-; lighter sorts down to £8; extra prime cows up to £l4 10/-; medium weights £9 10/- to £ll 10/-; lighter sorts £6 to £B. Store Cattle: Three and four-year-old steers up to £10; two and three-year-old steers £6 15/- to £8; yearling steers £4 to £5 5/-; speyed and empty cows £4 tt> £5, according to quality and condition. Good dairy cows £ll to £l3; poorer sorts down to £6; springing heifers £5 10/- to £7. Fat Sheep: Prime heavy wethers up to 47/-, medium weights 39/- to 43/-; lighter sorts 34/- to 37/6; plain heavy ewes up to 40/-; medium weights and lighter sorts 26/- to 34/-. Store Sheep: Extra good ewe hoggets up to 40/-; good ewe hoggets 33/- to 36/-; wether hoggets up to 28/6; f. and f.m. ewes and lambs 13/- to 16/- according to quality. MARKET REPORT. Canadian salmon is now creating a big stir, Sockeye l’s have now been withdrawn entirely, and 4’s tins are in very limited supply. A later cable states that prices for Cohoe tails, pinks, flats, and chum halves have now been • withdrawn. Buyers have not neglected previous warnings and have bought heavily especially in pinks. Californian prunes have been a very uncertain market of late, but from latest

cables received this week it is evident there is a settling down, 70/80 are firm and expected to advance, while 60/70 show a slight decline. Chinese peanuts are exceedingly good buying and it is evident the bottom of the market has been reached, buyers should get busy. Hawaiian pines are a shade dearer than last, season. Recent prices quoted show an advance of 6d per dozen on last season’s prices. ; New Zealand candle manufacturers advise the advance in price of candles as from today. The Timaru Milling Co. advise the reduction in price of Rolled Oats in 41b and 201 b bags. WYNDHAM STOCK SALE. Messrs Dalgety and Co., Ltd., report as follows: Sheep: A small yarding forward at this sale,* but the demand, was keen with the result that prices showed an increase on last sale. Cattle: A large yarding of fats and stores and a medium yarding of dairy cattle. All classes were keenly competed for and prices showed a slight increase on late rates. The following are our sales: —34 fat wethers 41/6, 36 do. 38/-, 30 ewe hoggets 34/-, 30 ewes and lambs 16/6, 1 fat cow 11/-, 1 do. £lO 10/-, 1 do £6, 2 store cows £5 12/6, 12 'heifers and one steer £4 6/-, 5 heifers £3 19/-, 5 yearling heifers £2 3/-, 2 dairy heifers £9 5/-, 1 do. £6 10/-, 4 dairy heifers £5, 1 do. £4 17/6. Messrs Henderson and Co., Ltd.,<report: —Small yarding of sheep and fair entry of cattle for this season of the year. All classes of stock were in demand and sold considerably in advance of the sale held here a fortnight ago, especially good store cows in fair condition. There were fewer fat cattle yarded and the quality was not quite up to late yardings, but prices showed an advance of from £1 to £3 per head. Our sales were:— Sheep: 113 ewes and lambs at 15/6. Cattle: Fat cows at £ll 15/-, £9 15/-, dairy cows at £9 2/6, £4 15/-; dairy heifers at £7 7/6, £7 5/-; store cows at £5 10/-, £2 4/-; steers at £5 10/-. DISTRICT FAT STOCK. AT BURNSIDE MARKET. Vendors of stock from the Eastern district at the Burnside market on Wednesday secured the following prices:— Cattle: A. S. Holms (Waimahaka), bullocks £lB, £l6 15/-, £l7 and £l5, heifers £l6 15/-, £l5 15/-, £l4 5/-, £l3 7/6, £l3 7/6, £l3 2/6 and £l2, Smail! Bros. (Moa Flat), bullocks £26 17/6, £25, £24 2/6, £23 15/-, £23 and £22 10/-. J. D. McLean (Waimahaka), bullocks £2O and £l6. Mrs C. Beattie (Tapanui), bullocks £l4 17/6, cows £l5 2/6, £l3 5/- and £l2 17/6, heifer £ll. Sheep: R. F. Sim (Heriot), wethers 49/6, 39/-, ewes 38/3, 32/- and 31/-. Mrs J. Pringle (Crookston), wethers 53/6, 41/9, 46/3 and 41/-, ewes 36/- and 33/9. Haugh Bros (Crookston), ewes 43/-, 42/-, 41/3 and 40/6. A. Robertson (Crookston), wethers 60/-, 56/-, 52/6, and 50/9. A. Dynes (Kelso), wethers 53/6, 50/9, 46/3, and 44/6, ewes 41/3 and 38/6. T. Crossan (Kelso), wethers 53/3 and 45/-, ewes 34/-. A. Stuart (Kelso), wethers 52/6, 50/3, 49/- and 46/6. H. McCall (Kelso), wethers 47/9 and 42/9, ewes 26/- and 17/-. J. Beattie (Kelso), wethers 38/-. D. Jenkins (Kelso), wethers 49/3 and 44/-. D. Falconer (Maitland), wethers 47/-, 43/3 and 40/3. H. McCall (Kelso), wethers 45/and 38/-. F. H. Chittock (Kelso), wethers 37/9 and 37/-. Thomas Copeland (Tapanui), wethers 39/3, 38/- and 33/6. Mrs C. Beattie (Tapanui), wethers. 54/-, 51/9, 47/9 and 45/9, hoggets 37/-. W. Hunter (Wyndham), wethers 45/3, 44/6, 40/9, 40/3, 39/6, 37/9 and 37/6. D. Edgar and Son (Tapanui), wethers 45/9, 41/9, 41/6 and 39/-. D. McCall (’Koi), wethers 44/6, 41/3, 37/9 and 36/-. THE SHAREMARKET YESTERDAY’S TRANSACTIONS. (Per United Press Association.) Auckland, October 11. Sales on ’Change: Auckland Harbour Board (1936) 4 per cent. £9O; Bank of New Zealand 61/3; Renown Collieries (ord.) 13/6; Hayward's Pictures 20/9 (3 sales); Milne and Choyce Debenture Stock 24/9; Wilson’s Portland Cement 39/3. Wellington, October 11. Sales reported: Bank of New Zealand 61/3; Union Bank £l5 6/-; Wright, Stephenson (ord.) 23/-. ■ Christchurch, October 11. Sales on ’Change: New Zealand Government 5i per cent. Inscribed (1933) £lO 15/-; Bank of New South Wales £5l 5/-; Union Bank of Australia £l5 7/6; National Insurance 16/3; Carlton Brewery 47/3; Ward’s Brewery 43/-; Mahakipawa 1/7 (5 parcels). . Sales reported: Union Bank of Australia £l5 7/6; Tolago Bay 6 per eent. (1944) Debentures £lO3 10/-. Dunedin, October 11. Sale reported: Bank of New Zealand 61/3.