OTAGO PRODUCE MARKETS

Southland Times, Issue 23332, 16 October 1937, Page 4

OTAGO PRODUCE MARKETS

Little Interest In Oats BUSINESS IN SEEDS QUIET (United Press Association) DUNEDIN, October 15. Some supplies of spring threshea wheat have reached the market but most of it has been of fowl wheat quality only. Sales of fowl wheat are on the slow side as there is no shipping outlet at the prices asked by Sowers. Fowl wheat may be quoted at 5/3 to 5/9 a bushel, the wide margin being accounted for by the marked difference in quality. , . Little interest is being displayed m the oat market, either by merchants or millers, and few sales are going through. The demand for seed oats is also considerably less than usual at this time of the year. Shipping values, whicn are purely nominal, are on a basis of 3/8 a bushel f.o.b.s.i. for A Gartons and 3/5 for B’s f.o.b.s.i. These prices are equivalent to 2/8 and 2/5 respectively, on trucks, country sidings, with handy railage to port of shipment. The quantity of oats held in stores is more than sufficient to meet requirements and at this time of the year there is a desire by merchants to dispose of their stocks to make room in the stores for wool. CHAFF PRICES UNCHANGED Supplies of chaff are more than sufficient to meet the demand. The prices remain unchanged. . Stocks of potatoes are getting low with supplies now being drawn chiefly from Canterbury. The value of sound, freshly picked lines is £9 10/- a ton, ex truck, Dunedin, sacks in. Inferior lines are not easy to place, even at low prices. Generally speaking business in seeds has been quiet during the week, though the retail demand has been fairly steady. Exporters are inquiring for brown top at prices slightly under merchants’ ideas of values, but, nevertheless, a certain amount of business is going through. Certified brown top ‘>s worth 1/- a lb and uncertified lOd a lb. Under these quotations Chewings’ fescue remains 'steady with stocks of exportable _ seed in short compass. There is a good demand for certified ryegrass of high purity and germination, with not a great quantity of this class of seed available. The market for sound lines of cocksfoot seed is firm but the bulk of the seed this year is of inferior grade. FRUIT REPORT The Waitaki landed another shipment of South Australian oranges on Thursday last. It was practically composed of Valencias, mostly on the small side. This was the last shipment of oranges to arrive from Australia under the present regulations and from November till May of next year there will be no embargo on imports so long as the fruit -.comes from a district free from the Mediterranean fruit fly. The position will, therefore, be that New Zealand merchants can import as many oranges as they wish from Australia during the months named. Reports from Australia indicate that there will be no danger of any over-supply as crops of late Valencias are short and that prices will not be any cheaper than has been the case during the past few months. The first shipment under the new system will not arrive for almost a month. It will be on the Maunganui, due to leave Melbourne on November 4. Bananas are still in short supply. Only a small quantity of Samoan and Rarotongan was on board the Matua and this was immediately taken up by retailers on the rationed basis. A further shipment is due next Tuesday week, railed from Lyttelton ex the Maui Pom&re. A shipment of pineapples was on board the Waitaki from Melbourne. Another shipment is due tomorrow ex the Waikouaiti from Sydney. Californian grapes have been in good supply. Most of the lines were landed in wasty condition and have to be sold at prices which must show importers a heavy loss. Californian lemons are in good supply. New Zealand-grown are also offering freely. Some choice lots have come forward from the Kerikeri district but the greater proportion of New Zealand lemons is in poor condition on arrival.

The sale of apples is disappointing. The demand is confined to choice quality lines. Considerable quantities are held in cool stores in Canterbury and locally and some of these apples are opening out in poor condition. THE CANTERBURY MARKETS LITTLE INTEREST IN ANY SECTION (United Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, October 15. The grain and produce markets have been particularly dead in the last few days with practically no interest in any section. There are few inquiries for potatoes and the trade appears to be about finished for the season. New potatoes are coming on to all the markets more freely and at reasonable prices. Farmers who still have supplies find buyers difficult to locate. The price is nominally about £6 a ton, on trucks. There is a small, but reasonably steady demand for chaff, which remains firm. Oats are very dull. Overseas advices show that all the seed crops in Great Britain, Ireland and ' Europe are good. Ryegrasses and clovers are reported to be cheap and it appears that there is no great hope of any considerable export trade from New Zealand in these lines for the remainder of the year. Farmers have been offering seed in the city fairly freely lately, but the buying inquiry is not great. Crop conditions in the country are not as far forward as might have been expected, a number of districts having had cold, frosty weather. The prospects are fairly good.

CLEARING SALE PROPERTY AT EAST GORE The property of Mr J. J. Aitken, “The Glen,” East Gore, changed hands recently and the sale of stock and implements was held on the farm when there was a large attendance. The sale was conducted by the Southland Farmers’ Co-operative Association in conjunction with Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd. Sales were: Two hundred and twentytwo ewes and lambs at 20/10, 177 do. at 20/5, 223 do. at 19/4, cows at £8 2/6, £7 2/6, £4 10/-, £5 10/-, £3 15/-, £2, £4 5/-, £7 15/-, £6 17/6, £6 10/-, £4, heifers at £2 5/- and £4 5/~, 1 bull at £6 15/-. Draught horses sold at £l9 10/- (gelding), £45 (mare), £23 (aged mare) and £l2 (filly).