CITY TRADING

Southland Times, Issue 23512, 19 May 1938, Page 3

CITY TRADING

LITTLE DEMAND FOR OATS ORANGES ARRIVE IN BAD CONDITION By OUR COMMERCIAL EDITOR Wednesday Evening. These is still little demand for oats on the Invercargill produce markets and these is also a limited demand for chaff. The Rarotongan oranges arrived in Invercargill in bad condition and had to be cleared before the week-end at low prices. Oats.—The oats market continues very quiet. Milling business is slack because of the condition of the oatmeal market. About the only business offering at present is an occasional order for lower grade for shipping. Offerings still continue to be made by farmers, but competition by merchants for farmers lines is not keen, although prices remain nominally at from 2/4 to 2/8, according to bushel weight and grade. Wheat. —The greater part of the Southland wheat offering this season has been milling, for which prices, f.0.b., Bluff, for the current month as fixed by the Wheat Committee are: 5/7 a bushel for Tuscan and Yeoman, 5/9 for Hunters and Montana King, and 5/11 for Velvet. The few lines of good whole fowl wheat offering are saleable at the price fixed by the Wheat Committee, namely 5/5 f.o.b. Bluff. Chaff.—ln the absence of shipping orders there is a very limited demand, as local requirements are light. There is not a great deal offering, however, and chaff of good bright quality is readily saleable at up to £4 a ton o.t.c.s. Ryegrass.—There is very little activity in this market. Practically all farmers’ lines have been disposed of and although business is available for shipment, most merchants have now only sufficient to cover their requirements for the farmers’ spring trade. Prices to farmers for lines off the mill are nominally 4/6 to 4/9 a bushel o.t.c.s. Other seeds.—The browntop market continues firm due to a fairly steady inquiry from overseas. Machine-dressed seed of export quality is worth 1/3 a pound for certified and 1/2 for uncertified. Occasional lines of special quality and high germination are commanding a penny a pound in advance of these prices. For machine-dressed white clover of super quality, values to growers range up to 1/1 a pound. There is an over-supply of lotus major this season and as a consequence values to growers have declined and it is doubtful if, at the present time, more than 1/4 a pound can be procured for machine-dressed seed. Potatoes.—The potato market is at present in a hopeless condition. The only hope of an improvement in values in the near future seems to be the possibility of an outlet overseas, of which there is no indication at present. There seems little possibility at present of doing business with the North Island and as a consequence merchants are showing little interest in the market even at £3 a ton o.t.c.s. THE FRUIT MARTS The principal feature of the week was the arrival of a shipment of approximately 600 cases of Island oranges transhipped ex the Matua at Auckland. Of these, about half consisted of Rarotongans, which, although repacked at Auckland, arrived in Invercargill in very bad condition and had to be cleared before the week-end at extremely low prices. This week the balance of the shipment was released, these consisting of Mangaian, Aitutaki and Atru oranges, which were in a very satisfactory condition and have been selling steadily at the prices fixed by the Internal Marketing Department. The whole shipment must show a heavy loss to the department which now controls the importation of island fruit. The sale of Californian oranges has been temporarily affected by the considerably lower prices at which the island oranges are available. .Supplies of apples have slackened and choice quality command improved prices. Pears are still in heavy supply and prices are depressed. Choice quality grapes are still coming forward from North Otago hothouses. A shipment of Californian lemons is due about the end of next week, these being the last before the imposition of double duty as from June 1. There is a good demand for fresh vegetables, cauliflowers and cabbages in particular being difficult to procure. A shipment of marmalade oranges from Auckland will arrive at the end of next week. Wholesale prices are as follows:— Apples.—Choice Jonathan and Delicious to 7/6 a case; Granny Smiths 5/6 to 6/6 a case; Golden Delicious, 5/6 to 6/6 a case; cookers, 4/- to 5/-; inferior lines, 2/- to 3/6 a case. Pears.—Dessert, 2/6 to 3/6 a halfcase; cookers, 2/- to 3/-. Tomatoes.—Christchurch, 8d to 1/per lb. Jam melons.—ld to per lb. Lemons.—Californian, to 57/6 a case; New Zealand, 15/-. Oranges.—lsland, 13/6 to 19/6. Cauliflowers.—lo/- to 12/- a sack. Cabbage.—3/- to 4/- a sack. Swedes.—3/- a bag. Marrows.—ld per lb. Carrots.—s/- a sugar bag. Parsnips.—To 5/6 a sugar bag. Potatoes.—s/- per cwt. Grapes.—To 2/6 per lb. Lettuce.—3/- to 4/- a dozen. Pumpkins.—2d per lb. Celery.—To 8/6 a dozen. Spinach.—To 1/3 a dozen bunches. RANGE OF PRICES Wholesale Bran.—£6 a ton. Butter.—First grade, 1/2J; second grade, 1/11; separator, 9d to lid for best quality. Oatmeal.2s’s £2O a ton; 200’s £l9 a ton. Pollard.—loo’s £7 10/- a ton; 150’s £7 5/- a ton. Flour.—2oo’s £l3 15/6 a ton; 100’s £l4 12/6 a ton; 50’s £l4 17/6 a ton; 25’s £l5 17/6 a ton. Retail Bran.—7/6 per 1001 b. Butter. —1/4 to 1/5; separator 1/- to 1/1. Oatmeal.—s’s 1/6; 25’s 6/9. Flour—2s’s 46; 50’s 8/6; 100’s 16/-. Pollard. —9/- per 1001 b. Potatoes.—Blb for 1/-. Onions.—Blb a 1/-. EGG PRICES Egg prices are quoted variously at from 2/2 to 2/3 a dozen wholesale and from 2/7 to 2/8 a dozen retail. MINING I BARRYTOWN DREDGE (United Press Association) GREYMOUTH, May 18. The Barrytown dredge return for the > half month ending May 15 was 2040 z ' for 213 hours’ work on 89,000 yards of material.