CITY TRADING

Southland Times, Issue 23680, 1 December 1938, Page 3

CITY TRADING

PRODUCE BUSINESS QUIET FRESH FRUIT ARRIVING By OUR COMMERCIAL EDITOR Wednesday Evening. Business in the grain and produce markets has been very quiet during the last week, it being the end of the season for trading in most lines. Supplies of new season’s fruit are coming on to the market in bigger quantities, cherries, strawberries and tomatoes being available in increased quantities. New potatoes are now more plentiful and prices have receded sharply. Most classes of vegetables are now plentiful except caulflowers, which are in short supply.

Oats.—As it is the end of the season business in oats is at a standstill. There is very little shipping business and practically no inquiry for milling. Merchants are endeavouring to clear their stocks .in store to provide space for wool consignments and in the absence of inquiries for immediate deliveries they are not anxious at the present season to make purchases from growers. Except for lines which are now in store and which merchants desire to clear, there is not much oats offering from farmers and those holding their produce have no doubt realized that the present is an inopportune time to sell. Values range nominally from 2/4 to 2/6 a bushel, according to grade and bushel weight. Wheat.—Business in wheat is ended for the season with the exception of the supply of the local poultry trade for which requirements are being drawn from the Canterbury markets. Local growers will have no further interest in the position until the announcement of the new season’s prices for milling wheat.

Chaff.—The chaff market also is, very dead. No chaff 'is required for stock feed. There is very little shipping demand and the requirements for horse feed are now very restricted because of the increase in motor traffic. Supplies offering by growers are ample to satisfy requirements and the price o.t.c.s. for best quality is £4 a ton. , Ryegrass.—Supplies for farmers spring sowings have been going out steadily from merchants’ stores and stocks held should be completely absorbed in this vzay. New season s seed should, therefore, come on to a bare market and there should be a good demand for certified seed of Hawke’s Bay parentage. A word of warning seems to be necessary - against harvesting too much Southland uncertified seed because of the decided preference for the certified product as any over-supply of uncertified seed would almost certainly set a low range of values .for this quality. Other Seeds.-Stocks of Chewing s fescue of export quality are now all cleared. If the weather is favourable farmers will probably be threshing in January and they have no further interest in the market until prices for the new season’s seed are available. It is early yet to predict values which will depend on the position of the export market. The market for browntop is still very dull as there has been an absence of overseas inquiry. The value to growers for machine-dressed seed is 1/- per lb for certified and lid for uncertified. Most of the growers’ lines of crested dogstail have now been sold and the overseas inquiry has ceased. Bright-coloured lines of export quality. machine-dressed seed have been commanding up to Hgd per lb, but stripped lines are only saleable at a considerable reduction. Supplies of good quality white clover are scarce. Potatoes. —Business in old potatoes is now practically finished. CANADIAN APPLES A small shipment of Canadian Jonathan and Winesap apples reached the market last week transhipped ex the Niagara and a portion of this shipment was taken up immediately. Small supplies of New Zealand-grown apples are still coming out of cool stores and are being bought immediately on arrival. A small shipment of Australian oranges ■was delivered today ex *he Maunganui and the fruit is being sold at slightly advanced rates. Bananas are selling rapidly, warm weather causing increased sales so that losses through premature ripening will be largely avoided.

Tomatoes have been in steady supply, but the market appears to be quite firm. Supplies of cherries and strawberries have been erratic although increasing. New Zeaiand-grown lemons are in better demand and there is some difficulty in securing supplies. A small shipment of Californian grapes ex the Monterey will arrive this week. New potatoes are more plentiful and prices fell rapidly at the beginning of this week. Vegetables are plentiful with the exception of caulflowers which are realizing high values. Wholesale prices are as follows:— Apples.—Best Delicious, to 16/- a case; Sturmer, to 15/-; Canadian, to 25/-. Tomatoes. —Christchurch hothouse 1/3 to 1/5 per lb; small and rough, lOd to 1/1. Cherries. —7d to l/~ per lb. Strawberries. —lOd to 1/3 a pottle.

New Zealand lemons.—Best quality, to 18/- a case. Cauliflowers.—B/- to 13/- a sack. New potatoes.—To 2Jd per lb. Cabbages.—2/9 to 3/6 a bag. Lettuce.—l/6 to 2/6 a dozen.

Green peas.—3Jd to 5d per lb.

RANGE OF PRICES Wholesale Bran.—£6 a ton. Butter.—First/ grade, 1/1$; second grade, 1/1J; separator, 9d for best quality. Oatmeal. —25’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.—l/4 to 1/5; separator. lOd to 1/-. Oatmeal. —s’s 1/6; 25’s 6/9. Flour.—2s’s 4/6; 50’s 8/6; 100’s 16/-. Pollard.—9/- per 1001 b. Onions. —41b for 1/-. New potatoes (local). —4d to 5d per lb. EGG PRICES Egg prices are quoted at 1/3 to 1/4 a dozen retail, with wholesale prices at from 1/1 to 1/2. Country price, Id a dozen less. THE WOOL MARKET MERINOS IN DEMAND AT LONDON SALES LONDON, November 29. At the wool sales 9708 bales were offered, including 3579 from New Zealand, and 8140 were sold. There was a good selection, mainly of Merinos, which met with active competition. Best descriptions sold well at steady rates and inferiors were frequently withdrawn because of high limits.