CITY TRADING

Southland Times, Issue 23987, 30 November 1939, Page 3

CITY TRADING

GRAIN MARKET QUIET SHIPMENTS OF FRUIT AWAITED By OUR COMMERCIAL EDITOR Oats.—The market for oats is practically at a standstill, and there are no offerings from farmers. To make room for the storage of wool, merchants have cleared up nearly all their store stocks. For any lines offering from farmers there is a fair demand, both for milling and for shipping. Values to growers on trucks country sidings are 2/6 a bushel for A grade, 2/2 for B grade and 2/- to 2/2 for under grades. Wheat.- -Milling wheat from last year’s crops has now passed into millers’ hands. There should be good production for the coming season and growers are awaiting the announcement of the guaranteed price for the coming season. Fowl wheat is slow to sell, value to growers being 4/9 a bushel on trucks country sidings. Chaff.—Offerings are more than sufficient for the limited local demand. Merchants are buying for only the actual requirements as they do not wish to take up much storage space which will be required for wool. Value to growers for good bright quality on trucks country sidings is £3/10/- a ton. Ryegrass.—All last season’s production of ryegrass is cleaned up with the exception of a quantity of low germinating seed held by merchants on farmers’ accounts. This quality is very difficult to sell. It does not come up to the standard of germination required for shipment overseas and does not tempt New Zealand buyers. Very little business will now take place until the new season’s crop comes on the market. From all appearances there should be a fully normal crop/and as that will come on a more or less bare market growers should obtain remunerative prices, more especially for certified seed. Browntop.—This market continues in a very dead condition. There is very little overseas business, which is the main outlet. Values to growers for machine-dressed seed are 1/2 a pound for certified, and 1/- to 1/1| for uncertified. Potatoes.—Because of the absence of supplies from farmers business in old potatoes is practically finished for the season. SHIPMENT OF ORANGES A shipment of Australian Valencia oranges arrived on the local marker last week-end. The demand was gooa and the shipment is being rapidly cleared out of wholesale hands. A further shipment is expected to arrive about the middle of December. A small shipment of Californian lemons is expected to arrive in Invercargill some, time next week. The market is at present bare of supplies, a small consignment of New Zealandgrown which arrived on Friday being immediately taken up by the trade. A small shipment of bananas should arrive early next week. The market is bare in the meantime. Small lots of apples are arriving ex cool store and high prices are ruling for these. New season’s strawberries and | cherries are coming in in fair quantities from Otago Central now and prices have eased from the original high level. There has been a good demand for tomatoes this week, and last week’s prices have been easily maintained. There is a good demand for gooseberries, only small lots offering so far. Cauliflowers are scarce but cabbages and lettuces have been plentiful this week and prices have dropped considerably. Fair quantities of green peas were available at the week-end, and prices were much lower. New potatoes are now in demand, old tubers being practically unobtainable, and supplies are coming steadily from the North Island and also from Nelson and other South Island districts. Onions are almost unobtainable, many retail establishments having sold out completely, but a small supply of Canadians is expected to arrive on the local market in about a week’s time. Following is a range of prices obtained at auction:—

Apples.—Choice Delicious, up to 18/--a case; choice Stunners, 14/— to 16/-. Californian grapes, 35/- to 42/6. Cauliflowers, to 16/— a dozen. Cabbages, 2/6 to 3/6 a case. Rhubarb, 1/3 a dozen bundles. Lettuce, from 1/6 to 2/- a dozen. Spring onions, to 1/6 a dozen bunches. Tomatoes, from 1/6 to 1/9 per lb. Peas, 4d to 5d per lb. New potatoes, Pukekohe to 4d per lb; South Island, 6d per lb. Strawberries, 1/1 to 2/- a pottle. Cherries, 9d to 1/6 per lb. RANGE OF PRICES Wholesale Bran. —£6 a ton. Butter.—First grade, 1/4 J. Oatmeal.—2s’s £25/10/- a ton; 200’s £23/10/- a ton. Pollard.—loo’s £7/10/- a ton; 150’s £7/5/- a ton. Flour. —200’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. —1/6J. Oatmeal.—s’s 1/8; 25’s 7/9. Flour.—2s’s 4/6; 50’s 8/6; 100’s 16/-. Pollard. —9/- per 1001 b. Onions. —31b for 1/-. New potatoes.—6d per lb. EGG PRICES Egg prices were quoted yesterday from 1/- to 1/2 a dozen wholesale and from 1/3 to 1/6 a dozen retail. Country prices Id a dozen less. SEPARATOR BUTTER Yesterday separator butter was quoted at lOd to 1/- per lb wholesale and 1/2 to 1/3 per lb retail. The prices of eggs and separator butter vary from day to day. The prices quoted above were those in force yesterday.