Commercial CITY MARKETS

Southland Times, Issue 25504, 26 October 1944, Page 2

Commercial CITY MARKETS

HEAVY DEMAND FOR

SEED OATS The weather in the country districts has been very favourable during the week and farmers are busy preparing ground for winter crops. There has been a very heavy demand for seed oats and merchants’ stocks are very light. Wheat sowings are finished and many areas which could not be sown because of the bad weather are now being prepared for oats. Certified ryegrass is still in demand, particularly high-germinating lines, and sales have been made to Australia. Apart from retail stocks there has been very little surplus. Uncertified Italian seems to be more plentiful and the market is inclined to weaken. Exporters are still interested in cocksfoot, but supplies are difficult to secure. The new season’s white clover will come on a very bare market and this applies to dogstail. There are still sellers of browntop and Chewing’s fescue, but there is no overseas demand. A small shipment of oranges arrived in the city on Wednesday and was rationed out to retailers. The condition of the fruit appears to be first class. The actual quantity of oranges available for consumption will not be far short of the residue of the previous shipment, which was considerably reduced by wastage. A very small shipment of bananas is due to arrive on the Invercargill market this week. Fair supplies of New Zealand-grpwn lemons have been arriving to a ready market. A small allocation of Sturmer apples has been placed on the market this week and two more shipments will probably complete the distribution for the season. • Hothouse tomatoes are still firm, choice quality ranging from 3/6 to 5/Pe ßhubarb is less plentiful and the price of cauliflowers has also firmed. There is a good inquiry for cabbage and good quality lettuce are also m demand. The market is still well supplied with parsnips and carrots., A range of prices is as follows: —Lettuce, choice, from 2/6 to 4/6 a dozen; spring onions, to 3/- a dozen bunches; cauliflowers, to 12/6 a sack; spring cabbages, to 27/- a cwt; rhubarb, to 3/a dozen bunches.

BURNSIDE STOCK SALE FAT CATTLE VALUES IMPROVE (P.A.) DUNEDIN, October 25. There was a decided improvement in fat cattle values at the Burnside stock sale today. The number offered was 280, including a few trucks of extra choice quality. The bulk of the yarding was of medium and prime quality. Extra prime beef was firm, while medium and other classes improved by fully £1 5/- a head on last week. Cows and heifers were firm. Quotations: Extra prime bullocks, to £25/7/6; prime, £lB 17/6 to £2l/12/6; medium, £l6/17/6 to £l7/17/6; light, from £l4/12/6; extra prime heifers, to £l6/2/6; prime, £ll 7/6 to £l3/17/6; medium, £9/12/6 to £lO/12/6; light, from £B/7/6; extra prime cows, to £l5/7/6; prime, £ll/2/6 to £l2/7/6; medium, £B/7/6 to £9/7/6; light, from £6/7/6. An increased entry of fat sheep was forward, totalling about 2000. Quotations: Extra prime woolly wethers, to 43/9; prime, 40/- to 42/6; medium, 35/6 to 38/6; light, from 28/-; prime shorn wethers, to 33/9; medium, 27/6 to 29/6; extra prime ewes, to 37/6; prime, 32/to 34/6; medium, 28/- to 30/-; light, from 25/-. The spring lamb yarding,was larger than that of last week,’ 85 being penned. Quality lambs sold at from 40/- to 45/and others from 36/- upwards. The store cattle entry was small and brought fairly good competition. The small entry of vealers was mostly of good class and extra good runners realized up to £ll/8/6. Best vealers made from £6/10/- to £7/10/-, medium £4 to £5 and small from £2/12/6. The entry of baconers was smaller than that of last week, but met with a good demand. Best quality baconers W ere 6/_ to 7/- a head dearer, while medium and light were firm. Best baconers realized up tq £B/1/-, prime £6 15/- to £7/10/-, medium £5/5/- to £5 18/- and light from £4/14/-. For the few store pigs there was a firm demand, good weaners making from 35/- to 38/-, medium 29/- to 32/and small from 25/—.

ADDINGTON MARKET Prices Show Improvement (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, October 25. There were decreased entries of fat sheep and fat cattle at Addington today and prices improved in both sections. Store sheep also sold at advanced prices, ewe hoggets recovering the drop recorded last week. STORE SHEEP.—The entry totalled nearly 3000. The display of ewe hoggets was again attractive and with the smaller yarding and larger attendance of buyers than last week the sale was much more animated and the drop of 2/- to 3/- a head then recorded was substantially recovered. The highest price was 42/6 for a pen of Romney cross sheep. Other good ewe hoggets made from 36/- to 37/- and medium sold from 30/- to 34/-. Best shorn wether hoggets made from 21/- to 24/-. The quality of the ewes and lambs forward also showed a marked improvement and the market was correspondingly better than last week. The best price was 22/-, all counted, for a small pen and other sales were made between 14/9 and 18/1. FAT SHEEP.—The entry was 3500, against 4000 last week. Ewes .recovered last week’s drop of 2/6 a head. Good quality wethers maintained recent values, but light and inferior and overfat sheep were again dragging. The highest price for shorn wethers was 36/and for woolly wethers 41/-. The best pfice for shorn ewes was 29/1 and for woolly ewes 32/~. Woolly fat hoggets made up to 32/1 and shorn hoggets sold up to 31/7. FAT CATTLE.—The entry totalled 460 head, against 633 last week. The reduction in the entry was reflected in the brighter sale and there was a partial recovery of last week’s drop in values. Prime medium weight beef made from 43/~ to 47/- per 1001 b, good 42/- to 44/-, prime heavy weight 39/to 42/- and secondary to 38/-, all per lOOlbs. FAT PIGS. —The porker entry was the smallest for several weeks and the quality was hardly up to recent standards. Competition was keen and last week’s good rates were fully rtiaintained. The chopper entry was also much smaller, but values showed little change. Baconers were also forward in lesser numbers and although the sale was a sound one values were easier by from 2/- to 3/- a head. The average price per lb was BJd to 9d. MT. MORGAN SURPLUS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 25. Mt Morgan reports an estimated working surplus for the four weeks ended October 15 of £2312. broken hill dividend (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 25. Broken Hill has declared a halfyearly dividend of 6d a share, Australian currency, y - - ,