COMMERCIAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 242, 18 February 1911, Page 7

COMMERCIAL.

THE BANK RATI:. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. London, February 10. The hank rate has been reduced to 3% per cent. AMERICAN WHEAT. London, February 10. The American visible supply of wheat is 73,770,000 bushels. AUSTRALIAN MARKETS. Sydney, February 10. .Wheat—Quiet; shippers not operating. Nominally, 3s 3«/ ad to 3s 4>/ s d. Flour—Moderate trade at £8 as.

Oats—Tasmanian Sparrowbills 2s 7d, Giants 2s Bd, Algerian milling 2s sd, do. feed 2s 3d. Barley—Cape 2s Gd. Bran, £4 as. Pollard, £4 10s. Maize, 2s 6d to 2s 9d. Onions, £6. Potatoes, £5 10s to £7. Butter, 90s. Bacon, 7d. Cheese, Od.

Melbourne, February 10. HidesT-Fair supply. Prices arc firm and unchanged. Wheat—On the spot business is confined to bleached grain up to 3s lV 2 d, ex store, direct from the country. Considerable purchases ; have been made at equivalent to 3s 4y 3 d, delivered alongside. Flour, £8 10s. Oats—Algerian milling 2s, feeds Is ll%d. ' Barley—Chevalier malting 4s V/«i, Cape 2s 4d. Maize, 2s sd. Bran and pollard, £4 15s. Onions, £3 10s. Potatoes, £4 10s to £5. Adelaide, February 16. Wheat—Nominally, 3s 4d. Flour, £8 2s 6d. Bran, 12y 2 d. Pollard, 12d. Oats —Algerian 2s lOd.

NEWTON KING'S WEEKLY REPORT. At Urenui on Friday, 10th inst., I held my annual sheep fair. There was a full yarding, about 12,000 sheep being penned. There was a large attendance of buyers, and, considering the weather, competition was good, young sheep and lambs being well competed for, making satisfactory prices. Woolly lambs made 7s 0d to 10s Bd, do. small Os 4d to 7s 4d, shorn lambs 0s 9d to 8s Id, cull lambs 2s to 4a 4d, 2-tooth ewes 14s, 2 and 4-tooth ewes 14s to 15s 4d, 4-tooth ewes 14s 8d to 15s 4d, 4-tooth to f.f.m. ewes 12s od, 2-tooth to 6-tooth ewes 13s Id, 6-tooth ewes 13s 3d, f.f.m. ewes 10s, f.m. ewes 5s to 7s 9d, cull ewes 2s 8d to 4s 7d,-2-tooth wethers lis Gd to 13s, 2 to 6-tooth wethers 13s Id, 2-tooth Bomney rams 4 to 4y 2 gns, 4-tooth do. 2 to 3y 2 gns, 6-toolh do. iy 4 to. l%gns, English Lei-, cester rams 2gns, 4-tooth Lincoln rams iy 2 to l%gns. At Whangamo-mona on the 11th inst. I held my nnnual sftefrp and cattle fair; where there was a good yarding of both, sheep and cattle, and a fair amount of business was done either at the hammer or afterwards. Fifteen to eighteenmonths heifers made £2 lGs to £3 10s, 18-months steers £3 4s to £3 7s 6d, store cows £2 10s to £4, fat cows £5, 2'/ 2 -ycar steers £4 16s, 3-ycar bullocks (good condition) £5 17s Od, bulls £1 5s to £2 10s, woolly lambs Bs, shorn do. Os, 2-tooth ewes 10s Gd to las lOd, 4-topth to f.f.m. ewes 7s Gd, 2 and 4-tooth ewes 14s Oil, f.m. ewes us to 7s 2d, 2-tooth wethers 10s 6d to Us Id, 4-tooth wethers 12s 6d, fat wethers 13s, rams >/ 2 to 2 gns. At the Haymarket on the same day a good number of pigs were penned and fair prices realised. Weaners made "s 6d to lis, small stores 13s Od to 18s, stores up to 21s, porkers 2Gs' to 275.

At Awnkino sheep and cattle fair nn Monday, there was a full .yarding. The cattle penned were mostly steers and grown bullocks, of good quality, and, taking the weather into consideration, they sold well. The sheep were on the aged side, and were rather dull of snle at the hammer, but a fair number was disposed of afterwards. Fifteen-months heifers made £2 16s to £3, 15-months mixed £2 IDs (id, 18 to 20-months steers £3 5s to £3 14s, 18-inontlis heifers £3 12s Cd, 2-year staers £4 7s (id, 3-vear do. £4 19s, 3 to 3%-ycar bullocks '£s 10s to £6, fat bullocks £7 5s to £B, store cows £3 4s to £3 15s Cd, fat and forward cows £4 Ids to £4 18s, 2-vear heifers R.W.B. £3 Ids Gd to £4, bulls (heavy-weights) £5 "15s to £8 2s Cd. ordinary do. £4 Is, 4 and fl-tooth ewes fls Cd to 10s, f.m. ewes 5s Sd to 7s, 2-tooth wethers 10s, 4-tooth wethers 12s 3d, 0-tooth do. (forward condition) 14s 4d, 4 and C-tooth ewes and wethers (mixed) .lis, lambs 6s to 7s.

At Rahotu on Tuesday T held a weaner fair in conjunction with my ordinary cattle sale. The yards were full, but owing to the bush fires and damage done to grass, bidding was very quiet.°Wcaners made Ms fid to 28s, do. (extra quality) 30s to 37s Cd, 15-months heifers £2 (is to £2 lis, 2-year heifers R.W.B. £•! 10s, store cows £2 10s to £3 15s, forward cows £4 4s to £4 12s Cd, sta<* £3 10s, bulls £3 14s Cd to £7 2s Gd °

MATTHEWS & BENNETT'S REPORT. At their Tarata sheep fair on Tuesday last, Matthews and Bennett report that there was a far larger yarding than was advertised. There was a very good attendance, but the continued dry weather made buyers rather-shy. A fair amount of business was done at the hammer ami afterwards at the following prices:— Full-mouth ewes made 5° to 8s 3d, lambs (is Cd to 8s 3d, inferior do. 2s 10d to 5s Bd, 2-tooth ewes 11 fid to los, 2-tooth wethers 10s fid to lis Sd cull owes 3s, Romney rams l%gns to Lincoln do. lgn to l%gns. ° ' At their Inglewood yards on Wednesday last there was very little business done, the races and weather making business difficult. Prices: Store cows £•> lis to £ll Bs, bulls £3 5s to £4 10s, small wcancrs 18s to 225, good weaner heifers .(frolslem) 355, Jersey springing l, eif( , rs £.4 as to £as ss, cull ewes Is 4d A,t the mart on Saturday weaner ni-N made from 7s fid to lis ' '"

LOAN- AX]-) MKRCAXTILK RKPORT. The Xew Zealand I-oan ami Mercantile Agency tompany, .Stratford branch, held tlimr first sale in the district, with the knid permission of Mr. V. H. Xolan, in liis yards at Te YVera on Mondav last, ihere was a very large attendance, and about 4000 sheep were yarded.. The sale was a very good one, considering the present state of the weather, most of the lines changing hands except a few whose reserves were rather higher than were buyers' ideas of value. The following prices were realised:—2-tooth ewes, Ms <id to 15a fid; 2-toolh wethers, lis 3d to 13s Id; 4-tooth wethers, ]:js Id to 14s (id; full-mouth ewes :1s to Hs 'd • lambs, 3s 0,1 to 8s lid; ranis, hm. to 3'A gns. _ On Tuesday last thev also held their first rattle sale in their vards at Stratford, which are situated in Miranda and Portia streets, on_| freehold site. The .posts and rails are jarrah, and the dec*.,' )ng Oregon pine, joic] the pen area is

put down in reinforced concrete. A new innovation in collection with these yards, and a most useful one, is a large watering trough made of concrete, situated so that the cattle can avail themselves of i plenty of drinking water after their drive" to-the yank Water U also laid on to the pen area, so that the yards I can be hosed down and kept nice and ' clean. Altogether the yards are consid- | evert the finest and most complete on I this coast. Mr. liudd, the company's I auctioneer, in opening the yard*, said that for some considerable time past the company has received numerous requests i from their clients to erect yards in the I district, and while the company did not altogether like entering into competition with other firms, they considered that the time had arrived when they must, in fairness to their numerous clients, make a movement in this direction. Mr. liudd, continuing his remarks, said that the company had endeavored to bring about the holding of a combined sale, so that all firms doing business could sell on the same day, and thus increase competition, but so far nothing had eventuated. .- f'The following prices were realised at this sale:—Store cows, 22s fid to £3 10s; fresh cows, £3 10s to £4 ss; fat cows, £4 5s to £5; 3-year-old bullocks, £5 lis to £5 las; 2y 2 -year-old steers, £4 10s to £5; 18-months steers, £3 5s to £3 12s 6d; bulls, £2 10s to £0; weancr.s, las to 28s fid.

MASTERTON RAM FAIR. At the annual ram fair of the Masterton A. and P. .Association on Thursday there was a very large attendance of buyers, from all parts of. the Dominion. Southdow'ns,Romneys and "Shropshires were sold, Lincplns and other breeds being reserved for the following day. Southdown one-shear studs reached up to liy 2 guineas, and stud Romneys up to 100 guineas, the latter price being obtained for one of Mr. C. Short's rams. Mr. Short also donated a ram to the Association funds, and this realised the record price of 150 guineas, and was purchased bv Mr. Close, of the Bay of Islands. Flock Romneys reached as high as 10 guineas.

SOUTHERN MARKETS. ADDINOTON. Lambs—Best rape lambs lis to 12s, good 9s to 10s, medium crossbred and halfbred wether lambs 7s Od to 9s Od, forward sound-mouth ewes 13s 3d to 14s Gd, and fair sorts 10s to lis Od. There were 6792 taken for freezing at 12s to 16a, and extra to 16s lid; 619 by butchers at 12s 6d to 17s; 1895 were passed at lis Gd to las, but were mostly sold privately afterwards; and 00 were taken by graziers at lis 4d. At the corresponding sale of last year there was an entry of 10,277, and the range of prices was 12s to 15s lid. Fat sheep—Prime wethers 17s to 18s lOd, lighter 13s Od to 16s 9d, prime ewes 13s to 16s, others 7s 8d to 12s 9d, medium wethers 10s Bd. Fat cattle—Steers made £7 5s to £lO, extra to £l2 os, heifers £5 las to £9, cows £5,5s to £7 17s Gd, Chatham Island steers .£7 ,I'2r 6d to £lo'lss; eows:„£6 5s to £ll 7s Gd (equal to 24s Od to 28s Gd for prime steer beef, 22s to 23s Od for medium, and 19s Od to 22s for cow and inferior per 1001b). There was an improved demand for, veal calves, and they sold at 4s Od to £3' 12s for large animals.

Store cattle were entered in small numbers, and there was a poor demand, yearlings making 29s to 35,5, 15 to 18months £2 4s to £2 lis, three-year steers £6 10s to £7 4s Od, dry cows 21s to £4.

Dairy cows sold welt, prices rawing from £3 10s to £9 15s.

There was an average yarding of pigs. Choppers sold up to 705," large baconers 50s to 58s, lighter 38s to 48s (equal to 4y 4 d per lb), large porkers 32s to 3fls, lighter 27s to 3fls (equal to 4 , / art per lb); large stores 24s to 295, medium 10s to 225, small 9s to 13s, weaners 3s Gd to os.

BURNSIDE. At Burnside 151 cattle were yarded. The quality in most cases was only fair, and prices showed no advance on last weeks' rates. Best bullocks made up to £lO 15s, extra to £ll 17s Cd, medium £8 10s to £9 15s, heifers £7 5s to £0 s*. There, were 2720 fat sheep penned, chiefly well-finished wethers and medium quality ewes, Prices showed i decline of fully Is Cd per head. Best wethers i««ue to 18s, extra fo 20s (Id, medium 15s to ills fid, best eiv.»s lis to 13s, ~xtra to 10s 3d, othf-r.= Ss to 10s.

There won' 2.W)' fat lamb* penned, the largest yarding of the season, due no doubt to freezing bnvers having, commenced operations. The bulk were unfinished. Export buyers operated at reduced limits, and in very few cases did they go over 14s. Heavy lambs brought up to las 3d.