FINANCE AND COMMERCE

Taranaki Daily News, 16 February 1931, Page 16

FINANCE AND COMMERCE

BUSY WEEK IN STOCK MARKET. PRICES FOR EWES MAINTAINED. The past week in the stock markets has been a busy one with ewe fairs in every ’South Taranaki district and the Farmers’ Co-op. Organisation Society reports the level set at earlier sales. The demand for good big ewes fit for the Southdown lambs trajde is keen and the best ewes are keenly sought after. As is usual in times such as these the brokenmouthed or inferior ewe is hard to quit at any price. Two and four-tooth wethers are inquired for and sales have been made up to 8s 6d for good forward wethers. Lambs seem slightly harder to sell and business is more or less confined to auction, the only, keen inquiry being for the best rape lambs which are hard to procure. Numbers of rams have been disposed of privately during the week, prices ranging for Southdowns from 2 J guineas to 5 guineas and for Romneys from 2 to 3% .guineas. The cattle market is' depressed. The very low prices offering from the works have affected all sectiqms and the only store cattle selling in. quotable quantities are weaner heifers, the top values being about 40s to 50s. Fat cattle are meeting only, a limited demand atid sales are hard to make. A good truck of 3-year P.A. heifers offered at the society’s Manaia sale brought £6 10s. The Ngamatapouri Fair once again proved qne of the most popular in the district, a .particularly good quality of breeding ewes ideal for black face lamb production coming forward and meeting a sale well up to prices ruling at the firm’s other fixtures. Over 5000 sheep were yarded and excepting for two pens of wethers a total clearance was effected, Mr. Ken Joynt topping the market for 4-year-old ewes at 9s 6d, and Mr. M. R. Murphy for a particularly big-boned line of 5-year ewes at 9s. Some realisations were: On account J. Peat, 442 5-year ewes 8s 2d, 51 6-tooth ewes 9s 3d, 41 4-tooth ewes 9s; C. W. W. Bell, 202 5-year ewes 7s lOd, '5O 6-year ewes 6s 9d, 283 wether lambs 5s 2d; Ken Joynt, 188 4-year ewes 9s 6d, 167 wether lambs 4s Id; Mr. R. Murphy, 255 5-year ewes 9s, 22 4-tooth ewes 10s Id, 15 6-tooth ewes 10s lOd; R. K. Murphy, 363 5-year ewes 7s Id; Rhodes, Ross and Godby, 336 5-year ewes 7s 2d; F. O. Matthews, 374 5-year ewes 7s 7d, 80 2-tooth ewes Us; aged ewes from 3s 6d to 5s 6d; rams, i to 1 guinea; M.S. lambs, 2s 9d to 4s 6d. At the Hawera sale sheep came in well over advertised numbers and the yards full, the entry comprising all sections of eheep. Lambs made good sale with keen demand for forward b.f. lambs, a line on account of J. Winks topping the market at 9s. The quality of the ewes offered was not of the best, only a few lines of really good sheep being yarded. In the 2-tooth section a very good line of 216 offered on account of J. Baker changed hands at 15s. In the older sheep ruling prices ranged from 5s 6d to 8s 6d. Some of the realisations were: On account Mrs. E. Murphy, 160 M.S. lambs 6s fid; Corcoran Bros., 120 wether lambs 9s 4d; A. L. Bremer, 90 6-tooth and 4-year ewes, 8s 7d; J. Livingston, 108 5-year ewes 6s 10d; J. Winks, 154 s.m. ewes 6s; T. Tarrant, 50 2-tooth ewes 13s, and 222 5-year ewes 8s 6d. FIRMER PRICES FOR SHEEP. DAIRY CATTLE .IN DEMAND. ’ By Telegraph.—Press Association. Feilding, Feb. 13; Prices for sheep firmed appreciably at the Feilding stock sale to-day when the rates rose, especially for store sheep. An extra large yarding of breeding ewes attracted keen bidding. Store lambs and wethers found a ready market at prices showing an advance, of up to 2s a head on the rates of a fortnight ago. Fat sheep sold at a little better than freezing works’ prices. Fat cattle were dull of sale, the first pens offered being passed. Hereford bullocks sold at the rate of 22s 6d per 1001 b. Dairy cattle found a ready market at good prices. Fat lambs: Prime, 9s 9d to 10s 3d; fat ewes, prime, 5s 9d to 5s lOd; good, 5s 5d to 5s 6d; fair, 4s Id to 4s 4d; fat twotooths b.f. prime, lie 3d to 12s 9d; w.f. prime, Us fid to 12s Id; good, 10s 6d to Us Id. Store sheep: Good two-tooth ewes, 16s to 16s 9d; fair, 12s Id to 13s; two and four-tooth ewes, 8s 9d; five-year ewes, good, 7s 2d to 6s lid; fair, 4s lOd to 6s 2d; four and five-year ewes, good 7s to 7s 3d; fair, ss. 6d; b.f. woolly lambs, good, 6s -Od to 7s 9d; shorn ditto, 7s to 7s 8d; two-tooth wethers, good, 9s 7d; fair, 7s; good,-to 9s sd; good, 8s lOd; poor, at 4s 10s. _ Dairy cattle: Springing cows, best, £9 ss; good, £8 17s 6d; fair, from £5 10s to £6 2s fid. Fat cattle: P.A. bullocks, £6 5s to £6 16s; Hereford bullocks, £6 Ils; steers, yearling two-year heifers, 18s to £2 17s 6d; two-year steers, 30s to 43s 3d; bulls, 37s 6d to £3 17s 6d; cows and calves, £3; run cows, £2 14s. DULLNESS IN WHEAT MARKET. London, Feb., 13. Wheat cargoes are dull, owing to more favourable weather in the United States, heavy Argentine shipments and closing weakness at Winnipeg. Parcels are inactive. Quotations for futures are: London, February and April, 19s lid; Liverpool, March, 4s 4 3-Bd, May 4s 4{d, July 4s 5 5-Bd. WOOL SALE AT WELLINGTON. CONTINENTAL COMPETITION. Strong competition from the continental buyers, reports the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Cd., Ltd., was a feature of the third Wellington wool sale on Friday, when a catalogue of approximately 14,800 bales was submitted. There was a full bench of buyers representing most wool-consuming countries as well as local scourers and speculators who competed very keenly for the various lots suitable for their requirements. The featue of the sale was the very strong competition from the continental section but Bradford was comparatively quiet. It was evident from the commencement of the sale that there were orders of considerable size for speculation and the competition from these had the tendency to make prices firmer. Compared with those realised at the previous Wellington eale prices were from par to a farthing higher. The wool opened up in many cases in very poor condition; nevertheless, several good clips were included in the offering and for the bright sound-stapled wools competition was most animated and prices were decidedly firmer. The selection of lambs’ wool was on the .whole poorer than usual, but for the better lots prices were about a penny better than at the previous sale.

The Loan and Mercantile’s best price for crossbreds was 7d. This figure was realised for 11 bales A.A. on account of Mr. F. Scaife, while another eight bales on his account realised On account of Mr. F. H. Thornton 20 bales threequarter-bred realised 6:?d. For Merinos the agency’s best price was 7|d, realised for seven bales branded Sunhill on account of Mr. J. J. Clark, and four bales on account of the same owner making For a good line of Southdowm consisting of seven bales,

9d was realised. The agency’s . highest price for lambs’ wool was s!d, while several other lines made from 5d to 5Jd. FROZEN MEAT IN LONDON. QUOTATIONS FOR LAST WEEK. By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. Rec. 5.5 p.m. London, Feb. 14. Frozen meat market quotations are: New Zealand Sheep.—Canterbury and North Island selected crossbred, wethers apd maiden ewes, 48 to 561 b., 57 to 641 b., and 65 to 721 b., 3Jd. North Island, 57 to 641 b., and 65 to 721 b., 31d; ewes, under 481 b., 23d; 48 to 641 b., 2 3-8 d; 65 to 721 b., 2Jd. Australian Sheep.—First quality crossbred and/or Merino wethers, 40 to 651 b., and second quality, 30 to 551 b., 2|d.. Ewes, 30 to 551 b., SidNew Zealand Lambs. —Canterbury, 36 lb. and under and 37 to 421 b., 714; 43 to 501 b., none offering; second quality, average 301 b„ 6d. Other South Island brands, 361 b. a,nd under and 37 to 42 lb., none offering. Selected North Island brands, including Downs, 361 b. and under and 37 to 421 b., 7 5-8 d; second quality, average 301 b., 6d. Other North Island brands, first quality, 361 b, and under and 37 to 421 b., 7d; second quality, average 301 b., 51<1. Australian Lambs. —Victorian, first quality, 361 b. and under and 37 to 421 b., sjd; other States, first quality, 361 b. and under and 37 to 421 b., sjd; Victorian, second quality, 361 b. and under, 4 7-8 d; all States, third quality, .4 5-Bd. Argentine Lambs. —First quality, 43 to 501 b., 41d. New Zealand Frozen Beef.—Ox fores, 160 to 2201 b., 2£d. Australian Frozen Beef.—Ox crops, over 1001 b., 2jd; ox hinds, under 1601 b., 3Ad. Argentine Chilled Beef.—Ox fores, 1601b° to 2201 b., 3d; ox hinds, 160 to 2201 b., New Zealand Pigs.—First quality, 60 to 1101 b., average 901 b., 4Jd; 111 to 1201 b., 4ld; others unchanged. RAW MATERIALS MARKET. Pec. 5.5 p.m. London, Feb. 14. Friday's closing prices are: —■ Cotton. —March delivery, 5.52 J. Rubber.—Para, 41d; plantation, smoked, ! 3 15-16 d. Jute. —February - March shipment, £l5. Hemp. —None offering. Copra. —February-Ma reh shipment, South Sea £l4 ss; plantation, Rabaul, £l4 7s 6d. Linseed Oil- — £lB 10S. ' J Turpentine.—37s 6d.