COMMERCIAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1182, 24 May 1884, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

CHRISTCHURCH MARKETS.

At the Addington Yards on Wednesday smaller entries of all kinds of stock sent forward than for some time past. The entry of fat sheep included some good lines of crossbred wether?, which were in almost every case takpn for export, at prices ranging from 15s to 18s 9d per head, equal to an average of 3d per lb. The crossbred ewes met with a dull demand from local buyers, and were sold at low values, from 12s to 15», ot the rate of 2d to per lb. Merino wethers were in small supply ; 9s to 10- wpre ruling prices. Store sheep wore, in small supply ; the inquiry was a c all one, and what little business was done was done about at a par with late quotations. A large supply of pigs was sent to hand, the demand proving quite equal. Porkers sold at from 25s to 42s ; baconers up to £4 7s 6d ; stores from 10s to l«s 3d. Store cattle were in small supply, with no alteration to record in prices. Fat cattle were in moderate supply, demand only middling. Steers sold up to ±,7 15s ; heifers from £5 5s to £7 ; fat cows, from £4 10s to £8 ; being at the rate of from 17s to 19s per lOOlbs. — Press. CHRISTCHTJRCH COR* EXCHANGE. The Corn Exchange report for the week ending Friday evening, the 23rd inst : There has been nothing during the past week in grain transactions to warrant a departure from previous quotations, business in grain and produce being nearly all round, in a very stagnant condition, with the exception of oats, vthich are still in fair request ; the demand for all other kinds of produce is remarkably slack. Quotations as follows : Wheat Good sound dry samples, Tuscan, 3s 4d ; pearl, 3s 3d ; Hunter, 3s 2d per bushel, f.o.b. at Christchurch, For rejected lots and seconds,the offers range from 2s 3d to 2s 6d f.o.b. Oats—Bright milling 2s 4d ; bright short feed, 2s 2d to 2s 3d ; discoloured and inferior, Is 8d to Is 10(1 f.o.b. Barley—Prim? malting, 3s 9d to 4s ; second quality, 3s to 3s 6d ; feed, 2s to 2s 3d, Christchuvch. Peas —Sound samples, 3s 3d to 3s 6d f.o.b. Beans—Nominally 3s f.o.b. Potatoes—Derwents, 27s 6d to 80s at country stations within 12 miles, Butter and cheese— to 10-|d for the former, and 4d to 5d for the latter. DTJNEDIN MARKETS. Mr L. Maclean, under arrangements with the British and New Zealand Mortgage and Agency Company (Limited), report for the week ending May 21st as follows : Fat Cattle —Best bullocks brought £7 to £9 5? ; medium, £5 to £6 10s ; cows, £4 to £7. Fat calves sold up to 495. Fat Sheep—Crossbred, 14s. Prime mutton 2-|d p<--r lb. Fat lambs Hold at prices fully equal to recent ruling rates. Pig S _From 25s to 68s. T sold a small draft of porkers at 275. Store Cattle—There is a fair inquiry for forward-conditioned bullocks for turnip feeding. No transactions to report. Horses—l quote for first-class draught horses, L3O to L 35 ; useful farming horses, LlB to L 25. WVitfbtcarrying hacks are in demand, and any good sorts offering are easily placed a I satisfactory prices. Sheepskins—Green crossbreds, 2s 7d to 3s 3d ; do merinos, 2s Id to 3s ; , lambskins, 9d to Is 3d ; dry crossbreds,

2s 3d to 4s ; do merinos, Is lOd to 4s 6d ; pelts, 8d to 13d. Hides—Light, 3d to 3£d ; medium, 4d ; extra heavy, 21s each (according to quality) ; calfskins, Is to 2s each. Tallow —Medium, 22s 6d to 27s 6d ; good, 3ts to 32s 6d ; rough fat, 18s to 25s per cwt, Grain—The wheat market still remains exceedingly dull, there being little or nothing doing with the exception of small lots of prime quality to the local millers. The storage accommoda tion is fast filling up, but the greater portion is only of moderate quality, for which there is at present no sale. Quotations : Prime milling 3s 63 to 3s 7d ; medium, 3s to 3s 4d ; soft and discolored, 2s 6d to 2a 9d ; fowls wheat, 2s to 2s 6d. Sales for the week, 3600 bushels. Oats : What with a slight fall in the Sydney market, combined f with scarcity of freights, prices are a J shade easier. Shippers being unable to get clear of their purchases, are operating with caution, and until the large stocks or. hand are moved off, I do not look for any improvement in values, which may he quoted at from 2s 3d to 2s for bright milling ; feed, 2s to 2s lid ; interior, Is 9d to Is lid. Sales for the week, 20,800 bushels. Barley : The demand being about equal to present requirements, quotations remain unaltered —viz., malting, 3s 9d to 4s ; medium, 3s 6d to 3s 9d ; milling, 2s 6d to 3s. Sales, 230 bushels. All bags weighed in. NEW ZEALAND MARKETS. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, report under date May 22, as follows : WOOL. The second series of the year has been in progress since 29th April, when the opening sales were held before a large audience and under good competition. Prices, however, were disappointing, being generally 5 per cent under the closing rates of the previous sales, except for fine cross-breds, which opened firmly at a slight advance. Seeing that the market for this class of wool was firm and displayed a slight enhancement in rates during the closing night of the February. March series, we shall not be surprised to find, when the priced catalogues are to hand, that the turning point in this description of staple h»s been reached, and that prices show a substantial advance on early February rates. From the tenor of recent cablegrams we gather that medium wools of all descriptions are selling relatively better than the extreme qualities of superfine and inferior ; whilst scoured wools of all grades apear to have suffered a decline. New Zealand merinos are realising similar rates to those obtained at the corresponding series of 1883. Up to date 190,000 bales have been sold, and. 16,200 withdrawn. SHEEPSKINS. Dunedin.—A good demand has been experienced during the month. Dry skins, however, have not improved much in value, but green skins have been spiritedly competed for by feilmongers. Large catalogues continue to be offered, .vhich are readily disposed of at a weekly advance in proportion to the growth of wool. At our auction sale on the 13th, butchers' green crossbreds brought up to 3s 2d, and merinos 2s 9d. Chnstchurch.—Bright breezy weather having prevailed throughout the month, feilmongers have been enabled to work up former heavy purchases, and the large supplies brought forward have met with good compe ition at the weekly auctions. Prices ere steadily advancing in proportion to the increased weight of skins. Green skins are mo3t in favor, owing to the value attached to the pelts Crossbreds making 2s 6d to 3s 4d ; merinos, 2s to 2s lOd. Full woolled country skins realise up to 5s 6d for merinos, and 4s lOd for.crossbreds. Station skins, in bales, have been placed at 2|d to 6d per lb. GRAIN. Timaru.—Wheat—The weather continues favorable for threshing, and wheat is coming to hand freely. The samples now being offered are, as a rule, in better condition than those delivered earlier in the season. Tnere is a large quantity of medium to inferior in the district, and really prime samples are difficult to obtain During the past week prices have eased by one penny per bushel. The local millers are fully stocked for at least three weeks, and as the Home market at present offers no inducement to ship, we do not anticipate any immediate increase in values. We quote as follows on trucks at Timaru. prime, 3s to 3s Id ; medium to inferior, 2s 4d to 3s ; fowls' wheat, Is 3d to 2s ; sacks, 7d to 8d each. Exports for the past four weeks have been 5978 sacks. O a ts This cereal continues in fair demttnd, but prices for feed sorts have recently receded a little, in consequence of the large deliveries coming forward. Short bright heavy still command attention and have been placed at up to 2s Id in trucks Timaru. Danish and Tartarians range from Is 7d to Is 9d. The quantity exported during the month was 18,086 sacks. Barley—There is very little doing, and quotations remain about the same as last reported. At our Studholme Junction store, on the 2nd June next, we shall offer 15,000 busheis of prime malting. Dunedin. —Wheat ••- Prime milling, taken in small quantities, as required, ! realises 38 6d, bags weighed in, but it would be impossible to place a quantity at the price. Oafs—The demand continues good, chiefly for first-class bright samples of stout milling, and short feed for shipment at 2s 2d for the former and 2s to 2s ljd for the latter, bags weighed in". Barley—A moderate demand has been experienced, but malsters decline to give 'mure thnn 4s for prime malting. A considerable business has been effected in medium, which commands ?s 6d to 3s 9d. Milling ranges from 2s 6d to 3ss 3d. ChjUSTCIIURCH Wheat •- Quotations are difficult to give, but nominaly they stand thus :—Prime milling wheat, 3s 2d to 3s 4d f.o.b. ; damp or sprouted, 2s 4d to 2s 8d ex store ; seconds and chick feed, Is Gd to 2s 2d. Freights to London ire without alteration, viz., 37s Gd per ton of 22301 bs. Oats—An active demand has been perceptible throughout the month, and all brought forward have met with ready sale at full rates, viz., 2s 2d to 2s 3d for milling ; 2s to 2s 2d for short feed, and la 9d to Is lid for discoloured and long

sorts all t.o.b. At our auction sale on the 14th inst., we had no difficulty iu realising these rates. Barley— 4s is now the best price obtainable ; other descriptions are unsaleable, and nominally quoted at for medium maltinn, 3s 3d to 3a 6d ; milling, 2s 6d to 2a lOd ; and feed, 2a 2d to 2s 6d, with heavy supplies. Invercargill.— Wheat Fair milling can he bought at from 3s <o 3s 2d, delivered in town. Inferior wheat is almost unsaleable. Prime milling samples from the Lake District will still bring 3s 6d f.o.b. Bluff for export. Oats—We can quote prime milling at 2s Id to 2s 2d f.o.b. Bluff; and good stoui feed at Is lid to 2s Id, bags extra, at which quotations we have placed over 25,000 sacks during the month. Auckland.—Wheat—We quote from 4s to 4s 2d for good milling, and 2s 3d to 2s 6d for fowl feed. Oats—We quote 2s 3d to 2s 5d for feed, and 2s 7d for milling. Oamartj—Wheat—Prime wheat is not | plentiful and fetches from 3s 3d to 3s 6d at store (bags extra). Second-class wheat is unsaleable. Oats—We have sold several hundred hags of long feed at from Is lOd to Is lid, f.0.b., and short at from Is 11 for slightly discoloured to 2s 2d for bright (bags extra). Barley We have placed parcels at from 3s 6d for medium, to 2s 10£d for prime delivered (bags extra). Blenheim—Wheat Sound milling is now selling at from 3s 9d to 4s Id. Oats—We quote for prime milling, 2s Id to 2s 3d ; bright feed, Is lOd to 2s. Barley—Firm for good malting samples ; 3s 9d to 4s can be got for good quality. Gisborne. — Wheat- Several parcels have been placed at 4s per bushel, for a superior sample a shade more might be obtained. Barley—Transactions have taken place at prices ranging from 4s to 4s 6d per bushel. The result of this season's cropping has been very encouraging to growers, and larger areas will be sown next season. ENGLISH MARKETS. London, May 20. Wheat—Adelaide, ex store, unchanged, 41s ; and New Zealand, 35s to 40s. Adelaide flour, ex store, 28s. Australian tallow —average quality, beef, 36s ; mutton, 395. The wool market continues firm, The catalogue at to-day's auction comprised 11,800 bales. Messrs Miles and Co. report the following wool sales telegram, dated London, 21st May : W.0.R,, Is 2d ; R and R reserved at side over Mt. Nessing, Is and RR, Is Id ; High Peaks, Is.