COMMERCIAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1727, 21 April 1888, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

ASHBURTON MARKET.

The Ashburton market on Tuesday was again heavily supplied with sheep, the entries numbering upwards of 12,000, a large proportion of which were crossbred breeding ewes and merino cull ewes. There was a good attendance of farmers, but no animation in the demand, and prices for all descriptions, except the best crossbred wethers, suffered a further decline. In fat sheep, prime crossbred wethers sold at 8s to 9s 6d, the top price lot going to a grazier ; lighter weights and good butchers’ ewes brought 6s to 7a 6d per head. Crossbred wethers, four-tooth brought 6s 6d to 7a tld ; two-tooth, 5s 6d to 6s 6d. Rood young crossbred ewes sold at 5s 9d to 6s 6d ; old at 4s to 5a 6d, the latter mostly for boiling down. Crossbred lambs, stores, sold at 3s XOd to 5s ;8d; fat merino ewes, 4s; soundmouthed merino ewes to 3s ; brokenmouthed, Is 4d to 2s 4d. Very few cattle were entered. A tew nice light fat steers and heifers sold at unchanged rates. Store pig* brought full prices. The most noticeable foatnre ef the market was th» almost entire cessation, without apparent reason, of the demand for lambs and breeding ewes. It is well known that many farmers are still uristockod to anything near their requirements,. The prices of these classes are Is to Is 61 lower than they were a month ago.—Ashburton Guardian. OHRISTOHWROH CORN EXCHANGE Tha Corn Exchange reports for the week ending Friday evening, the 20ih inst. : . , The weather during the week has been very favorable for farming operations, and threshing has been going on with considerable, activity, the greater portion however going into store. It is expected that the bulk of the crops will be threshed by the middle of next month. The scarcity of corusacks causes considerable incon-1

venience, all available once-used sacks are freely taken up. The market for wheat during the week has not malterially altered, prices remaining about on a par with last quotations. The difficulty in obtaining freight to London still continue. Advices from Australia inform us that all suitable vessels are readily tfiken up for California. The reports from London to-day would lead to the prospect of a firmer market there, but buyers place little credence in these reports, which are from day to day very contradictory. Oats continue in fair demand at slightly over last week’s quotations, with very few offering. We anticipate a further improvement in values. Barley is still offering, but in limited quantities. Second quality now constitutes the principal lines in the market, and are more difficult to quit. Q-rass seed: No business is being done. Large quantities in store, but no sales can be effected. Cocksfoot is suffering from the same cause as wheat, namely, of tonnage to London. Potatoes: Demerits are not yet fit for shipment, but sales are being made for urgent orders at 25s at country station. Buyers, however, will not operate at this price for forward delivery. Quotations are as follow : Wheat—Prime tuscan, 2s 8d to 2s 9d ; pearl, 2s 8d ; hunters, 2s '7d tto 2s 8d ; fowl wheat, 2s to 2s 3d. v Oats —Prime milling, Is 9d to Is lOd; short feed, Is 8d to Is 83d ; inferior, Is 7d to Is 7?d. Barley—Choice samples, 4s 4d to 4s 5d ; prime malting, 4s 2d to 4s 3d; medium, 3s 9d to 4s; feed, 2s. Beans and Peas—2s 3d to 2s 4d; blues 2s 6d to 2s Bd.

Grass Seed—Machine dressed, 2s 6d to 2s 9d j farmers’ parcels, Is 9d to 2s 3d; cocksfoot, clean heavy seed, 3d to 3|d; inferior, 2d to 2^d. Dairy Produce—Prime butter, 4d to 6d ; cheese, 2|d to 3^d.

The above prices are those paid to farmers and delivered f.o.b, Lyttelton, sacks extra.

CHRISTCHURCH STOCK MARKETS,

At the Addington Yards on Wednesday there were again large entries of both fat and store sheep yarded, a moderate number of cattle, and a good supply of pigs. Fat Cattle A moderate entry, chiefly second and third-rate quality. Competition was fairly good for these; for all else biddings were dull, and low prices ruled. Steers sold at from £4i 5s to £6 17a 6d and £7 sa ; heifers and fat cows, from £2 10s to £5 10s per head, being at from 15s to 17s per 1001 b, according to quality. Store and Dairy Cattle—Very little business was transacted, the views of vendors and buyers not agreeing. Fat Sheep —A heavy market, a large proportion being exceptionally good sheep. The best quality sheep were a shade dearer than recent markets, second-rate quality show little or no alteration. Prices ranged as follows: —Primes! crossbred wethers at from 9s to 11s 6d; lighter weights, 7s to 8s 3d; crossbred ewes—maiden from 8s to 9s, mixed ages from 5s to 7s 3d; merino wethers at from 3s 3d to 7s 6d, being at from lid to fully Ifd per lb, according as the quality varied.-The N.Z.L. and M.A, Co. sold for Messrs Taylor and Flatman, 65 crossbred wethers at 9s to 10s.

Store Sheep—A large entry yarded of all descriptions, several lines of. good crossbred ewes being noticeable, the demand for such being quite on a par with recent markets, and values ( being well maintained, viz., from 5s 3d to 6s. A very good clearance of all lines was made.

Pigs—A fairly heavy entry and good demand. Porkers sold at from 18s to 30s; heavy weight pigs from 35s to 46s 6d ; stores, from 9s to 16s.

DUNEDIN PRODUCE MARKETS,

The following is the report for the week ending Wednesday : Wheat—Millers having to a considerable extent supplied themselves to meet immediate wants are buying very cautiously, and the demand now for the most part is confined to prime samples. Inferior and fowls’ wheat is occasionally asked for, hut only in small parcels, in the expectation of lower prices further on. Medium milling is almost unsaleable. Prime milling tuscan, 3s 3d to 3s 4d; hunters white and yelvet, 3s 2d to 3s 3d; red straw, 3s Id to 3s 2d; medium to good (nominal), 2s 9d to 3s; broken and inferior, 2s to 2s 6d (ex store, sacks weighed in), terms. Oats—A considerable amount of business has been done in these during the past Week, owing to the increase in the arrivals, Shippers are taking nearly all that come to hand, bright, and in good shipping condition. Millers are also operating pretty freely, while inferior and off color, of whish a large quantity is arriving, are not so easily disposed of. Prime milling, Is 8d to Is 9d; best bright feed, Is to Is 8d; medium, Is 6|d to Is 7d; inferior, Is 4d to Is 6d (ex store, sacks weighed in), net cash. Barley—Supplies are still short of requirements. Any lots coming forward are readily placed, and at late quotations, viz., for prime malting, 4s 2d to 4s 3d; extra good, 4s 6d to 4s 7d; medium, 3s 9d to 4s • feed and milling, 2s 9d to 3s 9d (ex store, sacks extra), terms. Flour Northern roller, £8 10s; s(3’s, £9; 25’s, £9 10s, f.0.b., Timaru. Potatoes —Best Northern, 50s to 555; Southern and Taieri, 40s to 455. | Chaff—Prime well cut and riddled, j s()t, to 55s (sacks returnable); J

Carrots—4os per ton. Straw —Oaten and wheaten, 40s; chaff, 40s per ton. Hay—Oaten, 00s; clover and ryegrass, 60s.

Batter—Prime fresh storekeepers’ lots, 6|d to salt do, 6d to 6|d (kegs extra). Cheese —East Akaroa, 4d; factory, 4d; loaves, 4Jd; Brighton, 3Jd. Honey—3f d in - casks; for prime extracted clover in tins.

Grass Seeds—Very little animation as yet to report, and prices continue nominal. Ryegrass, 2s to 3s for best machine-dressed. Cocksfoot, 3£d to 3fd for good samples.

Sheepskins—On Monday country dry crossbreds, inferior to medium, brought Is 2d to 3Sjsd; do do merino, Is to 2s 8d; medium to full woolled crossbreds, 3s 6d to 5s sd; do do merino, 2s 9d to,4s 3d; dry pelts, 3d to Is; butchers’ green crossbreds, best, 3a 2d to 2 s 6d’; medium to inferior, 2s 3d to Is lid; green merinos, good to best, Is 9d to 2s 2d; inferior, Is to Is 6d; green lambskins, good to best, 3s to 3s 7d; inferior to medium, Is 9d to 2s 9d.

Hides—Quotations are the same as last week, viz., for heavy weights, free from scars and offal, 601 b and over, 3£d to 4Jd; mpdium,, 3d to 3|d ; light, 2id to 2fd; inferior, l£d to 2d per lb.

Tallow —At present the market shows no change with regard to value. Inferior and mixed, 12s to 15s; medium to good, 16s 6d to 17s; prime mutton, 18s to 19s; rough fat, inferior, 7s to 8s; medium to good, 8s 6d to 10s; best mutton, 11s to 13s per cwt. DUNEDIN STOCK MARKETS. At, the Burnside Yards on Wednesday the following business was transacted : Eat Cattle—lß2 head yarded. Very few were prime quality, most of them being inferior and very little better than stores. Prices for prime quality showed a slight improvement on last week’s sales, but for ordinary and inferior competition was slack, consequently prices dropped a little. Beat bullocks brought £6 lOs to £8 10s; ordinary, £3 5s to £5 17s 6d; cows, irom £2 12s 6d to £6 2s 6d. Eat Sheep —5172 were penned today, an exceptionally large sqpply, of which 850 were merino, the remainder crossbreds, consisting from inferior to prime quality.. Competition was only fairly brisk, and prices fell Is per head. Best crossbreds wethers brought 8s to 9s 9d, one or two extra prime pens up to 11s ; medium, 5s to 7s 9d; best do ewes, 7s 3d to 8s 9d ; inferior and medium, 5s 3d to 7s; merino wethers, from 4s to 5s 9d.-—Mr H. M. Driver sold for Mr Alexander Young (Pleasant Valley), 60 crossbred ewes from 6s 9d to 7s— Messrs Wright, Stephenson and Co. sold for Mr Andrew Grant (Willow Bank) 104 crossbred ewes at from 7 s to 10s.

Eat Lambs—33o were penned, interior to medium quality. Competition was only fairly brick. Prices were from 2s 3d to 6a 6d.

Pigs—Only 88 penned. Suckers brought 6s 6d to 9s 6d ; light 14s 6d to 18s 6d; heavier, 21s 6d to 24s 6d ; porkers up to 80s; baconers, 48s 6d to 575,

AUSTRALIAN MARKETS. Sydney. April 19. Wheat is firm at 3s 3d for shipping parcels. Warrambool potatoes are dull at 50s; New Zealand potatoes 60s. Onions, 655. Maize, 2s 4d to 2s sd. Oats are quoted at 2s 4d; the market is bare, and prices must decline on account of the low price ruling for maize. Bran is firm at 8d to B*d. Pollard is firm at 9d. : Chick wheat is 2s 8d; milling-sorts 2s sd, Cheese is 4d, loaf-size sd. Local butter,has advanced to Is 3d, but the advance is only temporary; imported butter is 9dtolod. Bacon is 9d to New Zealand hams are Is Id. Melbourne, April 19.

Wheat is quiet at 3s sd. Flour is dull at £7 10s, stone made. Oats, 2s 10|d. English barley, 5s 2d; Cape barley, 2s 9d, Bran, lid. New Zealand oats, 2s l£d to 2s 2d. Bond maize, 335. Newcastle, April 18, Freights are ruling as underTo Auckland, 8s 6d ; Lyttelton, 7s 6d; Wellington, 8s ; Napier, 11s; Timaru, 9s ; Dunedin, 8s 6d; Wanganui, 9s 8d; Oamaru and back, 16s. ‘ Vessels with sawn timber Kaipara to Sydney, 2s 6d; Mercury Bay to Sydney, 2s 3d.

ENGLISH MAMETS, London, April 17. The stock and sharemarket is adversely affected for Australian stocks, owing to the announcement of the New fcouth Wales loan. New Zealand Fives, 104. The money market ii unsteady. April 18. At the wool sales to-day 14,000 bales were sold. 129,000 bales have been sold since the opening of the sales, and 9000 bales have been withdrawn. Competition was, brisk, and lower crossbreds have fully recovered. A February shipment of 7000 quarters of wheat has been sold at 33s 3d. 5000 quarters, April and May shipments,‘have realised 3d more. A steamer cargo, March shipment, has been sold at 32s 6d. Owing to prospects of a decreased supply there is a demand for export wheat. The market shows a slight advance —Continental firm, American advancing firmly.