COMMERCIAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2339, 5 April 1892, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

AUCTIONEERS' REPORTS. Messrs H. B. Webster & Co. report that the annual ram and ewe fair held at Geraldine on March SOfch was one of the most successful ever held, about 15,000 sheep being yarded. Every line was 1 quitted at prices extremely satisfactory to the vendors. We sold 2-tooths from 13s 6d to 13s lOd, and 4-tooth stores at 13s lid; ewes, old, at from 6s Gd to 9s; merino, ewes, sound mouthed from 5s 9d to 6s; iambs from 7s lOdto 9s. Rams for E. Menlove Esq.—2 E.L. rams at 4 guineas, 4 Shropshire Downs at 2J guineas; for W. Postlethwaite, Esq.—s at 3 guineas, 7 at 2f guineas, 1 do at 2\ guineas ; for E. Burke, Esq.—l E,lj. ram 5 guineas, 4 at <i£ guineas, 1 ram lamb 1\ guineas, 3 do at 2 guineas. Good store cattle met with a ready sale, £4 2s 6d being paid for a line. Messrs Guinness and LeCren report for the rnqnth elided Saturday, 2nd inst., as follows : -.« Sheep—Sin ce our last report entries at all the sale yards throughout the district have been large. The attendance also has been above the average, resulting in a clearance generally being effected at satisfactory gripes in favor of vendors. Cattle—Tho demand for prime beef is good, and prices are inclined to advance. Stores—Well grown steers in forward condition suitable for fattening—are in request, and any line placed on the uiarket meet with early sale. Washdykp Yards—The annual ram and ewe fair was held at the Waslnlyke yards on tho 31st ult. There was a very large entry of both rams and ewes, and a good demand for young E. and B. Leicester rams. There were also plenty of buyers for sound merino crossbred and halfbred ewes, but broken and failing-mouthed ewes the farmers are not inclined to touch. Our sales were as follows :—For Messrs Bruce and McLaren, 19 English Leicester rams, 2-tooths, at 4i guineas, 3 Lincoln rams at 2 guineas, 14 do at li guineas > for Mr Howell, 6 English Leicester rams at 2-if guineas, 4 do at 2\ guineas; for Messrs Grant and McKenzie, 23 Border Leicester 2-tooth rams at 3 guineas; and for other vendors, 60 rams, all full-mouthed sheep, from 1 to 2 guineas apieco. Ewes—-208 halfbred soundmouthed at lis Od, 401 merino owes at 4s sd, 47 halfbreds at 12s, 153 halfbrcds at 13s, 43 old do at 7s Gd. Pleasant Point—On the 7th ult., a large entry with a good demand. We yarded 3714 sheep of all sorts, and sold every line at very satisfactory prices as follows : 318 2-tooth grossbreds at 13s Gd ? 98 half-.

bred owes at 8s 6d, 83 crossbred do at 10s Gd, 57 do at 12s sd, 50 fat lambs at lis Id, 80 2-tooth halfbreds at lis 9d, 79 crossbred lambs at 10s Gd, 240 merino wethers at 7s id, GO 2-tooth crossbred I ewes and wethers at 13s, 80 crossbred ewes at 10s, 1100 merino ewes at 4s sd, 250 do do at 4s, 250 do wethers at 4s 9d, 80 crossbred ewes at 8s Id, 00 fat do do at 12s, 50 store lambs at 8s lid, 51 merino ewes at 4s 3d, G2 old merino ewes at 2s Gd. Temuka Yards—On the Bth and 22nd ult., fullyardings of both sheep and cattle, and a fair clearance effected. We sold the following lots : —54 fat lambs at lis, 185 crossbred store lambs at 9s Bd, 104 crossbred ewes at 9s, 19 cull lambs at 7s Id, 62 merino ewes at 3s, 100 2-tooth crossbred ewes and wethers at 13s 4d, 743 half bred ewes at 8s Gd, 4 fat heifers at £4 ss, 10 store steers and heifers at £3los, 0 young steers and heifers at £2 ss, 1 fat heifer at £6 2s 6d, and 34 pigs from 7s to 10s 6d each. Geraldine Yards —At this district sale, as is usual at this season, very large entries have been received, and every line yarded by us on the 16th and 30th ults., were quitted at very satisfactory rates as follows:—102 crossbred ewes at 8s 3d, 206 three- quarterbred ewes at 9s, 178 fat merino wethers at 8s 3d, 162 crossbred old ewes at 5s lOd, 338 4-tooth halfbred wethers at 14s 3d, 487 2-tooth halfbred do do at 13s 9d, 634 fat merino wethers at 8s Id, 57 old merino ewes at 2s lOd, 289 do do at 3s 6d, 141 do do at 3s 3d, 101 half and three-quarterbred ewes and wethers at 13s 6d, 210 merino wethers at 8s Id, 227 crossbred ewes at 8s 3d, 301 do do old at 7s 6d, 200 do do at 9s, 441 three-quarterbred do ab 9s 6d, 238 crossbred do at 9s, 190 three-quarterbred lambs at 9s 3d, 167 crossbred do do at 9s 7d, 184 merino ewes at 3s Id, 115 three-quarter-bred lambs at 9s 6d, 30 fat crossbred ewes at 9s 6d, 176 merino ewes at 2s lOd, 100 fat crossbred lambs at 10s 2d, and 3 head of fat cattle at £4 apiece. Private Sales—Business in this department shows considerable spirit, and since our last report we have sold 12,200 sheep, made up of merinos, half and crossbreds of all sorts, and lambs both fat and store ; also 22 English Leicester rams at 4 guineas each, and 120 head of fat and store cattle. All the above have been been placed at the highest market rates, and in most instances above vendors' reserves. Sheepskins, Hides, and Fat—Our sales of sheepskins by auction and privately have been about the average, and prices realised as follows :—Best crossbreds Is 9d to 2s, second Is to Is 6d, pelts 6d to 9d, lambskins 2s 2d to 2s lOd, merino fullwoolled 3s to 3s 6d, do crossbreds 4s Cd to 4s 9d. We have quitted half a ton of fat at from 10s 6d, lis 6d, 12s, to 13s per cwt., according to quality. Late prices for hides are still maintained; we have disposed of 50 at quotations.

TIMARU MARKETS. The Canterbury Farmers' Association, Limited, report as under : Wheat—The market for prime samples remains steady at last quotations, but for sprouted and damaged lots prices show a decline of 2d to 3d per bushel all round. Present values are—Prime tuscan, pearl, and velvet, 3s lOd to 3sl(Md; red chaff, 3s 9d; damaged and sprouted, 3s to 3s 3d; whole fowl wheat, 2s 9d to 3s. Oats—Good bright samples fit for shipment are being enquired for, and heavy Canadians are worth Is 8d to Is B£d, short feed Is 7d to Is Bd, tartars and duns Is 7d to Is Bd, bright heavy danish Is 6£d to Is 7£d. inferior feed Is 2d to Is 4d, all f.0.b., Timaru. Barley—Prime samples are scarce and maltsters are enquiring. Values—3s to 3s 3d for prime, 2s Gd to 3s for fair malting lines. Potatoes—Sellers are offering freely, but buyers are not yet in the market, and we are unable to quote at present; nominal value 25s to 30s f.0.b., sacks in. AUSTRALIAN MARKETS. Sydney, April 1. The Commercial Agency, Trading and Banking Co., has temporarily suspended payment. April 2. The chairman of the Proprietary Mine says that the fall in silver stocks is due to the fall in silver. Every drop of Id makes a difference of £4OOO per month to the Proprietary Mine. Melbourne, April 1. The imports last year were valued at £21,701,000, and the exports at £16,000,000. ENGLISH AND FOREIGN MARKETS. £s§don, March 31. New Zealand 4 per cent, inscribed stock, j 103|; 3J per cent, ditto, 93i. I Business in New Zealand long-berried [ wheat is restricted at 41s, Patent flour, 2Gs 6d. Oats, fine quality, 26s Cd; common sorts, 24s 6d. Beans, 41s Gd. ' Frozen mutton (Canterbury), 4id per lb; lamb, Od. New Zealand hemp is flat at a decline of 10s per ton. Fair quality is emoted at £2l ss. South Australian wheat is weaker, and is quoted at 41s Gd. Victorian is flat at 40s 9d. For Australian wheat cargoes on passage sellers ask 38s ; buyers offer 375. At the wool sales competition is steady, with prices unchanged. April 1. The Earl of Lichfield, presiding at the meeting of the Bank of Australia, deprecated the views expressed by London financiers with regard to colonial borrowing. He did not regard the new taxation in New Zealand as likely to produce harm. Calcutta, March 31. An unexampled fall has taken place on exchange, and it is suggested that a loan of £7,000,000 must be raised. The fall has caused great consternation, and threatens to paralyse trade. The Canterbury Farmers' Co-operative Association have received the following cablegram from their London office, datod Ist of April, 1892 : cargoes are worth 375, c.i.f. ; market lifeless. The wool market is a shade easier. We quote mutton, 4§d; lamb, 6jd.