COMMERCIAL.

Waikato Argus, Volume II, Issue 110, 23 March 1897, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

The Waikato Akgus Office, Monday. AUCKLAND MARKETS. Messrs Esam anh Airmen’* Weekly KefoKT. —Produce : So far us potatoes are coi’cerned the market has collapsed completely, and prices are entirely dependent on quality. At a specially called sale on Tuesday the “ trade ” was conspicuous by its absence, the supply being beyond requirements. There is also a' temporary lull in cereals, the market being somewhat languid. Fresh butter is presently more‘difficult to place, whilst for salt sorts there is very little inquiry. New season’s hams and bacon a.re now in the market, and Southern cure looks very pond anil satisfactory. Cheese continues in limited supply, the quality coining forward not satisfying buyers. Eggs command good value, and supply not equal to demand. Fruit : Supplies have not been up to a high standard of quality, and for anything else the enquiries are small. \y c quote prices as fol’ows : —Potatoes, (..! to £4 10s for best; others, £2 to £2 10s ; kumaras, Id to 1 : \d ; onions, £5 to £0 10s ; pumpkins. £2 ssto £2 10s ; oats, 2s 6d ; honey, 2d to 2.}d ; bacon, 4d to (id ; hams, 5d to 7d ; cheese, 3d to 4d ; eggs. Is to Is 2d ; fresh batter. .‘ld to (id ; no demand for second quality ; salt butter, 3d to {id. Poultry : Table roosters. Is 4d to 2s : young fowls, Is Id to Is 2d ; hens. lld to Is 5d ; ducks, Is 3d tolsGd. Fruit : Peaches, large, (id to Is 4d ; medium. 4d to 5d ; small, 2d to 3id ; plums, Ijd to 2.Jd ; passion fruit, Id to best dessert up to ss; others, Is upwards ; tomatoes. -Jd to -Jd: grapes, large, 9d to Is ; small, 2Jd to 4d ; outdoors, Id to 2|d : pears, dessert, Ijd to 2Jd ; cooking, Jd to Ijd : quinces, Jd to Id ; watermelons, 2s Cd to 8i ; rockmelons. Is tn 4s Cd ; lemons, 5d to 7Jd ; small, 3d to 3id. Me Alexander Aitkex’s Refort.— During the week the demacd for produce, etc., was exceptionally good ; all lines offered at auction were cleared. At my two sales 53 tons of local potatoes were offered and sold at prices ranging from £2 10s to £5 ; 10 tons Tasmanian, ex Te Kapo, via .Sydney, realised £5 to £5 ss. The quality of the local grown are not so good as last season’s. Onions are a little lower ; a fair demand exists for good sample?. Auction values are as follows ; —Prime samoles of potatoes, £5 to £5 os ; inferior, £2 10s to £3 10s ; onions, £4 to £6 in sacks, |jd to Jd in bugs ; cereals, poor demand ; oats, 2s Cd ; Danish, 2s 5d ; maize, 2s 10(1 ; wheat, chick. 4s ; bran, £3 15s ; sharps, £4 ; chaff, £3 to £3 5s ; pumpkins, £3 to £4 ; kumaras, £6 to £9, heavy supplies ; fresh hntttr, supply abundant; factory rolls, 9d to lOd : bulk, 9d ; dairy, prime, Cd to 7d ; medium, to 4id ; pastry, 2Jd to 4d : prime keg, 6d ; eggs, guaranteed. Is 41 to Is 8d ; coast,''is 2d to Is 5d ; Southern hams in cloth, 9d (scarce) ; bacon, 7id ; bare ham?, Sid ; «ides, 7d (local scarce) ; bacon, Cd to 6id ; hams, 7id : section honey, 3s ; bulk, 2jd to 3d. Cheese : Factory loaf. 4Jd to 5d ; large, 4id ; farmer’s make, 3d to 3id. Fruit : Supply still large ; Bon Chretien pears, 2d to 3d ; peaches, best dessert, Cd to Is Cd dozen ; quinces, Jd to 1-Jd ; passion fruit, 1(1 to 2d dozen ; lemons, (is Cd to 8s ; tomatoes, Jd to Id, according to quality ; figs, lid to 2d dozen ; plums, 2Ad to 3d ; good dessert pears, Ijd to 2d ; cooking. Jd to IJd ; grapes, plentiful, hot-house, 5d to 9d, out-door. lid to 2jd ; walnuts, 4id ; Cape gooseberries, 5Jd : apples, heavy supplies ; good dessert, 3s to 5s ; cooking, 2s Cd to 3s Cd ; mothed, Is to 2< ; water melons, 3s Cd to 8s dozen. Poultry : Roosters, large Is 9d to 2s Cd, small and cockerels lid to Is Cd ; hens, Is co Is 7d ; turkeys —gobbler?, large, 7s to 9s ; small, 4s Cd to 0s ; hens, 2s 9d to 4s ; geese, 2s C l to 3s ; ducks. Is Cd to 2s Cd ; chickens, Cd to Is ; bens and broods. 2s Cd to 3s Cd ; 1 pigeons. 4d to 8d ; eanarhs, 2s Cd to 3s. Pigs : Medium, 9-s Cd io 12sCd ; weaners (rough), 5s 3d to 9s ; suckers (well bred), Cs Cd to Bs. Messes Arthur Too max and Co. report a busy week, with auction sa'es held daily. Every line Inis been in heavy supply. Bo la toes : The majority of these have been very inferior. All lines quitted by auction to the highest bidder. Prime find quick sale, but other lots only find feed values. Onions were quitted in quantity al £5 10s tor good quality. Grain and other farm produce unchanged. Butter not quite so plenti fill and of better quality, Eggs ; Demand far in excess of Supplies. Cheese and bacon quiet; the former is not generally of good quality, owing to the unfavourable season. Pigs to hand in large numbers and of good class ; values satisfactory. Poultry in heavy supply. Many poor and small, for these values were low ; while good conditioned lots realised well. Fruit in very heavy supply ; apples generally of such inferior quality that they have no value; other liius satisfactory, except grapes, which arc without colour, and outdoor crop h?s been very heavy. We quote: Prime local potatoes, £4 10s to £5 ton ; poor and second growth, £2 to £3 ; Taranaki, £5 to £5 10s. Onions : Pnkckohe, £5 10s ; poor lines, £4 10s to £5 ; pioklers, id to Jd ; pumpkins, £2 to £3; kumaras, let to IJd ; wheat, damaged, 3s; good. 3s lOd to 4s ; bran, £3 15s ; sharps, £4 ; maize. 2s 9d to 3s ; butter, dairy, 5d to Cd ; poor, 3d ; keg. 2d to Cd ; frozen factory rolls. 9d to lOd; eggs, Is 2d to Is 4Jd ; bacon, 7id ; barns, od.; shoulders, 3d to 5d ; cheese, 3d to 3id ; factory, 4d to 4id. Honey, no .demand. Fruit: Superior apples, cooking and dessert, 2s 6d to 8s ; and Is Cd to 2s C l box ; ordinary and inferior, any p ice from Cd to Is 9d ; pears, choice, 2jd to 4d ; poor. Id to lid; plums, lid to 2jd ; lemons, -h Cd to 7s ; quinces, leases 2s 9d to 5s ; sacks, £G ton ; grapes, outdoor, ordinary, Id to 2id ; superior, 4d to 5d ; indoor, common, 3d to 5d ; choice, 8d to Is ; fair, Cd to 7d ; peaches, extra, Is to Is 8d dozen ; fair, Cd to 8d ; small, 2d to 4d, and per pound ; passion fruit, 4s to Cs 3d case ; tomatoes, a drug; Cipc gooseberries, good, 5d ; watermelons, 2s to Ss Cd ; rock, Is to 10s Cd. Poultry : Table roosters, Is 3d to 2s 2d ; laying hens, Is 3d to Is 8d ; chicks and poor fowls. 31 to Is ; ducks, Is Cd to 2s ; geese, Is lOd to 2s 3d ; turkey hens, 2s Cd to 5s 3d ; gobblers, S.iGd to Bs. Pigs ; Good.young, 8s to 12. s9d ; fair, Cs Cd to 7s 9d ; large, ISs to £1 2s. HAWERA MARKETS. The Ecmont Farmers’ Union (Limited), report under date—Hawera, March ISth, 1897 ;—There was a large entry of cattle at Stratford on Friday, the 1 2th inst., mostly young stock, and these being rather in demaud just now, bidding was brisk for each pen offered, and nearly everything changed hands at the sale. We quote : 2to 3-year-old steers, £3 to £3 12s Cd ; li to 2-year-o!d steers, £2 5s to £2 17s Oct ; yearlings (mixed), £1 to £1 10s ; dairy cows and heifers, £3 5s to t.'! Pis C l ; store cov-.s, €1 15s to £2 17s Cd; li to 2-year-old heifers, £1 15s to £2 2s Cd ; weaners (mixed), ]2s Cd to 19s. Our Hawera sale was held on Friday, the 17ih inst.. hut being St. Patrick’s Day ami a public holiday it was very much spoilt, for only a small number of cattle came forward and the attendance was also limited, hut we managed to place nearly everything that was in the yards. We quote : Store steers, £3 to £3 15s ; li to 2 year old steers, £2 Is to £2 IDs ; mixed yearlings, £1 2s (id to £1 10s ; winners, Ida to los ; fat

cows. £3 2s (id to £3 9s ; dairy eo.vs and heifers, £3 15s to £4 10s ; stoic cows. £2 Si to £,".