Commercial

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXIX, Issue 5706, 29 April 1911, Page 1

Commercial

Trade Prospects. Wholesale houses report a fair retail country trade, but town business slow, although a marked improvement upon the position as at this time last year. The holidays have had an unsettling effect upon the city, however, and St. George’s Day being observed so soon after Easter has caused some inconveuience to business people. The past week has been uneventful on the Stock Exchange, and sales of investment stocks few and far between. Holders are very firm, and the buyerß of favourite stocks far outnumber sellers. The actual sales as roported by the Stock Exchange for the month of April, so far as it has gone, will show the trend of public favour, and are as follow :—Banks, 2 ; lending institutions, G ; meat companies, 5 ; breweries, 4 ; timber companies, 2 ) gasworks, 3 ; miscellaneous, 3. A large amount of business is done, however, which does not find its way on to the Exchange’s list. The clothing trade has received a welcome fillip by the coming of cold woathor and the goneral lowering of the temperature. There has been a strong ‘ demand from retailers for ready-made clothing and warm underwear, and stocks are moving off freely in the warehouses. Meat. The London meat market is still dull for mutton and lamb, and beef, which for Borne time past has met with a good market, is also slow of sale. The quantities arriving in the United Kingdom have been exceptionally heavy. Dairy Produce. The butter market continues firm, factories stauding out for lid per lb, and even higher. It is expected that with the recent general rains and the large quantity of butter in store prices will undergo a change in favor of buyers, whose ideas of values seem to be about 10$d. Complaints have been received by the local agonts of a large London buying firm of the moisture in cheese, and tho consequent shrinkage by tho time the cheese leaves the ship. This shrinkage is said to bo far in oxcess of the ordinary allowance for reduction of weight even when the choose is weighed at the ship. As it progresses much more rapidly when the cheese is exposed to the uir, it is urged that greater attention should be paid to manufacture at this end, in order to secure a solid close cutting article. Produce. The oat market still keeps firm, prices for A grade sparrow bills being from 2s to 2s 5d per bushol f.o.b. Lyttelton ; gartons, £d more. There is a strong demand throughout Canterbury for all feed oats, and stocks held there are reported to be light. Pollard and bran are still very scarce, at £G and £4 respectively per ton f.o.b. South Island ports. Flour is unchanged. Fowl wheat ranges from 3s 2d to 3s 3d per bushel f.o.b. Lyttelton, but smutty samples may be purchased below that figure. Prussian blue peas are offering at Gs 6d to 7s per bushel, and partridge peas at 4s, at South Island ports. Chaff is dear and likely to go higher, £5 per ton being quoted in Christchurch on Monday and £4 17s 6d to £5 in Blenheim. Potatoes are scarce, good table sorts bringing £4 lOs to £4 15s per ton in Christchurch and Oamaru. Onions are difficult to obtain at £3 lOs to £3 15s per ton in Canterbury.