Commercial.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 1, 26 April 1889, Page 19

Commercial.

Mb. DONALD Stronaoh (on behalf of tbe New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited) reports for the week ending April 24, as follows :—: —

Fat Cattle.— 247 came to hand, only a few prime quality. The nale opened dull, and continued so down to the finish. Best bullocks brought £6 10s to £7 15s ; light weights and medium quality, £4 to £6 5s ; cows from £2 17s Cd to £5 10s.

Fat 6h*>ep. — 2065 were penned. The demand was fairly active. Best crossbred weathers brought lls 6d to 13s 3d ; ordinary, 9s 6d to 10s 9d ; best crossbred ewes, lls to 12s 6d ; ordinary, 7s 6d to 10s 6d.

Fat Lambs.— Be»t brought 7s Gd to 9s 3d ; other from 5s 6d to to 7s 3d.

Pigs. — Suckers, 5s to 12s ; porkers, 25s to 355; baconeis, 37s to 62s ; extra heavy to 625.

Store Cattle. — Well grown bullocks and heifers in forward condition, although saleable, are only in moderate request. Desirable lots of this description are not offering very freely, and with a slight improvement in the demand no doubt satisfactory prices for such could be obtained. Low conditioned and indifferently bred cattla have very little attention. Store Sheep. — The season is now drawing to a close, and the number offering, although still pretty considerable, is much less, confined principally to full and broken-mouthed merino ewes and wethers. Young* crossbreds of both sexes have been all along in good demand, and are now difficult to pick up even at a substantial advance on prices ruling earlier. Merinos are saleable, but buyers are not inclined to give prices obtaining some weeks back.

Wool. — Cable advices received during the week in reference to the London wool sales now in progress are of a most satisfactory tenor. They inform us that competition is active, with a firmer tone ; that withdrawals are exceptionally few. We are in receipt of the following cablegram from our London office, date! 17th inst. :—": — " Since the opening of the sales superior greasy, superior combing washed, and scoured fine crossbreds have advanced £d to Id per lb. ; medium and infeiior greasy have advanced per lb., and other descriptions unchanged, but the market is very firm. Up to date 152,000 bales have been sold."

Hides.— This market is without any very material alteration. A good demand continues to exist, all descriptions being saleable at prices varying according to weight and condition. Sound hides without scars are always preferable, and realise much better prices when compared with those paid for cut and otherwise slovenly flayed. Quotations are as follows — viz., for inferior and bulls, l.}d to 2d ; light, 2£d to 2|d ; medium to good, 2;, ! dto 3^d ; best, and over 601 b weight, 3^l per lb. Tallow. — The market remains inactive, notwithstanding the slight advance recorded lately in values at Home. Buyers for shipment are disinclined to operate, except at prices leaving no margin to the Tenderer. The demand for iocal requirements continues moderately brisk. All odd lots coming forward are taken up by manufacturers at about equal to late rates, which are as follows — For prime rendered mutton, 2Ls to 21s Gd ; medium to goo I, 17s Gd to 19s ; infeiior and mixed, 1 Is Gd to 16s G 1 ; rough fat — best mutton caul, 13a Gd to 14s Gd ; medium to good, IDs to 13s per cwt.

Sheepskins. — There w-is a large attendance at our auction this week (wh eh was held t>n Tuesday owing to Monday being a holiday) to compete for the heavy supply brought forward, and we have to report that competition was well sustained throughout, prices being more even than for some time past, and inlcd on a par with thosj of the previous week. Good heavy green skins and weli saved lambskins were in excello it demand. Country dry skins also rtccivel good attention and full rates were secired. We quote for butchers' skins, crossbreds prime, 3s!)d, oi G 1, 3s 3d, 3s ; do medium, 2s 9J, 2s Bd, 2s Gd ; do inferior, 2s GJ, 2s 4J, 2s 3d ; green merinos, prime, 2s Gd, 2ssd, 2s4d ; ruerincs, meiium, 2s 3i, 2s 2d, 23; merino inferior, Is 9d, Is 7d, Is 3d ; lambskins best quality, 3s 7d, 15s f>d, 3s 3d ; lambskins, inferior, 2s GJ, 2s 41, 2s o i ; country dry crossbreds, inferior to medium, la 31 to 3s Gd ; do do merino, Is 4d, to 3s 5d ; full wooiled crossbreds. 3s 10 I to Gs ; do do merino, 333 3 Gd to 5s Dd ; dry pelts, 21 10 Is Id.

Rabbitskins. — Tnere is very little d > ing in the meaitim 1 , but for the few effering there is a viry good demand. Ti ere are buyers in the market prepared to operate immediately supplies are forwarded, and having secured large orders at limits which should secure a large proportion of tbe offerings here, it is considered that the prospects for the offerings bere it is cons, df»red that the prospects for tbe coming season from a felleis point of view aie veiy encouraging. Rabbiters, up country doaleis, and all otheiti interested, would do well to try tne open market be ft re making any commitments f^r sale by private treaty.

Grain. — Vvhcat has come to hand more freely during the past week from the south ; the condition of which is somewhat raw. Tne markets-hows no improvement sincu date of our last report. Miller.s are not free buyers under any cucumstancep, but when in the m nket their small puichases are confined to prime harl-condi loned samph s. Second late earnp'ep, in tbe meantime, have no attention wlnttver, neither is fowl wheat in very much demaml, At [.resent the te» - dency of the maiket is downwards. We quote, prime nulling. r< d htraw, white velvi t, and Tuscan, Is to 4s 3d ; medium to gco 1, 3s 6d to 3s 91 ; inferior to medium, 2s 'J 1 to 3-j 'At), ex stori . — Oats: A moderately fan demand continues to exist, but the w.iiit of lonoage prevents shippers fiom operatiug to tbe extent that they would do if they could only get their purchases awa.y. We quote, prune milling, 2s 7d to 2s 7H : best bright short feed, 2-, 6.1 to 2s 7d ; medium, 2s 4d to 2s 5d ; uifeiiorand carltssly dresfed. 2s 2.1 to 2s 3 i, ex store. — Barley : Ihe maiket is very quiet. We quote prune malting iv Hiitftble parcels, 3s Oil to H ; medium, 3s 3i to Ms 6d, ex store.

Ryegrass Seed. — With the exception of an odd sale now and again, the market is very quiet ; but holders are hopeful that further on a decided improvement will be experienced. We quote — undressed, 2s 3d to 3s ; dressed, 3s 9d to 4s.— Cocksfoot has no demand of any consequence. Quotations nominal.

Potatoes. — There is no material alteration to note in the tone of the market. A moderate business is passing, and values remain about the same as last week — say from 80s to 82s 6d per ton, for Northern growth.

Dairy Produce. — The holidays caused an interruption to business this week, but it is fully anticipated that when dealers and shippers resume operations — taking the limited stocks into consideration, that prices for both butter and cheese will advance. Meantime, quotations are the same as last week.

Mr. F. Mkbnan, King street, reports :— Wholesale prices, bags included : Oats : 2s 4d to 2s 7d. dull. Wheat : millingvalues, for good samples 4s 4d ; fowls,' 3s to 3s 6d. Chaff : Supply bare, £3 15s to £4. Hay, oaten, £3 10s ; ryegrass hay, £3 5s to £3 10s. Bran, £4. Pollard, £5. Potatoes, supply good ; £4, derwents ; kidneys, no demand for local use. Flour : Stone, sacks, £10 ; fifties, £10 15s; Roller, £11 10s; fifties, £12 ss. Oatmeal, £14. Butter, fresh, good demand, lid to Is; salt, nominal, 8d to 9d. Eggs, scarce, Is 6d.