Commercial.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 47, 14 March 1890, Page 19

Commercial.

Mkssbs. Donald Beid and Co. report for the week ending March 13 :—

As usnnl, we held an anetion sale of grain and produce at our ■tores on Monday last . There was a full attendance of buyers, and bidding for prime lines, both of oats and wheat, was considerably brisker, but for inferior and mediano Bamples there was lit 1 le competition. In potatoes, too, there is some change. Derwents, which before were difficult to place, have now gute supersede I kidneys in the market, the latter b^ing difficult to quit, even at a considerable reduc ion on last week's quotations.

Wheat, — At our auction stle we sold the first of the new season's, grown by Mr. D. Marshall, of Bantaskin, North Taieri, at tha satisfactory figure of 3* 2d, a price which we hardly expect will be ob'ainable when the season is more advanced. Prime samples are in short supply, and all arriving meet with ready pale at quotations. Inferior and medium samples of old wheat are in little demand, and prices for those qualities are slightly weaker. Wa quote :— extra prime, 3s to 3s 2d ; prime, 2s 7d to 2s lid ; medium, 2i 4i to 2s 6d ; inferior, 2s to 2s 3J.

Oats.— There is a good inquiry for all qualities, and any arriving are readily placed at quotations. During the week we sold a large quantity of new oats from samples at satisfactory prices. We quote : milling, Is 6 d to Is 6d (sacks extra) ; feed Is 2d to Is 4d.

Potatoes. — At time of reporting a large supply of Northern derwents have arrived which have quite taken the market, and kidneys are difficult to quit. We quote : Derwents, £3 to £4 ; kidneys, £2 to £3.

Chaff. — There is barely sufficient arriving to meet requirements, and prices are firm. Prime, £2 7s 6d to £2 15s ; medium, £2 to £2 59.

Ryegrass.— There is a good demand. Privately during the week we have sold some large lines at up to 4s (f.0.b.).

Messrs. Donald Stbonach and £on report as follows for the week ending Wednesday, March 5 :—: —

For to-day's sale at Bumside average entries of all classes of stock came to hand, fat cattle being penned in about tbe same numbers as list week, sheep about a thousand in excess, pigs and Jambs also showing an increase.

Fat Cattle. — 279 head yarded, representing all grades of quality, Borne bein^ very interior and others equally prime. Prime bullocks sold at from £7 to £8 los ; average weights, £6 to £6 10s ; light, £4 5s to £6 ; half-fat steers, of which there were some offered in the fat cattle pers, £3 10s to £4 ; prime cows and heifers, £5 to £6 ss. Fat bheep.— 336o yarded. The heaviest and beat crossbred wethers brought lls 3d to 12s ; a few extra prime sheep to 12s 3d ; average weight wethers, 103 to lls ; lines in forward condition, but requiring a little more fin shing out to fit them for the Batcher, 9s to 9s 6J ; be3t ewes, 9s to 10s; a few extra heavy to 13s 9d : average weightß, 8s to 8s 6d ; iight and inferior, 6s 6d to 7s 6d,

Fat Lamb 9. — 931 penned, the quality of which ranged from inferior to prime. For really good trade lines 6i 6d to 7s 6d per head are about current rates, and although these figures were exceeded in some instances, there were a lot of good lambs sold at the finish of the Bale considerably below the quotations referred to. The day's quotations may be given as 6s 6d to 7s 6d for good average lots, extra prime from 9s to 9i 6J, and in one case to 9s 9d ; medium, 58 6d to 6s ; infeiior, 43 9i to 5s 3d.

Pigs.— lßß penned, the bulk of which were baconera, with a few porkers and weaners. Heavy-weight bacon pigs brought 40s to 48s ; medium weights, 34s to 38s ; porkers, 25s to 30s ; weaners, 8s to 12a; slips, 15s to 225. Store Cattle. — Occasionally small lots change hands, but sales can only be effected at very tempting prices. Store bheep. — Thjse who are holding lines of good wethers are still asking 9s 6i to 10s per head for the same, but with good fat sheep selling in the yards at from lls to 12s, even those who have feed and lequire sheep hesitate about meeting owners on such terms as are quoted. We have placed a line of 4000 culls ou account of Mouut fisa Station at a satisfactory figure. Our sales of rams are, 100 on account of Messrs. ftobert Campbell and Soqs, Limited, and 116 from Mr. G. L. Lice's pure American merino flock at satisfactory prices, jjjpjßabbitskins. — Trese meet with a fair competition at prices ranging fiom 6£d to 7£ 1 for the best lots ; inferior to medium, 4d to 6^d ; suckers, l^d to 3d per lb.

Hides. — We quote well flayed heavy ox 2Jd to 3d per lb ; medium to heavy, 2^l to 2^l per lb ; inferior, l^i to lfd per lb ; calfskins, 9d to 2=t 6d each.

Tallow : We quote : Prime rendered mutton tallow, 169 6d to 17s 6j; inferior and mixed, 12s to 14s; best unrendeied caul fat, lls to 12-t ; inferior to audium, 8s to 10s per cwt.

Grain, — During the past week Borne few parcels of Northern grain h^ve been offered in Duuedin, and as the stocks of old wheat have been pret y well picked over for prime samples, several lots of niw have already found buyers. There is also a considerable inquiry for shipment, especially in Tuscan. We quote : — Prime Northern tutcan at 2s lOd to 2s lid per bushel, ex store (with very little offering), or 2s lid to 3s f.o b. — Southern lines about Id per buehel less ; ctoice samples of velvet and red straw, 2s 8d to 2-t 9d ; mediun, 2s 6d to 2a 7d ; inferior 2s 4i to 2s 5J ; cbick wheat, 2s to 2s 3d.— A good few samples of Northern wheats offered here have not been of the usual prime quality, the dry weather having prevented the grain from filling as well as might be wished. Oats. — At the auctions during the week one or two small parcels of this season's crop have changed hands at from Is 5d to Is 6d p«r bushel for prime samples. Ordinary feed lota have also met with rather more inquiry ; in fact, prices all round are quite Id per bushel

better than last week. We quote— Prime bright milling oats, Is 4sd to Is 5d ; extra choice, to U 61 ; cood sourd feed, Is 3sd to Is 4d ; inferior to medium, to Is 31 per bushel (sacks extra, ex store). Barley has yet but a slight iaqairy, and it is evident tint milt* sters have still sufficient stock on hand to carry them forward for a little lime longer. Prime samples in limited quantities can be placed at 3s to 3a 2d ; medium commanding little or no attention, even at such prices as 2s 6d and 2s 9d.

Grass Seed.— We quote medium dressed of prime quality, 4s to 4s 6d ; undressed, 2% 64 to 3s and 3s 31. In cocksfoot there is not a great deal doing as yet, quotations baing nomintlly 31 to 3Jd per lb. Potatoes. — Prince frpsti lots may be quoted at £3 5s to £3 15s ; medium to good, 60s to 70* per ton. Chaff — We quote prims oatei sheaf (screened) 503 to 555; medium, 40j to 45* ; inferior, 25a to 35* per ton. Flax.— London cable news of tne Ist March states that New Zealand hemp is in poor demind— fair quality, £25; m'dium, £22 per ton. Locally soon few s*lea ar« biiag made up t> £18 *nd £19 for the best ; unscutched and indifferently scutched, £12 to £15.

Wednesday, March 12. At this week's skin sales prices were well maintained, and all lots found ready buyers. Oar catalogue showed the following range : Country skins, 4s 2i, 4s 3d, 4s 6d, 43 lOd ; hoggets to 3s lOd ; butchers pelts to 3i 4J ; lambs to 3).

Wool. — The final Biles of the seison were held on Thursday, 6th inst. Market being generally weaker the prices realised show a slight drop on late rates. Odd lots coming forward now will be sold at the weekly Bkin sales.

Mr. F. Meenan, King street, reports : —Wholesale prices : — Cats, Is 3d to Is sd, bags extra. Wheat : Milling, 2s 6d to 3s 1, sacks included; fowls', 2i to 2s 4d, sacks included. Chaff : New, £2 10s ; prime, old, £3— off qualities unsaleable. Hay: Oaten, old, £3 10s ; new, £3 ; rye-grass, new, £3 lOs. Bran, £2 10s. Pollard, £3 10s. Potatoes : Kidneys, £3 to £3 10, sacks included. Flour : Roller, £8 10s ; sacks, £9 ss, fifties. O<ttmeal, £9 in 251 b. Butter, fresh, 9d to la; good salt, in kegs, 61 (goad demand). Eggs, 1.

Two thousand, four hundred and ninty-fi va telegraph poles have been cut down in New Fork City, and fourteen and a half millions feet of wire bavebeen destroyed by order of the Mayor. The Czar has sent Leo XIII. an autograph letter congratulating his Holiness on the final agreement for the nomination of the Russian and Polish Bishops. The moderate Liberal papers of Italy have begun an agitation against the new law on the Opere Pie, which confiscates for secular purposes the property of confraternities and religious foundations,

Tbe Marquis of Conyngham has reduced by 20 per cant, the rents on his property in the Ojunty of Donegal without being asked to do 80, Mr. Bustard, another land owner in Donegal, Las reduced his rents to a figure below that fixed by Griffiths.

The influenza has accomplished what no other disease ever did— the closing of hospitals. KensiDgtou Hospital, Philadelphia, has closed its doors to all new patients, and Howard Hospital, of the same city, has g yen out the fallowing notice : " Tbe hospital is closed until Monday on account of the officers all being sick with the " grip." The fall of snow on the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on the line of the Central Pacific Railroad is unprecedented. At summit there are 16 feet on the level and 12 feet at Emigrant Gap. With their huge rotary ploughs they have been generally successful in keeping the road open for travel this winter.

At the Ca tadiaa Parliament, it is understood the session will be a lively one. A resolution will be introduced to abolish French as an official language in the Canadian North-west. The Orangemen will seek ta secure incorporation, but will have to count on the opposition of all the Catholic members of Parliament.

It is stated that the late Dowager Empre3s Augusta left 7,000,000 marks. Her jewels and ornaments are bequeathed to personal friends as keepsakes. One very valuable jewel is left to the Empress Victoria. The Pope, in answer to the Emperor's telegram, exprtssed his sympathy with the royal family and his respect for the deceased.

There are about 200,000 Germans settled in the Southern Provinces of Brazil, and the German Government is showing a suspicious zeal in offering to proect tbeis interests against any possible infiiogements by the new Brazilian administration. Germany appears to look upon those emigrants from the Fatherland as a quasi-German olony over whose territory she possesses some colonial lights, Happily for Brazil, the Monroe Doctrine is unambiguous on that question, at least. An invasion of South American territory by Germany on any euch pretext would be regarded by this country wi'h no more favour than a similar attempt to " protect " the rights of the German colony in Milwaukee or Cincinnati.

"In France and England everyone who lives on his income, which is not uncjmm>n, is called a gentleman — in Chicago he is called a loafer." — Max O'Rell. — There probably never lectured in America so good an epigrammatist as this brilliaot Fiencbman, He does us good by making us listen for the keen point of what he has to say instead of satisfying ourselves with the " eloquent manner " of saying it. We have too much of the eloquent manner and too little of tbe fine edge in our public lectures. When he knows Americana better he will stop calling them Anglo-Saxons — Pilot.

Labouchere knows how Tories are made. Hear him, in the Forum for January : " Every equire, every clergyman of the Established Church, every pot-housa keeper, every tradesman who owns a villa, every bein^ to whom Heaven has given the soul of a flunkey, is a Tory agent." That Mr. Chamberlain belongs to the last-named class, in the opinion of Labouchere, is evident, for he says tbat the Tories dislike and distrust tbe Brummagem renegade, but " they keep him tied to them by satisfying his social cravings, and inviting him an 1 his family to their London entertainments and to their country houses, where the poor man is as much 'out of it ' as a Texas cowboy would be in a club of New York dudes."