PRODUCE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 42, 15 October 1903, Page 13

PRODUCE.

Wellington, October 12.— The Department of Industries and Commerce has received the following cablegram from the Agent-General, dated London, October 10 :— 4 There is dull sale lor all classes of mutton. The price for New Zealand is steady, but quotations for River Plate have been reduced £d per ft. The lamb market is quiet but firm, the average price to-day for Canterbury brands being 4£d to 5d ; brands other than Canterbury, 4fd to 4£d. Beef is in better demand, and the average price to-day is— New Zealand hinds, 4d ; fores, 2£d. The butter market is steady, and good quality New Zealand is in fair demand at 100s to 104s per cwt ; for secondary quality the demand is very slow at 90s to 96s ; Danish is unchanged. The cheese market is not quite so firm. Finest Canadian on spot is qtuoted at 55s per cwt, c.i.f. Quotations for Canadian Cheese have fallen 53s to 545.'

Invercargill prices current.— Wholesale — Butter farm, 8d ; butter factory, bulk, 10|d to lljd ; pats, ll£d to llfd cash. Egfs, 8d per dozen. Cheese (factory), 6£d. Hams, 9d. Potatoes, £4 per ton (bags weighed in. Barley. 2s to 2s 6d. Chaff, £3 per ton. Flour, £10 10s to £11. Oatmeal, £8 to £8 10s. Bran, £3. Pallard, £4. Retail.— Fresh butter, lOd ; butter (fajctory), pats, Is lid ; eggs, lOd per dozen. Cheese, Bd. Bacon, lid. Hams, lOd. Potatoes, 5s 6d per cwt. FLour : 200 ft, 23s ; 50ft, 6s 6d. Oatmeal, 50ft, 5s ; 25ft, 2s 6d. Pollard, 7s per bag. Bran, 4s. Chaff, Is 9d.

Mr. F. Meenan, King street, Dunedin, reports :— Wholesale prices only— Oats: Seed, Is lOd to 2s 3d; milling, Is 8d to Is 9^d ; feed, Is 3d to Is 7d. Wheat : Milling, 3s lOd to 4s 2d, fowls' wheat, 3s to 3s 6d. Potatoes : Derwents, £3 15s to £4 5s ; seed kidneys, £3 10s to £4 10s. Chaff, £2 10s to £3 10s. Straw : Pressed wheat, 27s 6d ; oaten, 30s ; loose, 355. Flour : Sacks, £10 ; 50ft, £10 15s ; 25ft, £11. Oatmeal, £9. Pollard, £4. Bran, £3. Butter . Dairy, 8d to lOd ; factory, lid. Cheese : Factory, 6£d ; dairy, 6d. Eggs, lOd. Onions : Melbourne, £5.

Messrs. Donald Reid and Co. report as follows :— We held our weekly auction sale of grain and produce on Monday. There was a fair attendance of buyers, but competition was slack, a»nd a slow sale resulted. Values ruled as under "—" — Oats — During the past week a fair export trade has been done, but business has only been possible at low values and last week's quotations are barely maintained. Prime bright oats are not over-plentiful, but inferior sorts are offering freely, and as exporters do not care to take the risk of shipping this class of oats, they are extremely difficult to quit. We quote : Prime milling, Is 6d to Is 7d ; good to best, teed, Is 5,d to Is 5-fcd ; jnferior and medium, Is to Is 4d per bushel (sacks extra). Wheat. — A moderate business has been done in gpod prime milling sorts. These, however, are not plentiful, and for medium quality there has been little inquiry. Fowl wheat is offering more freely at a slight reduction in value. We quote : Prime milling, 4s to 4s 3d ; medium to good, 3s 5d to 3s lOd ; best whole fowl wheat, 3s 3d to 3s 4d ; broken and damaged, 2s 6d to 3s per bushel (sacks extra). Potatoes — The market is not heavily supplied, but good to prime Derwents are onenng more freely from Canterbury, and late quotations are barely maintained. We quote Prime Derwents, £4 to £4 2s 6d ; medium to good, £3 10s to £3 17s Gd , other sorts, £3 to £3 10s per ton (bags in). Chaff — Prime oaten sheaf continues to meet with most inquiry, but the demand for all sorts is a shade weaker. Inferior and medium sorts are still almost unsaleable. We quote : Best oaten sheaf, £3 to £3 5s ; medium to good, £2 10s to £2 15s ; straw chaff, inferior and light, £1 10s to £2 5s per ton (bags extra).

Messrs. Stronach, Morris, and Co report as follows : Oats —Very little demand for milling sorts and no shipping doing. The outlook is anything but promising. Lower figures are being accepted for medium and inferior sorts. Prime milling, Is 6£d to Is 7d ; good to best feed, Is 5-£ dto Is ©d ; inferior to medium, Is to Is 4£d (sacks extra). Wheat .—There has been fair inquiry for medium sorts. Very little prime milling offering. Fowl wheat offering freely at lower rates. Prime milling, 4s to 4s Id ; me-

dium do, 3s 6d to 3s lOd ; whole fowl wheat, 3s Id to 3s 3d ; broken and damaged, 2s to 3s (sacks extra). Chaff— Market easier this week and over-supplied. Best oaten sheaf, £2 17s 6d to £3 2s 6d ; medium to good, £2 7s 6d to £2 15s ; inferior and light, £1 10s to £2 5&. Potatoes.— Fair supplies of Derwents. Seed lines inquired for. Best Derwents, £4 to £4 5s ; medium, £3 10s to £3 17s 6d ; seed lines, £4 to £6.