PRODUCE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 16, 21 April 1904, Page 13

PRODUCE.

London, April 15. — Wheat : San Francisco, 135 cents. Austitalian cargoes are inactive ; 30s 9d is asked on passage, ami 80s 4£d for April-May .shipment. Bfutter is d"ull, with plentiful sjupplies and a slow trade. Colonial is unchanged ; Danish, 98s. Cheese is flat. New Zealand, 48s. Rabbits are slow of sale, but prices are unchanged.

Wellington, April 18.— The Department of Industries arid Commerce has received the following cablegram; from tjhe Agent-General, dated London, 16t/h inst. :— The stocks of New Zealand mutton on hand are light anjd firmly held in a few hands. The tone of the market is much better this week, >,due to tlhe scarcity of prime quality mutton. Average price tonday : Canterbury mutton, 4fd ; Dunedin, Southland, and W.AI.E. Company's brands, 4£d ; River Plate mutton, 3d. There is a better demand for lambs, and a great improvement fji the market, which is firm at advanced prices. The established average price to-day for New Zealand lamb is : Canterbury brands, 5Jd ; other than Canterbury, sd. The beef market is very dull, owing to the absence of demand and the large supplies of American dhilled beef. There is no change in the prices. The butter market is very uncertain, overstocked, and depressed. Deliveries of New Zealand and Australian butter from January to March inclusive amount to 344,322cwt, as against 151,632cwt for the same period last year. The average price of choicest New Zealand butter to-day is 90s per cwt ; Danish, 975. The cheese market is dull. The average price of finest New Zealand Cheese to-day is 48s per cwt.

Invercargill prices current. — Wholesale — Butter farm, 6d ; separator, 8d ; butter, factory, pats, lOfd. Eggs, Is 3d per dozen. Cheese, (factory), 6|d.- Hjama, >9»d. Potatoes, £2 pier ton (ba<g^ weighed in). Barley, 2s to 2s 6d. Chati, £2 per ton. Flour, £10 to £11. Oatmeal, £9 to £9 10s. Bran, £3 Pollard, £5. Retail.— Farm butter, 8d ; separator, 10d, butter (factory), pats, Is. Eggs, Is 6d per dozen Cheese Bd. Bacon, lid. Hams, lOd. Potatoes, 3s 6d per cw't Flour 200 ft, 22s ; 50ft, 6s 6d. Oatmeal, 501 b, 5s 6d , 25ft, 3s. Pollard, 8s 6d per bag. Bran, 4s. Chaff, Is 6d.

Mr. F. Meenan, King street, Dunedin, reports :— Wholesale, prices only— Oats : Milling, Is 5d to Is 6d ; feed, lid to Is sd. Wheat: Milling, 3s to 3s 3d; fowls', 2s 3d to 2s 5d Potatoes : Kidneys, 35s ; Derwonts, £2 5s Chaff £2 5s to £3. Clover hay, £3. Straw. Pressed wheat, 32s 6d ; oaten, 35s ; loose, 35s Flour : Sacks £9 Us ; 1001 b, £T0 ; 50ft, £10 5s ; 25ft, £10 10s. Oatmeal, £9 10s. Pollard, £4 10s. Bran, £2 10s. Butter • dairy, 8d to lOd ; factory, lid. Cheese : factory, 54' d ; dairy, 3d. Eggs, Is 7'd. Onions . Melbourne, £4 10s.

Messrs. Donald Reid and Co. (Limited) report :— We held our weekly auction sale of grain and produce at our stores on Monday. Our catalogue comprised good to prime feed oats, whole fowl wheat, potatoes, chaff, and hay. In all classes of prodlice prime quality met with good competition, but low-grade lines of all sorts were without demand. Values ruled as under :— Oats -Prime nulling lines have limited inquiry, but nothinfe like an extensive business is beimg done. Ihe demand for export is on the lowest possible scale, only c*ld lots find an outlet to supply shippers actual orders. Consignments are coming forward treely and in consequence stocks have accumulated considerably. We cfuote . Prime milling, Is 3d to Is 6d ; good to best feed, Is 3 id to Is 4£d , inferior -to medium, lOd to Is 3d per bushel (sacks extra). Wheat —In prime milling quality little business is passune. Stocks, however, are not heavy, and a slight improvement in demand would readily absorb these. Medium milling lines are ottt of favor but fowl wheat although coming forward freely, continues to meet a fair demand We quote • Prime milling, 2s lOd to 3s Id ; medium to good, 2s 6d to 2s 9d ; -whole owl wheat, 2s 4d to 2s 5d ; medium, damaged, and broken, 2s to 2s 3d per bushel (sacks extra). Potatoes -Consignments ha^ been somewhat heavier of late, and prime Derwents alone fmd favor with buyers. We quote these at £2 5s to £2 7s 6d ; medium, £2 to £2 2s 6d ; kidneys and other sorts, £1 10s to £2 per tan (bags in)..

Chaff.— Prime oaten sheaf is the 'only kinid wanted, and this is readily taken at quotations. Meatuni and inferior quality is in aver supply and difficult to deal with ali any price. We quote : Prime oaten sheaf, £2 15s to £3 ] medium to good, £2 to £2 10s ; inferior and light, £1 10s to £1 17s 6d per top (bags extra). Hay.— We quote : Best clover and ryegrass, £2 15s to £3 per ton ; medium to good, £2 to £2 10s per ton. Stiraw.— We quote : Clean, bright, pressed straw, 32s 6d per ton.

Messrs. Stronach, Morris, and Co. report :— Wheat.— There is not much doing, millers declining to b)uy the medium quality lines that are offering. Fowl wheat, of which there is a large quantity offering, moyes off slowly. Quotations : Prim* milling, 2sj lOd to 3s id ; medium do, 2s 6d to 2s 9d ; goad whole fowl wheat, 2s 3d to 2s 5d ; damaged and inferior, Is lOd to 2s 2d. Oats. — The demand is decidedly easier, and as prices hasve fallen, most of the 1 nes arriving are being placed in store. Prime milling, Is 5d to Is 6d ; good to best feed, Is 3d to Is 4£d ; medium, Is Id to Is 2|d ; inferior, lOd to Is. Potatoes.— Best Derwents, £2 2s 6d to £2 7s 6d ; other sorts, £1 10s to £2. Chaff.— Prime oaten sheaf commands £2 15s to £3 ; medium and inferior are very hard to sell at £2 to £2 10s for the former and £1 10s to £1 17s 6d for the latter.