COMMERCIAL.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16147, 27 February 1918, Page 8

COMMERCIAL.

6 (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.] (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) METALS. (Received February 27th, 1 a.m.) LOiND'OW, February 25. Tin —Spot £'314 10s, three mouths £314 ss. buyer—42id per oz. HIGH COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. Tho High Commissioner reported ' as follows ou .February (rsote: Tho quotations, unless otherwise specified, lire tlue uv erage market prices on spot): Meat. —Aleut continues in active uejnand, but the market is poorly supplied, and the supply falls snort of tno demand. Tho supplies consist chiefly of New Zealand ana Argentine lamb, each of which rfealises Hid f.s. Frozen beef and Argentine and .Brazilian chilied beef in each case is selling at the following rates: —Hinds, fores, iJJd. Butter and Cheese. —Thero is no change sinco last report. Both aro in activc demand, with short supplies. Wheat. —Business. is curtailed owing to the absence of offers for account. The Government official quotations have not changed. No. 2 Northern Manitoba and 2so. 2 hard winter, 70s. Oats —Tho market is firm, especially for landed. Ameiican white, 61s 6d (mutilated word here); "Western Canadian, (335. v Hemp.—Tho market for Manila and New Zealand is quiet, but firm. PRICE OF "WHISKY. Some rather, xinexplainable anomalies are apparent in the prices of whiskies (says yesterday's "Otago Daiiy Times")For i'nstance, caso whisky is quoted in Dunedin to-day at 45s to 50s, in ■bond, but in the North Island a caso of the samo quality -whisky costs G2s Cd, iu bond. As, however, most of tho caso whisky is sold under what may bo teuned "provincial agencies," merchants do not try to push business in another merchant's province.. Moreover, if a speculator, for instance, tried i to purchaso whisky'in tho cheaper ! southern market for the purpose of selli ing it in tho dearer northern market, it°is said that means would soon ho adopted to prevc-nt him from repeating i his performance with that particular ■ brand. In London bulk whisky is worth 100s i a, case, in bond, and about 150s when ! all the duties havo been paid. This ' fact naturally prompts the question how 1 bulk whisky is worth in Dunedin to- | day from 32s to 365, in bond, acI cording to quality. Merchants say they cannot explain this difference in cost, 1 save that the Imperial Government ' may have decided, in the interests of tho oversea trade, to allot the distil--1 leries a certain quantity of barley to be manufactured into whisky, tl\ia 1 whisky to be sold to the Dominions at I a specified price. GRAIN AND.PRODUCE MARKETS. (BIT OUR COMMERCIAL EDITOR.) Tuesday evening. So far this week, business in wheat has been very quiet, and very little produce of any kind, in fact, has been offering. This is, no doubt, attri butable to the fine weather recently, and farmers are all exceedingly busy getting in the harvest, much of which is out in the paddock. Prices of oats, oatsheaf chaff, etc., remain unchanged at present, though there aro indications that shioping facilities, or rather the lack of them, may result in the prices of chaff weakening a little owing to the difficulty of getting stuff away. Oats continue to be rather scarce, and chaff also, as practically all attention now is being paid to tho wheat as being the crop most urgently in need of attention. !Main crop potatoes are not beincr "dug in any quantity, though here and "there in particularly blightv patches the tubers are being lifted. Generallv speaking, however, growers are leaving things severely alone, and are trustin"" to be able to save n'fair proportion of I the crop m marketable condition — | Tho following are the prices paid to farmers at country stations, freo of

commission, sacks extra, except where otherwise* stated: — AlilUny wheat, according to Government price. South Island, JanuaryFcbruary, and March os lOd, Apru os lOid, May 5s lld > June os . 11^d ' T f u Os, August 6s Ojd, f.o.b. North Island additional. • . , Oats —Algerians," Duns and Danifn 3s 3d to 3s (3d, Cartons 3s 6d to .33 B*l Barley—os 6d to os 9d, extra prime to <3s, medium os to 5s od. Flour —£15 per ton; 1001b hags £lo ]0s: 501b bags, £15 15s; 251b bags, £ IG '« Bran —£3 10s per ton. Pollard —£0 los per ton. Oatmeal—23lb bags, £22 per ton. Oatsheaf Chaff—New chaff £3 los to £4 os, for immediate delivery, and -a 10s for forward delivery. Cocksfoot—loid to: Is per lb. llvegrass —231b to 261b 6eed 3s 4s, extra prime heavy seed to -is oa, lighter seed 2s Gd to bs. Onions —Main crop £3 los. _ Potatoes— Early varieties £3 es for present or forward delivery. RANGIORA MARKETS. . Tho entry of suee'p at tue Rangiora yards yesterday was a very heavy one, uuia coining lorwatd, ol winch 21M were fats, x-at sncep were in good demand, and competition was keen, totores tvei'o easier, > lie range of prices was: Crime fat iainbs 2Ss to 31s 6d, good j 2os lid. to 2/s od, lighter 22s (3d to 24s od, iiiime fat ewes to 3is bd, good "l»d to 23s od, extra prime fat wethers 32s Xd, prime 26s lOd to 3l>&. The principal sales were: — Fat Lanius: —W. Atkinson, 29 at 31s 6d; James Catherwood, 106 at 26s od; .Morgan Williams, 91 at 28s 9d; 11. Maroiiall, 72 at ii<6s 3d; W. Atkinson, 85 at 295; T. Miles, 108 at 28s 9d to 30s; W. Rougers, 27s sd: OHope, 25 at 25s lOd; It. Mehrtens, 133 at 28s; T. Hopkins, 20 at 2os; 1. Burgess, 06 at iiOs lid; J. JMauhers, 41 at 2Us: Cherry Bros., 73 at 27s 6d;, \\ . Beal, 46 at 27s 3d; M. Hanna, 30 at 27s yd; R. Hanna, 9 at 27s sd; James Galletly, 26 at 26s lid; T. Hodgson, 23 at 22s 6d to 265; A. L. Phillpott, 122 at 25s lid; Adam Scott, 121 at 28s; H Brown, 34 at 27s lid; W. Power, 44 at 28s Fat Ewes. —O. Hope, 22 at 265, R. Marshall, 30 at from 30s 2d to 31s Sd; T. Miles and Co., 23 at 28s 5d to 31s 0d • James Catherwood, 14 at 30s 3d; W. lvtdgers, 22 at 30s 3d; T. Hopkins, 9 at 24s 7d; J. Mathers, 31 at 31s Id; Cherry Bros., 19 at 27s id; T. S. Hanna, 12 at 26s 4d; C. Moore, 15 at 26s lOd; D. Cr. Mathewson, 11 at 25s 9d; James Wilson, 9 at 295; "W. Power, 21 at 295. Fat Wethers.—Morgan Williams, 20 at 28s lOd; O. Hope, 19 at 31s lid; Jas Catherwood, 59 at 30s to 31s /d; J. A. Bowds, 62 at 32s 2d; R. Hanna, 32 at 325: T. S. Hanna, 8 at 30s 9d. Store Ewes.—2B f.m. at 345, 29 twotooth at 29s 7d, 16 at 365, 215 i two, four, sis, and eight-tooth at 24s Sa, 4o oound-moutned at 28s 3d, 51 goodmouthed 245, 21 sound-mouthed at 30s, 150 at 30s, 52 four, six. and eight-tooth at 28s Od, 124 six and eiglit-tooth at 32s 6d 73 sound-mouthed at 295, 66 twotooth at 34s 9d, 34 at 31s, 24 at 33s 9d, 51 four-tooth at 32s 6d, 49 at 33s 10d, 227. two-tooth at 27s 7d, 53 soundmouthed at 24s 4d, 100 four-tooth at 32s 9d, 56 at 31s, 26 aged at 24s Bd. Store Lambs —44 at 21s 4d, 51 at 21s Od, 23 at 20s 3d, 13 at lis 3d, 21 at lis 6d. 79 at 16s 6d, 89 at 23s Id. Store Wethers —34 full-mouth at 29s Bd, 20 at 26s 6d, 10 at 265, 62 four-tooth at 265, 94 four-tooth at 28s 3d, 30 fullmouth 23s lOd. Cattle. —Twelve head came forward. Dairy cows made £10 to £14 15s, 18months' steers £8, store cows £6 to £7. Pigs.—There was an entry of 44. Baconers made 80s to 97s 6d, stores 50 to 565, smalls 15s to 30s. In the poultry department roosters sold up to 6s a" couple, -hens 3s, and ducks ss. . In the produce yards, chickwheat ■made 6s 6cl a bushel, oats 4s to 4s 6d, grass seed 3s 6d, barley meal and wheat meal, bag of 1901b 17s 6d, oatsheaf chaff 4s 6d sack, straw do. 2s, potatoes Bs, tomatoes Id to 2d lb, apples 2s to 3s 6d a case, peas 2s 6d, peaches 2d to Ad lb, onions 3s for 401b kit. ASHBURTON STOCK MARKET. The yarding of fat sheep and lambs at the Tinwald yards yesterday was the largest this season, aggregating 4643, and including 674 ewes, 335 wethers, and 3634 lambs. There were very few passings in the ewes and wethors, but a number of lines of lambs failed to reach the reserves. Mr Smith, Flemington, obtained the highest price for ewes, and sold a pen at 33s 6d. The highest price for wethers was 34s 9d, and for lambs 29s 6d, the latter being sold ou behalf of Mr L. R. Stoddart, Willowby. Ewes ranged from 24s 3d to 33s 6d, wethers from 23s 4d to 34s 9d, and lambs from 22s 8d to 29s Gd. Cattle.—There was about tho usual ! entry of fat cattle. A fairly good demand by butchers ruled until near the end of the sale, when several head were passed in. Mr V. W. Wright, Lagmhor, sccured the highest price with two prime bullocks at £17 15s each. EGG MARKET. At tho auction sales of fresh eggs , held yesterday by Messrs Harris Bros., there was a good entry, and every lot was sold at the following prices: First grade hen eggs I's 9d per dozen, second , grade Is 7Jd to Is Sd_, duck eggs Is Sd , per dozen. j CHRISTCHURCH STOCK ' EXCHANGE. YESTERDAY'S TRANSACTIONS. Sale reported:—Union Banks, £55. LATEST QUOTATIONS. Buyers. Seller*. £e. d. £B. d. BANKS — National ... - .. 5 7 6 5 9 0 Union .« — 55 10 0 CEMENTS— Golden Bay .« .. — 018 6 COAL— Taupiri .. :.. — 0 13 0 FINANCIAL— National Mortgage .. 82 6 0 — N.Z. Loan and Mercantile • ■ •• — 85 0 0 Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd 7 10 0 _ INSURANCE— National .. .. — 3 10 New Zealand .. .. 8 9 0 812 6 SHIPPING— Huddart-Parker 1 19 6 —- : WOOLLENS— i Kaiapoi .. .. — 7 0 0 MISCELLANEOUS— Maaon, Struthers (£1 paid) .. — 12 9 N.<4. Consolidated Dental .. ..140 - 7C.7a. Faimors' Co-op. .. — 2 3 0 Papuan Products •• 0 2 9 0 3 3 Cant. Farmers' Co-op. (pref.) u »m "" 60 tt

YESTERDAY'S BUSINESS ON OTHER EXCHANGES. (press association TELEGRAMS.) DUNEDIW. Sales:—Mt. Lyell, 30s, 303; HuddartParker, 40s, 40s. AUCKLAND. ' Sales:—Wnihi, 38s Gd and 38a Od; "Waihi Grand Junction, 14s 2d and lfa 3d; Kisinj Sun, 2s 9d; Taupiri Coal, 17s 6a; Auck.aua Gas, 275; Northern Steamship (cont.), 7s 6d.