COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1410, 10 April 1912, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

TRADE IN ALLEN STREET. Fruit—The' Monowni arrived here yesterday with transhipments ex the steamer from the Cook Islands. The oranges have reached a good market. Choice pears and a.pplc3 are in excellent demand, and for peaches the market has a firmer tone.

Tomatoes are coming very freely, and the quotations are somewhat low. New Zea-land-grown passion fruit io in heavy supply. Vegetables—Cauliflowers, French beans, green pea,s, pumpkins, and parsnips, arc in good demand, and consignments are recoinniendcii. Cabbages have advanced in value slightly. Poultry is in ample supply. Hens arc eclline at 2s. 6d. to 3s. per pair; young roosters, 3t3. to 45.; ducks, 4s. to ss.

Cheese meets with a. good demand; medium, 7d. por lb.; loaf, 7*d. Butter.—Primo milled and dairy, in bulk, are in excellent request at lljd. to Is. per lb.

Eggs—Fresh are in short supply, and tho quotation now is Is. 10d. per dozen; preserved, Is. Id. Hams and bacon are selling well; Bides, 9}d.; rolls, IOJd.; hams, 9d.

"Maize is' in short supply, and to-day's value is ss. to ss. 3d. per bushel.

Baled straw.—The supplies are heavy and the current prices are 50s. to 60s. per ton. Feed barley has fair inquiry at 3s. 6d. per bushel. Cape barley is dull of sale a,t 3s. 9d. to 4s. Chaff.-Prirac quality is celling at £4 106. to £5, according to quality. Oats.—"A" Grade Gurtons are worth 2s.

lid. to 3s. per bushel; "B" Qrade, ?.s. 9(1. to 2s. Ud.; Algerian, 3s. 3d. to 3s. 6d.; Dun, 3s.

Oatmeal has fair inquiry at £13 10s. to £14 per ton.. .:■■• Oatini is selling at 9s. ,'6d., and rolled oats at Bs. 6d. per dozen 41b. bags. Flour.—Best-known brands are quoted at £S 10s. per ton f.o.b. south, less the usual discount, or £9 65. fid. ex store Wellington. Bran is in fair demand at £5 10s. to £6 Pollard.—The demand has slackened considerably, owing 110 doubt to the high prices .ruling. Current values are £7 ss. to .€7 10s. per ton. Onions.—Pickling onions are in good demand at Ud. per lb.; best table onions are worth Bs. 6d. to 9s. per cwt.; inferior eouth, 4s. to 6s. Potatoes—The market has advanced ss. per ton in the south, and prime quality is selling at £4 15s. to £5 ss. per ton. LONDON MARKETS. Messrs. Dalgety and Company, Ltd., have received the following cable message from their London office, dated April 3, in regard to frozen meat:—Beef: The demand is fair, but prices arc firm. Quotations— Prime ox fores, 3Sd.; hinds. 4d. Lamb: There is a better demand for lamb, and prices are firm. Quotations—Prime Canterbury light and heavy, 53d.; North Island, light and heavy, 5Jd. Mutton: There is a better demand, with firm prices. Quotations—Prime Canterbury light and heavy, 4*d.; North Island light and heavy, 3Jd. LOCAL PRODUCE MARKETS. Messrs. Laery and Co., Ltd., Wellington, report wholesale prices as under:—Oats, Algerian. 3s. 3d. to 3s. 6d. per bushel; oats, dun, 2s. lid. to 3s. per bushel; oats, short, 2s. 9d. to 3s. per bushel; wheat (fowls), 4a. 2d. to 4s. 3d. per bushel; maije, ss. to ss. 3d. per bushel; barley. Cape, 3s. 10d. to 4s. per bushel; mult. 7s. 9d. per bushel; peas, partridge, 4s. 3d. to 4s. 6d. per bushel; peas, Prussian blue, 7s. 6d. to 7s. 9d. per bushel; linseed nuts. 13s. per cwt.; crushed linseed cake, 13s. 6d. per cwt.; whole linseed, 19.;. per cwt.: pollard, £7 ss. to £7 10s. per ton; bran, £5 15s. to £6 per ton; flour, Atlas, £9 6s. 6d. per ton; oatmeal. £14 per ton; chaff, oatensheaf, £4 10s. to £4 15s. per ton, sacks in; baled straw, £2 10s. to £3 per ton; superphosphates, £4 10s. to £5 per ton; basic slap. £3 15s. to £4 per ton; rolled oats (4's), Bs. 6d. per dozen; rolled oats (20's), 375. 6d. per dozen; potatoes, £4 10s. to £5 per ton: onions (prime), £8 to £8 lCs.; medium quality. £4 to £6 per ton; cheese, medium size, new, 7d. per lb.; cheese, medium size, old, 6Jd. per lb.; checso, loaf, 7Jd. per lb.: fteeh eggs, Is. 10d per cloz.; preserved, 13. <td. per doz.: butter, prime milled. ll;d. lb.; bacon, Kn-.in brand, rolls, IOJd. lb.; bacon. Swan brand, sides, 9»d. lb.; hams, Swan brand, 9d. lb.; shoulder, Swan brand. Bd. per lb.: honey, bulk, 4d. per lb.; lard, built, Bd. per lb.; hens, 2s. 6d. to 3s. per pair; rooster?, young, 3s. to 4s. per pair; ducks, 4s. to ss. per pair; turkey gobblers, 9d. per lb. dead weight; turkeys, hens, Bd. per lb. dead weight. TUB MONEY MARKET. It Is too coon after the end of the quarter (says the "Trade. Review") for any of tho usual returns to be available, but the banking returns should be out within the next week, and these will be looked for with interest to sep how the supply of funds sjauds in this quarter. There ia no doubt that the general supply of money has lessened recently, nnd the (Inner ton'o of the market, referred to iu our last issue, is still noticeable, but, docs not amount to' anything in the nature of real stringency. It appears fairly certain that our imports to March 31 .will exhibit a further increase bnt our export!! for the last quarter will also show an improvement, and the dill'erenco between these will probably lie about the same as at December 31. This matter line recently been engaging more attention than usual in the local papers on account of the narrow margin between the two. Our exports should undoubtedly provide enough to pay for our imports and outside interest obligations, but in thin connection it must lie remembered thai u good part of our loans come out. in the form of goods, and that .especially in a young country like New /.calami, a fair amount of the imports is needed for capitnl expenditure rather than daily. eonr.iimption. Thus wo nun that from ' 1117(1 In, 1C65 we hud an average yearly exiess »t imports of nearly a million, but. since then there lias been iin sivorsiue execs of exports of roughly 2J million* a. year. We sen therefore that the present, po.-i----lion «f imports approximately e<iuallinir exports is nothing new, but. still it should eiiß'ißo the Hllvnliuii or those inicicMcd, in the direction firstly of reducing importation, unci Fcconilly of farther folllnmenl of the bud to increase l,nc production at our primary products. |/

lowiiiß cablefrram from the High Commissioner for New Zealand, dated London April 6, 1912. I\otc.-Qiiotations, unless otherwise specified, are average market Pl MuUon'.-The'market, is firm, at last nuotations, viz.:-L\ominally) Canterbury, W. per lb.i North Island, 31d. to 4£d. per lb. Lamb.—The market is steady, and prices are well maintained. Deef.-The market is quiet. Butter.—The market is ciniet, and- prices are slightly weaker. The average price for the week for choicest Mew Zealand butter, per i:\vU, is 1245.; Australian, 1205.; Siberian, 1205.; Danish, 1295.; Argentine, 120s. Cheese.—The market ia steady. The average price for Die week for finest New Zealand cheese, per e.vU. is 745. Hemp.—The market, is very quiet, nothing doinir. The output from -Manila for the week was 26.CC0 bales. Hops.—The market is firm, with an improved demand. For New Zealand hops the pror-pects arc favourable for early cliipmenl.". Wool.—The wool market remains tirm. ARGENTINE SHIPMENTS. The Department has received the following cablecram .from Buenos Ayres, dated April 3, 1912;.'llip. following shipments of produce wero dispatched from the Argentine to Ihe United Kingdom ports during March, 1912 (compared with March, 1911):1912. 1911. Frozen bc«f (qrs.) 179,000 255,<36 Chilled beef (qrs.) 202,000 90,064 Frozen mutton (care's) 199.0 M 159,676 Frozen lamb (care's) M.CCO 193,053 But-ter (cwt.) 9,516 900 Customs duties collected at the port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £2162 Os. 7d. NELSON APPLES AT VANCOUVER. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Nelson, April 9. Mr. P. G. Jloffatt, secretary of the Nelson Fruitgrowers' Association, ha 3 received cable advice that part nf a recent Nelson apple shipment sold at Vancouver at from &-. to 10s. Growers will receive only moderate net figures. The balance is to be sold in London. TAEANAKI OIL WELLS, LTD. TWO OF THE DIRECTORS. IBy Telczraph—Press Association.! New Plymouth, Anril 9. Tt is officially announced that Sir (ieo. Clifford and Sir .lolin Lane Harrington. London, will join the board of directors of the Taranaki (New Zealand) Oil Wells. Ltd.. after the allotment. The prospectus will be published this week. LONDON MARKETS. (Dγ Telecraph.-Frcss Association.) Chrlstchurch, April 9. The British-New Zealand Meat Co.'s London cablegram reports:—Mutton: Canterburv 33d. to 42d.; North Maud. 3?d. Lamb: Canterbury, 52(1.; North Island. 5Jd. to Sid. Beef: Hinds, 3Jd.; fores, 3jd. HEMP AND TOW GRADED. Mr. E. Clifton, Government Director of Fields and Experimental Farms, forwards the following return showing the qunnlities of hemp and tow graded at the ports of the Dominion during the montii of March, 1912:-The total number of bales of hemp graded was 9343, as compared with 9270 bales for' the corresponding montii of Inst, vear, an increase of 73 hales. For the twelve months endiuc March 31, 1912. the number of bales rradnd was 85,684, as compared with 113,528 for the previous twelve months, the decrease being 27,84' bales. Durins the month 2687 bales of tow were dealt with, as compared with 2480 for the corresponding month of last year, an increase of 198 bales. HEMP. £ g .!: S I 3 .2 £'3 0 p o- q Auckland - 155~ 479 153 T' 788 Foiton .'zzz - 2o« 2212" 75 ii «i.i Wellington 144 2037 1319 28 - 3578 Blenheim _____— — Picton 70 6 59 — - 135 Lyttelton 51 - - - - i>l Dmiedin 71 10 32 - - 113 Bluff — 25 278 21 — oM Totals 336 4329 4379 277 22 93U r< tota n il :lE . C3 ...° 3.6 48.8 3.0 .3 100 TOW. if «g i! 1 I Eli Sf.t-1 F-le D r , Auckland - 92 81 40 213 Napier — — — — — Foxtoll 254 602 91 — 947 Wellington 480 578 68 89 1215 Blenheim — - - - Picton 20 21 54 - 93 Lyttelton ~... 30 16 — — 46 Dunedin '. - 14 — - 14 Bluff - 45 95 7 148 Totals 784 1368 390 136 E678 Stripper slips Conpassed for shipment, demncd. Total. Foxton 192 — 192 Wellington 119 32 151