New Zealand Hemp

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 110, 11 March 1890, Page 4

New Zealand Hemp

The New Zealand Loan arid Mer•cantiLe. Agency Company, in their London eiicular* of "January 25th, give ! the following - review of the heoip ' trade :— The increasing importance'' of the business transacted in this article during 1888, alliided to in our Annual Circular No. 354, for that period, became more apparent with the progress of the past year, and from the accompanying statistics • it will 'be observed that the importations into London in 1889 amounted to no less than 7233 tons, being more than three times the quality received in the previous year. To these figures must be added the hemp delivered '* overside" and fe 'shipped, of which no statistics -are kept, 'but which is estimated' to be 2500 tons ; beside which a large quantity : .was imported direct from New Zealand into the United States. While values- throughout the year have, to a large extent moved in *y npathy with the states ruling for ■Manila t it can be confidently stated turn tli« position of this fibre has become established on a much firmer basis than it was a few years ago, as not only has a larger proportion of the supply been purchased on behalf •of the United States, but has found increased favour with Home manu- ; facturers. The condition, however, in which a very large proportion of ' the shipments haye recently come to haud renders it desirable again to call j •the attention of shippers to the im- I portance-of exercising greater care in ! the preparation of their fibre. Some improvement has certainly been manifested since attention was called to this subject, in pur circulars Nos. 357 and 359, but the importance of it became more apparent during the latter part of the past year, when somewhat heavy shipments arrived to a dull market, a large proportion of which consisted of partly or insufficiently dressed parcels, which proved most difficult of Bale. Prices current — Wellington: Fine to extra, £30 to £32; good, £27 to £28 ; middling to fair, £26 to £27; common to middling, £24 to £25 ; low and ordinary, £22 to £24 (nominal). Auckland : Fine to extra, £30 10s to £32 10s ; good, £28^0 .£29; middling to fair, £26 to £27 ; common' to' middling, £24 10s to £26 ; low and ordiuarv, £22 10s to £24 lCs,