COMMERCIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2215, 12 June 1908, Page 1

COMMERCIAL.

STOCK S.UVES

The first fortnightly stock sale for tlio win tor was hold at Matnwliero yesterday. The yarding was a large ono, most of tho pens being full. There was a good crowd of buyers, and though a few lots were passed, bidding was not keen, and prices made no advance upon quotations ruling a fortnight ago. A big consignment of sheep was to hand from Kioto Station, and, .being divided into saleable lots ,realised fair prices. Wethers wore in good demundj but ewes were not wanted, and a small lot sold at Is (id, with others as low as is lid, 2s Gd, and 3s. SHEEP. Tlio pens contained about 12,000, mostly stores, which were sold in small lots, few pens being left over for private sale. Fat wethers sold‘from 12s 2d to 15s tkl, tlio principal pens being 10 at 13s, 32 at 13s Gd, 52 at 13s (id, 100 at 15s, and Sat los (id. Fat ewes brought lower prices, ranging from :9s to 10s Gd, a nice pen of 12 realis- ; ing tho latter price. (Store wethers were wanted, and as most of tho pens ivere unreserved, thero was a good sale. Prices ranged from 7s 4d to 13s; 17 at 7s 4d, 250 at 11s 9(1, 42 at 12s 9d, 170 at 12s lid, 20 well forward at 13s were the principal lots disposed of. Store owes found a slack markot, and wore hard to sell; 20 at Is Gd, 59 at Is 9d, G at 3s, 98 at.7,s sd, • 180 in laud) at 9s. 149 4-tooth iniliunb 12s 2d, were the. chief sales. Hoggets found ready buyers at from 4s to 8s Od. Two rams sold at 10s oacli. CATTLE. The yarding of cattle covered about 500 head, mostly stores. One beef steer topped the market at £7. Two fat steors £6 10s, 1 beef cow £4, and 1 cow at £3 10s .were the only safes of fat stock. .Store steers sold from £3 10s to £5. Cows from £2 to £2

12s 6d, empty heiiors to £3 10s, ca ves from 12s Gd to £l.

Pigs: A few weaners were offered and sold from 11s to 126.

Messrs Common, Shelton and Co

Ltd., have received the following letter from their London agents: “Wool: We find a .general complaint this season of the Now Zealand (wool being verjvinsuffieiently skirted; and not particularly well classed. As a whole the condition is heavier than a couplo of years ago, and whether'because of last year’s high prices leading growers to put everything into the bales or some dearth of labor we cannot say, but the value per bale has been much reduced, .besides the actual fall in price per Lb., by the fact that so many skirts and seedy and heavy wools have been packed in the same bales as the lighter and freer lleeccs, because when a buyer secs irregularity and mixture lie makes bis bids upon the lowest sort lie finds in the bale. In good times and in had times, especially the latter, a little extra care in baling all the light and free wool deeply skirted separately will bo found to pay, and deep skirting Ins also tho advantage of enhancing the value of pieces, while it improves tho value of fleece wool.”

•Messrs Murray, ■ Roberts and Co. have received a letter, dated May 1, from their London . house,, Messrs Sanderson, 'Murray and Co,, whowrite as follows :—We regret to report that since the sales closed on 2nd April tho market has shown further weakness, and that it seems certain that a further depreciation in values must take place at the approaching auctions. The total quantity available, for The. series, including wool held over from March, and South American produce, will not fall far short.of 500,000 bales, and what the. offect' wlli'no-wr-v.™-'— wool coming on the market in its : causing much anxiety. (Reports from the manufacturing centres indicate a total- want of confidence ill the future on the part of users, business at the moment being almost stationary. The export yarn trade from Bradford appears to he quite demoralised, while advices from the 'Continent report a considerable .quantity of machinery standing idle. The heavy burden of extensive purchases, made at comparatively extreme prices in the colonial market, is 'without doubt severely testing the financial position of many in. tho trade, and until the heavy losses incurred have been liquidated, there would appear to he little chance of an early improvement. Onco, however, this is accomplished, and confidence restored, we trust that the market will quickly show improvement, though the outlook at time of writing is very uncertain. 'Messrs Williams and Kettle, Ltd., arc in receipt of the following report from their London, agents: • —Our last report was dated 3rd April, and since then the Easter holidays have intervened and caused a break in tlio ordinary courso of business. 'Woo.!: We regret to have to report that .during the past month no improvement has taken place in the. wool market, hut on the contrary it is distinctly easier, and the general opinion seems to be tliat at the forthcoming auctions .undoubtedly lower prices will have to he recorded. (Perhaps the best indication of this is furnished by the River Plate wool sales, which were held this week in Liverpool, when, out of some 1800 hales offered, 'Vily about GOO found buyers, prices chawing a fall of 20 to 25 per cent, on values current there at tho end of February last, which, as compared witli the values ruling in London at the last auctions, shows a drop of 10 to 15 per cent. ' From Bradford and the manufacturing centres generally reports are of the most dismal character., and nohodv appears to have a good word for the article, whilst there is a great lack of confidence in all quarters, and until this is restored a better state of tilings seems out of the question. The value of 40’stops. ! which about a month ago was 9Jd, is to-day Bd, and possibly a shade less, whilst a good super GO’s top is readilv obtainable at 2ld'and even a little less. For the next aucUgus, to commence on the I2th lust, the net arrivals now amount to 175,000 bales, or within 5000 bales of the required limit.

HIDES. Unitpd Press Association— Copyright (Received June 12, 12.12 a.m.) MELBOURNE. June 11. Hides: Heavy and stout, very firm, damaged dragging. FROZEN -MEAT. (Per Press Association.) AVEULINGTQN, June 11. Tile Colonial Consignment and i>istrihuting Comapn.v, London, to-day cabled that frozen meat prices are 'unchanged. ' •