COMMERCIAL

Horowhenua Chronicle, 21 July 1911, Page 4

COMMERCIAL

LONDON MICAT MARKETS. Tlio Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company, of London, send us their weekly market report, (lilted June !), as follows: — In tlio past four weeks receipts of fresh mutton lwve been 2-118 cwts. from Hal hi ml. and 2GS) ewts. from other countries. Ueeeipts of rabbits in the- four weeks comprise 7927 cwts from Australia and. 20 cwts, from tlio Contin&nt. Tbe weather during the past four weeks lias been unusually 'hot ami dry for the time of the year, and w'liile this has conduced to greater activity in rim demand for lamb, it lias proved detrimental to both the sale and' tdie. condition of other descriptions of meat. The feature during the past two or three weeks has been the abundant supply i;i* South American chilled beef. The quantities arriving; proved more, than cionld lie absorbed by the market at the earlier level of values, and prices have occasionally fallen to a very low ebb. sometimes below the quotations for I'ro'/en bee!'. Uoiue-grown mutton clcsos with a firmer tendency. Rnglish wethers are now quoted at ~»Jd to (id nor Hi.. and 1 Scotch sheep at Old to fid- per Hi. Kwos are worth from Id to -IJd prr lb.. and the small consignments of Dutch mutton sell from H4ll to fid per Hi. English lambs have been steady for some time at about Sit! to IOJd per lb. Provincial markets have been very quiet and attention is directed pnnvipally _to ci'.iillod hoof and frozen lambs. The output of the latter is entirely satisfactory, but mutton i.s difficult to move. New Zealand mutton.— Arrivals of 210,">90 carcases -during the four weeks have mt overweighted importers. The year's receipts now ainor/nb to 872J)08 .caiva.ses. compared with 813,131 carcases at th. 1 same date last year. "With de reas. ing Australian supplies and New Zealand shipments less widely distributed, importers have been able ito take up a stronger position. Tlio movement was also assisted by the knowledge of lighter s.liipnieint.s coming forward, and in consequence a more favourable level of prices lias been established. It is to ho borne in mind, however, that the recovery would have been further delayed had the earlier arrivals, wh.ieh proved so difficult to move, been allowed td ■accumulate. The- demand is still extremely sluggish, and only firmness on the part of sellers enables tiie ciiroiit quotations to be maintained. Canterburys are not sufi ficiently in evidence to be ouotod. I but are nominally worth 3*d to -Id per lb. North Islands command per lb for good light weights, and from that figure down to 3-id. per lb. for heavies. h'rozen lamb.- -The receipts duriig the, month comprise (>48,5(il ■arcases from New Zealand. 35),8- r jf> •arcases from Australia, and 130,i 79 carcases from South America. IMie total figures for the vcar amount to 3.0(i2,702 (••arcases. showiiicr an increase of 892.G(i(j carcases. This increase, which has been spread over the whole- five mouths, is sufficient to ex.pla.in the difference between the prices realised tin's year and last, and at the same time tihe pressure to sell might have been relaxed with advantage if all importers had been in a position to conserve their stocks against the shortage which will probably have to be faced later on. The demand has been excellent, probably never more active, and steady endeavours to improve prices lmve met with a fair in?nsure of success. Light Canterhurys can nwv be quoted at od per II).. and medium and weisrhts at 4;J(| per Hi. North Islands show a similar range for the two classes at lid to lb. Light weights of all qualities meet by far the best enquiry, and what are usually the cheapest description are now getting difficult to obtain. A few Australians are changing hands at prices up to i.Jd per 11).. and S.iiith Americans are quoted up tri -I-Jd per lb. on the provincial markets.

C'OLOXI'AL DAIRY PKODI/CIO. .Messrs AV. Woddlel and Co.. of T.;;ndoi),, send us their weekly market report, dated -June 9, a's follows :— liutter.- Tlie weather continues dry and hot. and unless good <reneral rains occur in the immediate future thjA supply ol' milk will he greatly reduced. On light .soils the grass is already parched for tlie want of rain. There is an improvement in the demand for Australian and Xew Zealand bntetr, and values have risen from one to two si i ill nigs pei- cwt. The fjiiantity of X'ew Zealand offer•imr on tlie market is practically nil. The future prospects of the price of butter depend mainly on the weather during t'he remainder of Ju,ue. If the present .climatic conditions are maintained, prices will advance earlier than in thti past two seasons, which were very fertile owing to cool temperatures combined with continuous supplies of rain. The Copenhagen official quotation has tin's week been ad-vanoedi by two kroner below the coiTexpomlinjr week last yeur. ° Gheesp.— There is an upward movement in the cheese market similar to tilnat in butter, hut the cause is not the svi.me. Canadian cbeese prices have been forced down by manipulation, but a reaction has sprung up, owing mainly to the unsatisfactory quality which the new season's goods bear bear to the mature cheese of ,lnst .season. Eetailers find the cheese too "green" to suit tilve -palates of their customers, and in consequence are. enquiring, for the mature cheese from Xew Zealand, which is in larger supplies Ithan old Canadian. The Oild American surely is dwindling away.