COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 February 1925, Page 4

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

ADDINGTON STOCK MARKET. BIG YARDING OF STORE SHEEP. ADVANCE IN BEEF. (By Telegraph.—Special to Guardian.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Messrs H. Matson and Co., report as follows regaiding their stock sale at Addington yards yesterday: Store sheep.—A tremendous ; arding. including large lines oi ewes Ironi Poverty Ray, Nelson and the South, and several consignments of lambs from the West Coast. The market opened slightly easier than last week, but as the sale progressed prices improved. The sale all-round was about on a par with last week. There was a keen demand for young ewes and forward lambs. Rost 2-tooth Komnev ewes 39s to -bis, extra pood to 475. best 4-0-8 tooth owes 36s to 425, medium ditto 33s to 35s Gg. sound mouth ditto 30s to 34s (3d, failing month 2os 6d to 295. others down to 21s: forward lambs 31s to 33s B*l. medium 28s (id to 30s 6d. others 26s to 6§s. mills down to 18s. Not many good wethers were yarded, but these sold at 30s to 33s 7d, extra forward to 375. Store cattle—The entry as usual was mostly of a nondescript lots, consisting of old cows and potters. No quotable, lines wore offered, Pigs A small yarding of baconors and porkers came forward. The demand for porkers was on a par with late rates, and baconors improved, for whieh there was n keen demand. A allies were: Light porkers 50s to 555, heavy 57s to 675, average price 7d to 8d; light baconors £3 Ins to £■!• 2s flfl, heavy £-1 5s to £4 17s 6d, average price 6d to vd. Store pigs.—A small warding. We.uiers were easier, whilst other sorts sold readily at late rates. Values were: Woaners 18s to 225, good sorts to 27s Cd. small stores 33s to 38s. medium Ills to 40s, large to 525. Beef—Another large yarding comprising 450 head as compared with 610 last week and 540 the previous week. The quality on the whole was better, and included one good line troin the North Island. The market was better all round, showing an advance of 20s to 25s per head ; but towards the end eased somewhat. Prime steers made £lO 10s to £lB. extra to £l9 12s (id, medium £l4 to £lO, light and inferior £8 10s to £l2 15s, prime heifers £9 10S to £l2, ordinary £0 to £9 ss, I prime cows £8 10s to £ll 10s, extra to £l3 2s Gd. medium £0 to £B. others down to £3 10s. ' Mutton—A much larger vardmg, including a larger portion of wethers than has been the case lately. 1 110 market opened somewhat easier than last week and remained fairly even throughout, showing a decline on an average of Is to Is (id per bead; but in the dosing stages this drop might have been more pronounced. Rrnne wethers made 43s to 455, extra i<> 49s 7d, medium 37s to 41s Oil, others down to 345, prime ewes 34s Od to 40s, extra to 425. medium 32s to 345, lighter 28s Od to 31s Gd, others to 20s. Lambs-A fairly large yarding, including several consignments from the West ('oast, which, for the most part, although well grown, were on the plain side. The market was good throughout. and showed little difference from last week, and the per lb. price was practically unchanged. (jraaiers were again operating on light and iiiifiiiisned Stull 1 , hut not to the same extent as last week. WHEAT AND FLOUR. DEARER LOAF LOOMING.

AUCKLAND, Uebniary 9. The Government's embargo on the importation ol wheat lor milling purposes will terminate at the end ol this month. The influence ol the proposed duty will ill all probability he .made manifest from March Ist onward. A prominent Auckland m.iller, discussing its effect on the local price oi Hour, pointed out that the price in Sydney to-day was £l6 per ton. Importations of Hour tier ton would ho liable to the increased duty of £3. Freight charges amounted to about 30s, exchanges 10s, and primage 3s Id, together with insurance charges, thus the cost of Australian flour landed in Auckland would he approximately £2l 10s, to which must he added local profits and charges for cartage and storage. The price of Australian flour sold in Auckland would, with these extra allowances, reach the vicinity of £22 ss, and New Zealand flour, which the November price fixed at £l7 os, would he hound to rise in sympathy. The amount of the rise would thus he £5 per ton, which would work out at about Id on the 41h loaf. The increase was not liltelv to he any less, he said, though it would naturally depend also on other conditions as, for instance, the demand in Britain, the Continent and America. The possibility of a penny increase on the large loaf seemed to he pretty well accepted in other quarters, and the opinion was expressed that the increase would in all likelihood take effect from March Ist . i It is pointed out that current conditions in Australia favour a tendency to export to Nett' Zealand floui rather than wheat. The price ol wheat in Australia is 7s 3d per bushel f.o.b. sacks in, to which must he added duty, freight and other charges, amounting in all to about 2s 3d. The landed cost in Auckland would thus lie approximately 9s Gd per bushel, at which price it would not he possible for local mills to convert it into Hour at less than £23 or £2l per ton. As this would mean a decided advantage in favour of flour imported direct troin Australia and sold here at £22 5s per ton, there would he no inducement to import wheat. This condition would at least prevail until all Australian flour manufactured from last season’s cheaper crop was exhausted, though the tendency always remains for surplus stocks to he sold at lower prices for export. The millers point out that it is impossible to sell their product against low-priced Australia flour. Influences 'which may relieve the position to a certain extent are referred to by local millers. Lower world prices, for instance, are expected when wheat grown in the Northern Hemisphere starts to enter Die world market about June. It is also stated that Australian flour has the reputation of making more loaves to the hag than Canterbury wheat.