COMMERCIAL.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume II, Issue 143, 3 August 1880, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

PRODUCE MARKETS. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company Circular dated 17tlr June reports : Wool.; —The second series which opened on the 20th April was closed ou tlie Ith insfc., having occupied 39 sittings. The following arc the available arrivals and quantities catalogued : arrivals 408,040 bales, quantities catalogued 383,303 bales. At the opening there was an excellent attendance both of home and foreign buyers, and by the French section special competition was exhibited. Tips,.at once produced the effect witnessed during the first ten days of the series of an advance on March closing rates in the case of Australasian descriptions, which may be briefly stated as follows Washed and scoured merino about lid to24d per lb ; greasy merino Id to l id ;"washed, scoured and'greasy crossbred about id. '•

Lambs’ Wool did not participate in this advance, nor did the superfine qualities of washed fleece wools command any marked appreciation of values. Towards the close of the series the situation remained practically unaltered, and while it wasltheMutereSt as well of: buyers as sellers, that the market should terminate firmly, during the last; days of the sales this position,-was mot secured, and the closing rales did not suppirt for merino des-y eriptions, March values, by ; id tq Id peril), while crossbred wool’s s were' distinctly 2d to 3d per lb lower., This-yesult must proys disappointing to all concerned : to buyers because now find it impossible to work off satisfactorily into consumption the purchases made"during ttie early-weeks of-the sales; and to-sbllers, because the expectation raised'bf ' tli'e~harnten'ance' Of a'liigb'er level of prices in keeping with an improved condition of trade was doomed to disappointinent,no;.,;, , /•;,,// y :;! j,;T.L :> ~ As L‘during the second series the New Zealand clip of 1879-1880. although chiefly amongst the late arrivals, was fairly represented, the catalogues of Wools from that colony comprisingfiiiearlyp one-fifth; qfzthe aggregate offerings, it may I>e well here to istatathat while .some of the-finer/grades of-cross-bred and merino greasy* Wools rifnvedin lighter condition than those of the 'previous year Land-commanded iii; consequence full prices,; there was also a large proper-; tion of stained, earthy, heavy and sandy parcels/the .'produce not only of merino but coarse woolled sheep, which have by reason of numerous irregularities witli difficulty been passed in consumption. Washed ffieeces from that Colony have realised relatively better pri cemthan j greasy wools of like quality, the “friction” in price between the , two descriptions, hgiu", more marked than was the case in'Jß79. Scoured’ -Wools, unles'3 those of the coaiWat Qualities,>4iave: also commanded attention/ their general: immpnity, feorii’bWVP feed ,be!Tng in their ,favor. The wool of some well-

known-flocks continues, however, to be prejudicially affected by the dipping of the sheep, a tenderness of staple especially towards the tip being the outcome of the process. ;If , \ v Since the close of the public sales but little enquiry has been shewn. ' The depressing influence,caused by the losses sustained on purchases-madu during the early portion of the late scries has not yet passed away. The attention of buyers is also being diverted from Wools of Colonial growth to the European clips now being brought to niai'ket 1; and. this, ..for, a time.at least,, will, tend to check any desire to operate by private treaty in Australasian descriptions. . The arrivals for tile third scries arc as fellow:—New South Wales and Queensland, . US, 012-hales ;,-A T ictoria,>-33,900- do. ■; South Australia, 9,07:2,d0. ; Western Australia, 400 do.; Tasmania, 11,193 do. ; New Zealand, 70,410 do. ; Cape and 30,973 do. Total;? 23i;(>32 dp’ ,7 f/oB 'J’a llow. — For the four weekly auctions which have taken .place since date of our last by this 5 route, a? totahof 5,043 packages of Australian and New Zealand 'Tallow was catalogued, of which 4,030 passed the hammer. The demand at the fivst two sales was good, and prices were well maintained; in some instances, for prime descriptions, rather higher rates were secured, fine mutton, of the M.ATIb Co. mark, touching 30s Gd per cwt. At the two following auctions, however, this demand fell off to a great extent, and to effect sales lower prices had to beacctpted, more particularly for medium qualities of mutton, which were (Id to 9d lower.

We quote P.Y.C. new 41s od, per cwt. ; Australian mutton, fine 35s to 30s do ; do., do. medium 33s to 34s do. ; do. beef, fine, 32s Od to 33s do; do. do. medium, 31s Gd tr 32s do. Leather & Hides.— With a quiet ms -’ ket the sales of auction have been only 5.52 S sides leather, out of a total of 10,Slid brought forward. Prices now ruling are iqiiite ; jd below those of a month ago, and still lower ratys would be tendered for anything but small purchases. Holders, however, are firm at present quotations, viz. : Best sides, averaging 15,\ to 171bs each, lOjd to 12d per lb ; light do. do. 9/ to Ha, do., 102 dto ll£d do. ; extra heavy do. 192; t'o 214 do., 102 dto lHd do.; seconds do. 134 to 10-2 do. 9fd to lid. Arrivals for the month have been 1,044 bales, and further shipments afloat, equal to 559 bales are advised. Basils.-—The last two sales comprised a total of 135,984 skins, of which 48,908 were sold and immediately after the auctions. Wo quote best strained skins 9§ to 17g lbs. per dozen, 15d to 19<1. per lb. ; seconds, 8g to 14 lbs per doz., lld to lad per lb ; unstrained, 14.2 to 19.2 lbs per doz., 72d to 10}d per lb. Rabbit Skins. — In the absence of sales there is nothing new to report. At the auctions to be held to-day, 205 bales and seven cases are catalogued. Some of this ottering is second hand stock, apparently buttings from better parcels previously sold. Coux Market.— Thegrowingccreal crops both in this country and on the Continent, have been much benefitted by the rainfall of the past three weeks, and there seems so far a strong probability of quite an average harvest if not of an early one. Greater eager ness to realise is shown by hv the holders of stocks both of English and Foreign wheat, but millers refuse to make any hut retail purchases, although the quantity they have on hand is unusually light. Quotations for wheat on the spot are now weaker, partly under the pressure of heavy American ship ments and partly from the general idea that the market will gradually give as the season advances. As the various reports from all wheat growing centres continue to bo favorable, this idea seems likely to he coraect, and as matters stand at present everything appears to point to a low scale of values during the summer and autumn. Latest advices from America quote a fall equal to 0 cents per bushel, or 2s per qr., with a large stock of old crop yet to he shipped. Forward arrivals are generally difficult to place, and are freely ottered at low rates.

Quotations are—Australian wheat new, 51s to 52s per 4901h5; New Zealand do, 47s to 50s; Australian flour, superfiue, 355t038s per 2801bs; New Zealand do. 32s to 355.

Wkluxctox, Aug. 3. Messrs Croskerv, Hassal and Co. report sales in their rooms this week—Flour (sacks) £lO os to LlO 10s. 1001 b bags £lO 15s, 5011) bags £lO 17s Gil; oatmeal £lO 10s, pollanl £5 os, potatoes (blue Derwcuts) £2 lOschalF L 4 10s per ton, fowls’ wheat 3s 30 to 3s Oil, maize 3s 3d to 3s (id, barley 3s 3d, oats Is 10d, bran Sd per bushel, hams and bacon (Canterbury guaranteed) 1 Id, cheese od to (id. salt butter 7d, apples 10s per ease, eggs Is Sd per doz., fowls 4s Od, ducks 5s per