THE HEMP MARKET.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3777, 10 April 1928, Page 3

THE HEMP MARKET.

MARCH GRADING RETURNS. The grading returns for hemp, tow, stripper tow, and stripper slips for the month of March have been issued by the Department; of Agriculture as follows: —

Eighty-eight bales at Auckland, 179 at Wellington, 95 at Foxton, 1 at the Bluff and 19 at Lyttelton were rejected.

The number of bales in each grade was as follows, the number for the corresponding period of last year being given in parenthesis:— Fine nil (122), good fair 664 (1220), high fair 3653 (4706), lowfair 3368 (2771), common 637 (566), rejected 382 (288), a total of 8704 bales, as against 9673 bales graded the same period last year, a decrease of 969 bales.

The number of bales graded at each port was: —Auckland 2255, Wellington 2823, Foxton 1624, Picton 56, Blenheim 102, Dunedin 63, Bluff 1568, Lyttelton 148, W'aikuku 65.

The following shows the detailed particulars of the tow graded:—

Forty-seven bales at Auckland, 22 at Wellington, 37 at Foxton, and two at the Bluff were condemned.

The following show's the number of bales in each grade, the number for the corresponding period of last year being given in parenthesis: — First grade 504 (421), second grade 1,386 (1,974), third grade 872 (424), 'condemned 108 (117), a total of 2,870 bales, as against 2,936 bales graded the same period last year, a .decrease of 66 bales. , The number of bales graded at each port was: — Auckland 696, Wellington 602, Foxton 580, Picton 24, Blenheim 61, Bluff 582, Lyttelton 25, Waikuku 300. 'Stripper-tou 7 : —Fifty-four bales a t Wellington were graded first grade, and seventy-tv'o bales at Wellington , were graded second grade. A total number of 126 bales were graded, as against 91 bales during the same period last yeai - , showing an increase of 35 bales. Stripper-slips: —'Three bales at Auckland and 31 bales at the Bluff were graded second grade. Nine bales at Auckland and 159 at the Bluff were passed for export. The total number graded was 202 bales as against 495 bales graded during the same period last year, a decrease of 293 bales.

'Port. iG.'F. H.F. L.F. C. Auckland 6 449 1391 321 Wellington 463 1389 691 101 Foxton —, 1301 214 14 Picton 56 .— — — Blenheim 50 51 1 — Dunedin 63 — — — Bluff — 418 1014 135 Lyttelton 26 45 33 25 Waikuhu — — 24 41

Ports 1st 2nd 3rd. Auckland v — 284 365 Wellington 266 226 88 Foxton 212 303 28 : Picton 24 — — Blenheim — 61 — Bluff — 208 372 Lyttelton 2 4 19 Waikuku — 300 —