COMMERCIAL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2706, 21 November 1881, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

■„ 8. C. Times Office, Monday evening. Mr Moss Jonas reports as follows : Sheep—The market is active and prices are firm with a slight upward inclination, the supply scarcely being equal to the demand either in stores or in fat sheep. In stores, full-mouth merino wethers are worth from ,4s to 4s fid, and cross-breds from fis 9d to 7s 9d. In fat sheep, he has no sales of merinos to report, but has sold cross-breds at from Bs, fid to 10s fid, and he has sold privately during the week 4000 fat and store sheep at the prices quoted. Cattle—The demand for fat cattle still continues, and prices are steady at last quotations; In stores the market is easier and prices have receded, buyers declining to operate in consequence of the scarcity of feed. On Thursday, at the South Canterbury Yards, 180 head were penned, but the bulk of them were passed, butchers’ and dealers’ prices not equalling owners’ expectations.. He quotes yearlings, £2 ; two and three-year olds at from £3 10s to £4 15s.

Horses—The market is very languid, and nothing but first-rate stock is saleable. Wool and Skins.—His sale on Thursday was largely attended, , both by buyers and growers. His catalogue-comprised some eighty bales of wool and fifteen hundred skins, and he quotes sales as under4s bales three-quarter-bred hoggets', wool, B£d ; half-bred, B£d ; mixed lots, 7£d to Bd. Skins—Butchers’ best crossbreds, 6s, fis 4d, fis fid, fis, to fis 2d; second quality, 3s fid, 3s 9d, 4s, 4s fid, to 4s 9d ; best country skins from 3s 9d fo fis each ; inferior and dry, Is 3d to Is 9d. Miscellaneous—On Monday he sold by auction, at his salerooms, two sections in in Regent street, Southerton, each containing about 84 perches, at £26 to £3O respectively. On Tuesday the sale of furniture, Ac.. at his rooms was very successful from every point of view, and a similar sale at Pleasant Point on Wednesday met with the usual success. On Thursday his wool and skin sale was well attended. The sale of cattle at the South Canterbury Yards was very fairly attended, yet, from causes already mentioned, was not so successful as it might have been. On Friday he sold a quantity of timber, &0., at Albury, and the prices obtained were quite up to the mark. His sale on Saturday drew a large attendance of buyers. In addition to the usual class of produce, the stock of a toy dealer and a large lot of confectionery was submitted and cleared out at fair prices, as was also a quantity of household furniture. He quotes flour, 13s; sharps, fis ; bran, 4s per sacit; fowls’ corn, 10s fid to 12s per sack ; fowls, 3s per pair; butter, 3d to 4d ; bacon, fid to fid ; ham, fid; cheese, 4£d.

Messrs Maclean and Stewart report for, the past w eek as follows: Horses.—An average number of draught and light horses were on Saturday received at their yards for sale, 35 head having passed under the hammer. They report some of the draughts submitted as being of a very superior class, and in consequence higher prices were ruling, £4O being obtained for a splendid gelding, and £39 for another almost equal in quality, and £32 for a third, also a first-class gelding. These prices cannot be quoted as the average values for draughts, as the animals commanding these moneys were a long way better than the usual class of horses. They quote good draughts at from £24 to £29 ; for medium sorts from £l7 to £24 ; light harness horses and ordinary hacks from £8 o £l4.

Sheep—There is yet little business to report as having been done in store sheep, but as they are now icceiving different lots for sale, they expect to be able to report as to prices ruling in a short time. Good store merino weathers, owners are aski- g fis ; merino ewes, 4s ; for cross-bred ewes and wethers, from 8s to 8s fid. Fat sheep are fetching fair prices, from 9s to 10s for cross-breds- and from 7s to 9s for merino weathers. Cattle —Store cattle are much the same in price «s when they last reported, if anything there is rather a duller demand, and owners find it more difficult to obtain the prices asked; for well-forward steers and heifers there is rather a better demand. Fat cattle are still keeping up in price, and may be quoted this week as fully better in price than last, prime quality of beef, which is scarce, being worth from 25s to 27s fid perlOOlb. Skins—They held their usual sale during last week, and report rather a falling off in the prices realised, fis being the top price obtainable lor butchers’ full-woolled crossbreds ; 4s to fis for country cross bred skins; merinos, from 4s to 4s fid; pelts, fid to Bd.

Messrs William Coliins and Co., report holding their regular weekly market and auction at their rooms on Saturday. The attendance was unexceptionally large and all lines submitted to the hammer were eagerly bought at the following prices Derwent potatoes (picked over), 45s to 50s per ton; inferior, 20s ton; fowl wheat,6s6d sack; oats (faulty), 5s 6d sack; flour. £ll ton; bran and sharps, no demand; Victorian grown onions, 2d lb.; cheese,3J;, bacon, 5d ; hams, 6d (very little coming forward for sale); honey, 8d; fresh butter, 4d; lamb, 4s to 4s 6d; side fat beef averaged 8d lb ; fowls 2s 6d to 3s 6d pair. They also disposed of a horse, boggy harness, and the stock-in-trade of a boot and fancy goods dealer and milliner’s sundries, household furniture, crockeryware, and an immense assortment of useful sundries at fair rates.