GENERAL NOTES.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 50, 10 March 1894, Page 12

GENERAL NOTES.

Latest London advices are to the effect that the wool sales are brisk and prices firm. Sargood Son and Ewen have purchased the stock-in-trade and goodwill of William McArthur and Co. in New Zealand. Messrs Tothill, Watson and Co., who are devoting of late a good deal of attention to the stock sales department of their extensive business, have appointed Mr W. F. Williams their auctioneer. He will be a worthy successor to Mr Watson, who has hitherto wielded the hammer. Australasia’s wool supply last year totalled 1,775,000 bales, of the value of £21,687,500, On March 7 milling wheat was quoted in Sydney at 2s 8d per bushel and chick at 2s 3d. Farmers were asking 2s lid for milling. Oats were dull, prime feeding selling at 2s 2d to 2s 3d. In Melbourne prime wheat was worth 2s 3d and oats Is 6d to Is lOd. At Adelaide wheat is selling at 2s 4d to 2s 4£d. The estimated visible supply of American wheat is 93,900,000 bushels. At a sale in Canterbury lately a line of 25 sheep was put up and knocked down at 12s 6d the lot, or 6s a dozen. At the same sale a ram was quitted at 2s 6d. The weight of a million sovereigns, newlyminted, is 10 tons, 14cwt, 151 b. It takes 512 notes to weigh a pound. The Insurance, Mining and Finance Jour nal (Dunedin) says that many old-established houses have had to part with some of their most experienced hands in order to reduce working expenses to the lowest limit. There were 82 bankruptcies in Otago and Southland last year, 14 of which took place at Invercargill. A Wellington paper states that the statistics relating to the prices of colonial wool during the past six years show that the average value of a bale of wool has been : 1888, Ll 3 10s ; 1889, Ll 5 10s ; 1890, Ll 4 15s ; 1891, Ll 3 10s; 1892, Ll2; 1893 Ll2 10s. So that, comparing the returns of last year with those of 1889, the producers received L 3 per bale less for their wool last year than they did four years ago. The National MorlOage and Agency Company and Geo. Froggatt advertise entries for the ram fair at Winton on Friday next. The J. G. Ward Farmers’ Association sell to-day the privileges at the Irish Athletic Society’s gathering on the 14th inst. At Wednesday’s Dunedin stock sales best bullocks brought L 9 12s 6d to Lll; medium to good, L 8 5s to L 9 7s 6d ; light, L 6 17s 6d to L 7 17s 6d ; best cows, L 8 10s to L 9 2s 6d ; medium to good, L 6 to L 7 17s 6d ; light and aged, L 3 L s to L 5 17s 6d. Sheep: Best crossbred wethers brought 13s to 13s 9d; medium to good, 10s to 12s 6d; best crossbred ewes, 10s 9d to 12s 6d ; medium to good, 7s 6d to 9s 9d ; merino wethers, os to 11s 9d.