Commercial CITY MARKETS

Southland Times, Issue 24881, 22 October 1942, Page 2

Commercial CITY MARKETS

Main Crop Sowings Completed

The weather has been favourable for farming and good progress has been made with seasonal operations.

There are still odd lines of seed wheat going out to farmers, but the main sowing is finished. The Government has indicated that it wishes the area for the 1943-44 harvest increased to 350,000 acres. Business in fowl wheat remains quiet; there is sufficient offering to meet the demand.

The oats market is dead, and few sales have been made to North Island merchants. The area sown this year is considerably less than that of other years because cf the drive for wheat and the labour shortage. Apart from small export purchases business in the finer grasses is practically at a standstill. All the markets are quiet, but merchants state that there is a good retail demand.

The local potato market is fairly bare, but there should be sufficient supplies until the new season's crop is available. Auckland reports that because of the arrival of overseas potatoes the Food Controller at the end of last week decided to release certain supplies for civilian consumption. More shipments are expected. The digging of the main Pukekohe crop has begun, but it will not be in full swing for a week or so yet. FRUIT AND VEGETABLES Fresh supplies of apples arrived in the local fruit marts this week. It is stated that smaller consignments will arrive during the next four weeks. A welcome shipment of Australian oranges arrived on Monday and was rationed among the retailers. The condition of the fi uit was first-class. Lemons arrived in mixed condition. Bananas are expected to reach the marts today. New season’s tomatoes are coming forward in small lots and are bringing high prices. Prices may be quoted as follows:—Tomatoes, 3/6 to 4/6 per lb; lettuce, 2/6 to 7/6 a dozen; cabbages, 2/6 to 4/- a case; cauliflowers, 6/- to 10/- a sack. EGGS AND SEPARATOR BUTTER

The Master Grocers’ Association quoted egg prices yesterday as follows: —Wholesale, country 1/3 a dozen; city. 1/4; retail, country 1/5; city 1/6. Separator butter: Wholesale, lOd to 1/- per lb; retail, 1/- to 1/2. BURNSIDE STOCK SALE (P.A.) DUNEDIN, October 21. Larger yardings and poorer quality generally had an easing effect on values in the fat beef market at Burnside today. Average to medium quality comprised the bulk of the yarding. The top price for bullocks was £29/7/6, for fat heifers £l7/2/6 and for fat cows £l6/17/6. In the yarding of fat sheep were several pens of good quality ewes. Wethers were in shorter supply than usual. The market opened firm and ewes sold under keen competition, prices improving to 2/- a head over last week’s values. The top price for young ewes was 47/-. Wethers, which were of poorer descriptions than at recent sales, made up to 50/-. Lambs were forward in large numbers and met with a keen sale, prices being 3/- to 4/- above those of last week. The best lambs realized up to 49/6. Store cattle, of which there was a medium yarding, found a ready sale at prices above last week’s values. ADDINGTON MARKET (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, October 21. The high prices at last week’s fat stock sale, when entries were small, brought forward large supplies at Addington today and all prices were lower. The best price for store ewes and lambs was 17/1 all counted and others made from 10/- to 16/7. Shorn two-tooth wethers made from 21/to 24/-. Pens of woolly ewe hoggets sold at 34/6 and 33/-, all heavily woolled sheep. Shorn fat sheep met with keener competition than woolly sheep which, especially ewes, showed a decline of from 4/to 5/- a head on last week’s record values. The highest price for woolly wethers was 49/4 and for ewes 40/-. Prices for shorn sheep, although very satisfactory, also showed a decline, but not to the same extent. A pen of shorn wethers made 40/-, with the average price about 35/-. Ewes sold up to 30/-, with most prices round about 25/-. Fat cattle values eased from £l/10/- to £2 a head. The sale was, nevertheless, a sound one and concluded with a firm tone. The best beef made from £2/13/6 to £2 16/- per 1001 b, special pens to £2/15/8, medium to good £2/9/- to £2/13/-, ordinary £2/4/- to £2/8/-, inferior to £l/18/-. One line of 16 steers averaged £23/10/-, another of eight steers from £2O/12/6 to £25/17/6 and another of eight steers £22/15/-. EXPORT LEVF ON HIDES (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 21. The following alterations have been made in the export levy on hides:—Ox hides and cow hides, reduced to I'/id a pound; bull hides, increased to Id; yearlings, increased to I’id; calfskins other than freezers, unchanged at 3d. The rates are to operate from October 24 and every endeavour will be made by the Hides Committee to retain these rates for 12 months. OKARITO RETURN (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 21. The Okarito Five-Mile Beach Gold Dredging Company reports a return of 14oz 12dwt for 82 hours. STOCK EXCHANGES WELLINGTON.— SaIes: Commercial Bank of Australia 14/8 (2); 4 p.c. Stock 1946-49 £lO3 (3); 1949-52 £lO6/10/-; Bank of New South Wales £29/15/-; Broken Hill £l/19/9; Colonial Sugar £52/10/- (late Tuesday). AUCKLAND.— SaIes: Commercial Bank 14/8; Bank of New Zealand £2 (3); Union Steam Ship Company (pref.) £l/8/-; Kaiapoi 18/9; Colonial Sugar £52/10/- (2); 1.0.1. (pref.) £l/4/6; Permanent Building (Auckland) £1; Broken Hill Proprietary £l/19/9; Sanford (pref.) 18/9; Inscribed Stock 195357 3>/ 2 p.c. £lO3/7/6; 1949-52 £lO6/10/-. CHRISTCHURCH.— SaIes on ’Change: Broken Hill Proprietary £l/18/9. Sales reported: Kaiapol Woollen (17/- paid) 18/9; Colonial Sugar £52/10/-; Broken Hill Proprietary £l/19/9 (2). DUNEDIN. — Sale on ’Change: Standard Insurance £3/7/6. Sales reported: Colonial Sugar £52/10/-; Imperial Chemicals £1 4/6.