IN THE MARKET PLACE

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 52, 24 May 1927, Page 2

IN THE MARKET PLACE

FRUIT PRICES FIRM VEGETABLES WELL SUPPLIED Most varieties of fruit are meeting with a steady demand in the City Auction Marts, and values remain firm at late quotations. Local lemons in good supply are meeting with a poor demand. Passions are becoming scarcer. Dessert pears and apples are in good demand. Hothouse grapes, though in shorter supply, are meeting a poorer inquiry, and Australian grapes are also lower in value than when they first came on the market a few weeks ago. Fair supplies of Island bananas are held locally, but oranges are expected to be in short supply in the near future owing to the trouble in the Cook Group with ’the natives refusing to ship except under their own terms. Hothouse grapes bring from Is 6d to 2s 9d a lb.; Australian grapes, 14s to 16s a case; Island oranges (repacked), 24s to 26s a case; American oranges, 35s to 40s a case; repacked bananas, 25s to 30s, according to size of the case; local lemons, 5s to 9s a case; hothouse tomatoes, up to 9d a lb.; Hutt tomatoes (choice) 6s to 7s a case. Apples: Delicious, ex cooler, 8s to 11s; Stunners, 6s 6d to 8s 6d; Monroes, 4s to 6s; Ballarats, 6s 6d to 7s 6d; Dougherty, 4s 6d to 7s 6d; Wolsey, 4s 6d to 6s; Rome Beauty, 6s to 7s 6d. Pears: Coles, 9s to 12s; Keiffer, 3s 6d to 7s 6d; Vicars, 6s to 6s 6d; P. Barrys, 6s to 8s; Nellis, 9s to 12s. Pumpkins, onions, cabbages and swedes continue to be over-supplied, and values remain low. Onions are hard to quiet, and only good firm samples meet with a steady sale. • Supplies of cauliflowers have increased considerably during the past week or two, but the demand is also on the up grade, and very little alteration in prices is registered. Prices range as follow:—Potatoes, Southern, 6s 6d to 7s cwt.; pumpkins, ordinary, 2s to 4s cwt.; pumpkins, Crown and Motutapu, 5s 6d to Ss cwt.; kumeras, 3s 6d to 4s 9d bag; swedes, Is to 2s bag; cabbage, 2s to 6s sack; cauliflower, 4s to 12s sack; onions. Is 6d to 2s 6d bag; citron melons, 5s to 7s cwt.; lettuce, 2s to 5s 6d case; celery, 6d to 2s 6d bundle; rhubarb, 2s to 3s doz. POULTRY Poultry offering at the marts is sufficient to cope with the demand, though the quality of many of the birds is generally poor. Values range as follow: Prime cockerels, heavy breeds, 6s to 7s; do., light breeds, 4s 6d to 6s; fat roosters, heavy breeds, 3s 6d to 4s; do., light breeds, 2s 6d to 3s 6d; fat hens, heavy breeds, 3s 6d to 4s 6d; fat hens, light breeds, 2s 9d to 3s 3d; young ducks. Runners, 4s 9d to 6s; do., fat, 3s 6d to 4s; old ducks, 3s to 3s 6d; old drakes, 2s 9d to 3s 6d; Black Orpington pullets about to lay, 7s to 9s; White Leghorn, do., 7s to 9s; pullets, smaller, 3s 9d upward.