Trade in Produce

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 375, 8 June 1928, Page 12

Trade in Produce

AMPLE POTATO STOCKS MARKETS STEADY June 5, 9 a.m. Little movement has been recorded in grain, seed and produce circles over the week. Onions have contributed practically the only life to the market, values for this produce continuing to move upward. week’s heavy arrivals of potatoes are gradually being cleared, but the spot market is still well supplied. The Kaiwarra brings a further 5,000 sacks over the week-end. Luckily stocks are fairly well held and nothing in the nature of a glut has taken place. The keeping qualities of the tubers has improved considerably over the last few weeks, and this apparently has stood to Southern shippers with consignments on their hands at this end. Sales have been made at from £ 6 to £ 6 10s on the wharf over the week, and quotations through store range from £7 to £7 10s a ton. In regard to the future, there is a general feeling that prices will tend to go slightly higher. Seed potatoes are meeting with a slightly better demand at the moment, and ample stocks of most varieties are held on the spot. Onion Market Advancing Merchants are still carrying stocks of Canterbury onions, but, with replacement values appreciating weekly, and the keeping quality of the Southern onions deteriorating, it is hard to see that any further great quantity will be drawn from that quarter. Business continues to be done in Japanese onions to arrive early in August at figures around 17s 6d a crate. The net landed cost to merchants of the Japanese consignments is reported to be around 15s lOd a crate. Storekeepers are now being solicited for orders for American onions, Sep-tember-October-November delivery at prices in the vicinity of 18s to 18s Gd a case. Merchants’ through-store quotations on the spot for Canterbury onions range up to 12s a cwt; Pukekohe onions to i6s. Steady Trading in Maize Maize is meeting with a steady winter demand at the moment and fair quantities are coming to hand weekly. The quality of the Bay of Plenty cereal seems to get worse as the season advances, and some very poor sample lines have been included in late offerings. Best quality maize from those parts brings up to 6s Id on the wharf. Gisborne maize, in slightly better favour, has brought up to 6s, 4d and even Id more for small parcels in isolated cases. Any attempt to lift the market meets with no respov:e at this end at the moment. Wheat Offering Freely Wheat is being offered very freely in the South, but no appreciable change is recorded in quotations. One depressing feature about the spot market is the fact that there is a considerable amount of low-grade wheat about. Best quality cereal is selling through store up to 7s 9d a bushel. The bulk of the business in bran and pollard continues to be done by the local millers. Merchants are restricted to limited arrivals from the South and from across the Tasman. Their prices through store are practically unchanged at 8s Gd for bran and 11s 3d for pollard. No great interest appears to bo taken in oats and chaff at the moment. Merchants are mostly buying from hand to mouth, and values in the South are a shade easier. Through store Auckland best quality chaff sells at £ 9 10s a ton, A Garton oats around 5s Id. Produce Boat Movements The Kaiwarra, from Southern ports, left Wellington yesterday, and is scheduled to commence unloading at the Auckland wharf on Monday morning. The Wingatui leaves Dunedin tomorrow, via coast ports, and is scheduled to arrive here about June 20. The Katoa, via Dunedin, Timaru, Picton and Wellington, is due here on Monday i^rxt. The Waipiata leaves Auckland to-day for the South, where she will commence loading for her return trip.