Grocery Review

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 716, 16 July 1929, Page 12

Grocery Review

The Sun Office, July 16, 1929. , Trade has been rather quiet during the past week, but an improvement is expected before long, as merchants are now booking orders for next month’s account. IPURTHER supplies of a well-known brand of Southern corned meats are now to hand, and the accumulated orders have been delivered ex wharf direct to the retail trade. Canned Pilchards in lib tins are very short locally, and no further supplies will be available until the end of next month. Shipments of new season’s American asparagus just to hand are selling freely, a slight reduction in price as compared with last season’s being noticeable. Other lines to arrive during the week were further shipments of South African dried peaches and apricots, which are meeting with a good demand at present. As a result of the recent agitation regarding the importation of South African jams, dried and canned fruits, it is understood that a Customs officer has already been dispatched to South Africa to inquire into these industries. As this is rather a big questioh, involving as it does a possible revision of the tariff, it is obvious that nothing will be done at this end pending the return of the Government official. In the meantime further importations are held in abeyance until a satisfactory basis of trading has been reached. DESICATED COCONUT After a period of somewhat lower prices this market is now showing signs of a firming tendency. Recent cables from Colombo show that prices have advanced Is Gd a cwt. on the basic quotation, for all packings for prompt shipment. COCONUT OIL As the price for copra has been a little weaker during recent months, suppliers of pure-white coconut oil were able to reduce this commodity by nearly £2 a ton for any prompt shipment offerings. The reduction is expected to be only of a temporary nature, as the copra market is now a little firmer. CREAM OF TARTAR Following lite cabled information from London last week that English cream of tartar was likely to advance, prices for one well-known brand were withdrawn temporarily. Further offers of limited quantities only for shipment up to October next have just been received, these representing an advance of £1 a ton on previous rates. All indications point to still higher levels being reached, as raw materials are stated to be getting short. CHERRIES Quotations for new season's French cherries continue to fluctuate, a reduction of a half-penny a lb being advised for No. 1 whole glace drained quality for shipment in September. There has been a sharp decline in French crystallised cherries, this grade now being offered for September-October shipment at a reduction of over 2d a lb on previous rates. FIGS Several packings of Smyrna figs are again very firm in price, and ah earlyadvance is expected. Definite quotations for Californian figs are due at any time, but present indications are that these will be considerably higher than last year. WALNUTS The local market is likely to be short of walnut halves and pieces, as supplies of the new crop will not be available until after Christmas. No further quantities of present crops will be imported from China this season, and information is just to hand that stocks of French nuts are now unobtainable from London. Under these circumstances prices for spot stocks are likely to advance considerably before long. RICE. One Australian shipper is still prepared to book limited quantities of Australian dressed rice at the rate previously ruling, but most shippers have advanced their prices by £2 a ton. It is not expected that orders for this rice will be accepted for any length of time, as the seller will not book for spread delivery. LENTILS Calcutta cables of last, week show that this item has again advanced sharply, there having been a further rise of £1 a ton on the previous week’s offers. Buying for tho July-August shipment is likely to be restricted in consequence, as today’s figure for shipment by this opportunity is almost £6 10s a ton above the rates ruling for the last direct sailing in March-April. PRESERVED GINGER Latest cables from Hong-Kong advise a sudden rise in price of preserved ginger amounting almost to Id a lb. This is due to an acute shortage of the raw material, and in fact some preservers have withdrawn their quotations altogether. In the meantime the market is likely* to remain on a very firm basis, and no relief can be expected until tlie new crop comes in from the interior about September or October. OLIVE OIL Advices from France this week report lower prices than have been ruling of late, and this has* resulted in a fair amount of business being booked. Shipment can be given at present prices up to the end of the year, when quotations for the new crop for January shipment onward should be available. PEPPER Genuine prices for Singapore white pepper are a shade easier this week. Some sellers who have been offering on a speculative basis have found it necessary to raise their quotations, and it seems doubtful if we shall see any particularly low prices for shipment by tlie July-August steamer. TAPIOCAS After a period of very' low rates a reaction has now set in, prices this week having advanced 15s a ton. PINEAPPLES The market for Singapore, pineapples is still very difficult to follow. Latest lists show that both la’s cubes and li’s sliced flats have advanced gd a dozen, and 2£lb sliced tails have declined 3d a dozen, with all other sizes remaining unchanged. It is stated that pineapples are being quoted below tlie cost of production, and all canners are selling at a loss. This state of affairs cannot continue much longer, and unless conditions improve shortly there is likely to be a considerable curtailment of canning operations. PRUNES As further indication of the shortage in stocks of prunes in California, cables from shippers in San Francisco notify further sharp advances in quotations for prompt shipment. This is particularly noticeable in the larger-sized prunes, 20-30’s now being 2s Gd a cwt higher, while a rise of nearly' 5s a cwt has been recorded in 50-60’s. Quotations for new season’s supplies for shipment in Octo-ber-November are anxiously' awaited. RESIN Prices being quoted for American resin for prompt shipment are still on a par with previous offers. Sellers are, however, offering for forward shipment from October to December at an advance of 12s 6d a ton for both G. and N. qualities. TURPS This week’s quotations for pinetree turps are a little firmer, while for forward shipment October to December, an advance of 2d a gallon is being asked. MINING NEWS ALBURNIA. —The manager reports: “Tlie drive north on the main Orlando lode from the crosscut at the winze has been extended sft, a total of 153 ft. The reef here averages 3ft wide and is a nice body of stone carrying mineral blend, antimony' and silica. Colours of gold are still seen in the ore. The country rock on both walls is still of a splendid class for making gold, being interlaced with quartz stringers and mineral veins. The crosscut east at the Whau level has been cleaned out and retimbered for a total distance of 113 ft from the Flat Sheet. The level here is still broken down and full with old timbers and mullock and we still have to use face boards.” LUCKY SHOT. —The manager reports: “The low level crosscut to intersect the Reuben Parr reef has been extended 20ft for the week. The country' rock m the present face is interlaced with small quartz veins and mineral seams, and is all that could be desired for gold should the reel be met with.”