COMMERCIAL.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3426, 4 March 1920, Page 5

COMMERCIAL.

‘ FAT STOCK BRICES.

THE WESTFIELD SALES.

Messrs Alfred Buckland and Sons report on Wednesday:This day at our weekly Westfield stock market our supply of beef nun}-, bered 426 head, comprising 294; steers‘ and 26 cows and heifers, and nine bulls. 'l‘he'quality generally was firstclass. There was a keen demand throughout, choice alld prime ox meeting with 5 further advance in values. Choice ox sold to £2 18/ pe rhund—red pounds; prime ox £2 14/ to £2 16/ per, hundred pounds; plain and ordinary £2 9/ to £2 11/, rough beef £1 15/ t 0 £2 2/, cow and heifer beef £2 3/ to £2 15/. _ Steers ranged in price from £23 10/ 'SO £25 12/(5 for heavy steers. The latter price was obtained for steers from Ml‘ W- Wright. Otaua. Lighter cattle £l9 to £23, light and unfinished £9 10/ to £lO 10/{cows and heifers £l2 to £l6 17/5 fol‘ best cows, other cows £6 10/ to £ll 10/. HIGH COMi\;[ISSIONER»’S CABLE. GRAM. WELLINGTON, March -1. The High Commissioner cables from London under date February 28 as follows: - “Meat.——No change in price, but it is expected that imported niutton will be reduced to 9d per lb in a week or two. “Hemp.-——Manila market weaker, tendency downward. Present selling pricelfor J grade January-March to May shipments, £76; New Zealand (mutilated word), and market is easier. High points on spot quoted £64; January—M«arch shipment. £6O; fair, J'anua»ry-March shipment. £59.

“The wool sales closed to-day. There has been good competition throughout the series. Compared with the last series the prices of fine crossbreds were maintained. Coarse and inferior prices -have declined s‘per cent to 71» per cent. Current values are: Crossbreds, finc 2/10 to 4/, -medium 1/10 to 2/7, coarse 1/5‘ to (mutilated word). Superior merinos met strong demand from America, and advanced 10 per cent.” OPEN MARKET FAVOURED. An Australian pastoralist, who was employed in buying British Wool in the south of England and in Ireland, says that the sooner we return to the open market for \V"ool the better. He formed the opinion that there is a ring amongst English manufacturers and that foreign competition would give a liealthier tone to the market. In this connection it is noticeable how eagerly Australian woolg have been snapped up in .‘.nierica lately. The Sheepbreeder of December states that record prices were given at the Government wool sals in Boston for Australian wools in the grease, 64’s to 70 ’s realise dnearly 72.5 d per lb. Fifteen lots ised nearly 72.5 d per lb. Fifteen lots showed a scoured value of from 119 d to 100 dor more, scoured price. American houses also paid the record at the London sales for Queensland merino combing scoured——viz., 101 d per lb in several instances. The opinion of the Wool journal is that the general outlook for raw material is good. This is the opinion of the New South Wales pastoralist, who says that he cannot understand the reported favourable attitude of a large proportion of wool growers towards the pool. He is sure that if they had been in touch with Bradford lately they would alter their opinion. He considers that far too many big fortunes were made in Bradt‘or.r,l during the war for a continuation or" war conditions to be healthy for Australian wool-§‘,‘ro\\'ers.