COMMERCIAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 316, 15 January 1908, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

NEW SOUTH WALLS WHEAT HARVEST. A MATERIAL SHORTAGE. Received Jan. 15, 1.8 a.lll. Sydney, January 14. The official estimate of the wheat harvest is 8,U81i,000 bitshvln, au average of 1i.2. The previous season's wheat yield amounted to 21,818,000 bushels. There will lie a shortage of over two million bunliels for local consumption.

| AUCKLAND WOOL SALES. Per Press Association. Auckland, Tuesday. Competition at the Auckland wool sales was brisk. Prices, compared with those of the November sales, showed ft drop of Id to 2d. There was also a docline in prices of fine wools. The best pride realised was !)%d. Bright, showy wool, such as last year brought la, today sold at T'/jd. Crosabreds sold as low as 4%d, and merino well within the range of 8d and B'/ 2 d.

LONDON MARKETS. Dalgety and Co., Limited, Wellington, have received the following cable messages from their London house, under date of the 9th instant:— Butter. Market firm. The Copenhagen official quotation is 1 kronet (about Is l'/ad) per cwt higher. No imimdiate change in prices is expected. The total imports of butter into the United Kingdom for the week ending 4th instant amounted to 70,000 c \vt, 'as compared with 64,000cwt for the corresponding week of 1907, showing an inciease of 6000cwt. Frozen Meat.— Prices ore much the some as last reported, with the exception of secondary qualities. Mutton and lamb—Prices are a shade easier. Tallow.—Lower by 3d per cwt. Buyers ate not inclined to operate.

WHEAT AND FLOUR. LONDON, January 13. The quantity of wheat and flour afloat for tlio United Kingdom is 2,715,000 quarters; for the Continent, 975,000 quarters j Atlantic shipments, 507,000 quarters; Pacific shipments, 125,000 quarters.

AUCKLAND WOOL SALES. BIG DROP J.N PRICES. Per Press Association. Auckland, Last "Night. There was no animation at all at the wool sales to-day. Buyers were nonchalant, and lots of wool was not even looked at. Competition, was dead, and it frequently happened that only a single bid was offered. Crossbreds sold as low as 4%d; merinos were well within the range of 8d and 8Vl>vl; and one of the top prices of the sale was 9%d for eight very fine bales of long wool, purcliased by the Onehunga Woollen Mills. The reason of the big decrease ill this season's prices as compared with last season's may be found in the fact that

this year America is not buying. At tlie 1907 sales an American lniyerAvas present, and there was keen competition for all bright, showy wools, which ran up to Is per lb. To-day, wool of a similar nature which last year was worth Is sold at 7'/ 2 d. A record numtier of bales was catalogued, the total offering being 5055 bales, an increase of 2208 over the number offered at the January sales last year. The drop in prices experienced by Messrs. A Buckland and Sons, who sold first, ranged from Id to 2d per lb on the rates which ruled at the November sales. The greater por-

tion of the wool on offer was passed in, the only line for which there was better competition being in bellies and pieces, which realised nearly as much as crossbred wool. The best price realised by this firm was 9%d for five bales of fine halfbred on account of Mr. Foster, of Waimaukau. | Merino wool did not meet with keen competition, and S%d was the best price offered, at which figure the lot was passed in. Lambs' wool met with very fair competition, and sold at from 6%d to Vfai. Crossbred was not in strong demand at OVjd to a 1,4(1, and large quantities were passed in, having failed to reach the owners' reserve. Mr. Smith, of Matahuru, received B>/ 2 d for his Shropshire clip, being the best price realised for this class of wool. Lincolns met with poor inquiry at o'/ 2 d. Stained and cotty wool sold from 5d to 6d, and bellies and pieces reached 5%d. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency followed with 2321 bales. The hulk consisted of crossbreds, th« highest price realised being 9%d for a lot sold on account of W. G. Bitlon, of: Kaipara, and the next was 9>/ 2 d lor at line of 13 bales soWfor W. 0. Mountain i bt Russell. Messrs G. W. Binney and Sons secured 9%d for a line of four bales of fine Southdown wool, and re ceived the highest- offer of the day, lOVid, for a choice line of half-bred wool.