COMMERCIAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 316, 15 January 1908, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

LUXIX).\ MARKETS. London, January 12. Oalvuniscd iron—Uest brands £ll 2s Gd. iin plates—l.C. coke 13s l'/ a d, I.C. chaKUal 14s l'/jd. Fencing wire, £0 10a. Iron bars, £7. Angle steel and tram rails, £li 2s (id. silver, 2s 1 'J-likl. Copper—On the spot £#2 is, three mouiiia £«2 lis. Iin —On the spot £122, three months £123. lii-aJ, xll. Imports. 18,1)12 tons, including 4351 tons Australian; exports, 3211 toils. Antimony, £8 10s to £9 10s. Copra—The market is neglected and the demand weak. South Sea. £l7 12s 6d. Linseed oil, £25 as. Wheat Australian wheat, expected to arrive ii January, was sold at 41s l'/ s d. New Zealand hemp—The market is firmer, but still quiet. January to March shipments, £2B 15s. Hides The sales were neglected. Offerings were withdrawn. Leather—Prices have declined. Basils—Prices have advanced '/,il. Rabbits—The market is firm, with a prospect of an early rise. Frozen mutton—Canterbury light 4d, North Island 3'/*d, best brands 3%d. Lamb: Canterbury medium 5%d. All other meats unchanged. Weddel and Co/s annual report on the meat trade shows that 107,572 tons of Australasian meats, including rabbits, were marketed at Smitbfield in l'.K)7, forming a record. Of the total marketings 20 per cent, wis home-grown, 2(i per cent Australasian, 41 per cent Xorth and South American, and 13 per cent Continental. The prospects, says the journal, point to a possible reduction of demand this year at t Home and at the Cape, but the Mediterranean Phillipines, Eastern and Siberian demand is likely to be fully maintained.

HIGH COMMISSIONER'S CABLE. Wellington, Monday. The Department of Industries and Commerce has received the following cablegram from the Xew Zealand High Commissioner at London, dated January lliFrozen meat.—The mutton market looks very weak. There are many sellers, but buyers are not inclined to make forward purchases at present prices. Current quotations are: Canterbury 3jid, Xorth Island 3'/-d, Australian 27 S U, ltivcr Plate 3d. Australian lamb is is large supply, but of inferior quality. Stocks are accumulating. Australian brands are quoted at 3'/ 8 d to 3'/ 2 d. The beei market is dull, the supplies of Australian chilled beef being large, and in ices low. Xew Zealand hindquarters 3M lorequarters 2%d. Shipments of Uiver Plate up to December 3ist were—.Mutton: London 104,11)2 carcases, Liverpool Hull 17,671, Xeweastle I)3'JO, Plymouth 1357. Lamb: London 224, Liverpool 330(i, Hull obi, Southampton 1100, Cardiff 12,177, Xewcastle nil, Plymouth nil.

Wool.—The market is quiet but firm. Following are current quotations for liradiord tops:—Thirty-sixes low crossbreds Is Id, forties low crossbreds Is Hjd, forty-fives medium crossbreds, Is 2'/ 2 d, fifties half breds Is 7'/ 2 d, fiftysixes quarter brcds Is lO'/jd, sixties merinos 2s 2d.

Butter—The market is very firm, the demand being greater than the supply, especially lor second class quality for the shilling a pound trade. There is e\ery pro-pen of high prices continuing for some time. Choicest Xew Zealand ll'Js, Australian lliis, Argentine 117s, Daiii-b 12*)-. Siberian 112s per cwtj salt-Ic-a 2- le-- tli.m above juices. Clice-v. _ llie market is very firm, with a much lietter demand, and pros|i'i.t> are favorable. Xew Zealand cheese i- giving -.iti-tiidion to buyers. Colored in,ike- (»4s, white 02s per cwt. Hi'inp.—'There are signs of improvement in the hemp market, and a fair amount of business is being done. Following are current quotations:—Good fair grade on the spot £29, fair grade on the spot £2ii, fair current Manila on the -[iol C2!l KK January to March -hipment: Oood fair C2B l<>-. fair grade £27 10>. fair current Manila £3O. Cocksfoot seed.—The market is very firm. There is no change in prices to report.