COMMERCIAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 347, 24 March 1910, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

THE HOME MARKETS. By Cable—Press Association.—Copyrignv London, March 22. Silver, 24d. At the wool sales prices for merinos are unchanged. Crossbreds are a little harder. Bank Shares. Australasia £lO7 to £101), N.S.W. £45 to '£4G (ex rights), Union £O3 10s to £O4 10s. National Of New Zealand £5 12s Gd to £5 ITs lid (ex rights), Bank of New Zealand stock 102. i PRODUCE COMMISSIONER'S REPORT : By Telegraph.—l'ress Association. | Wellington, March 28. | The Minister for Industries and Com-, mercc has received the following report aated February 4 by the Produce Commissioner in London on the first series of wool sales', which were lield from January 18 to February 4: —"Throughout the sales there has been keen campetition for all lots offered. Buyers from America and from the Continent have bid against Home manufacturers for all lots anyway suitable for their j requirements. The latter have good or- ! dors on hand, aud the stocks of wool . held by tliem are of short compass, having been steadily drawn upon in the course of manufacture. Prices throughout (he sale have been firmly mam- , wined. There is no accumulation of: slock nor likely to be, especially since, owing to the dry season experienced there, a shortage is expected in snip- , meats of wool from the River Plate this' season. The position of wool is distinctly favourable to clas'ses for which there has been the greatest com-: petition during the present sales, I heavy medium and coarse crossbreds, especially the latter. This' lias caused Continental buyers requiring these chiefly therefore to onter more keenly into competition with British manufacturers for them tlian for other classes. American buyers prefer bidding for lighter wools. One noticeable feature of the present sales is the great improvement found in the quality and get up of the wools' from South Africa, and it is evident that the attention that is now being given there to the improvement of flocks by judicious breeding with a view to entering into t'he frozen meat trade, is beginning to tell. Care is apparently also now being given to wool classing, so that Tl would seem as if In a few years New Zealand may have to reckon upon new increased competition from the South African colonies'. There has been a considerable number of South African clips offered during the present series of wool sales that have jshown t'his marked improvement in quality and get up, and buy■eis have been commenting favourably upon them. LONDON MARKETS. Dalgety and Co., Ltd., report having received the following cable message from their London house under date of the 17th inst.:— Tallow —Prices for beef and for beefy mixed are from 3d to fid higher, but other descriptions are firm at last quotations.

•Frozen meat —Mutton, which is in good demand, is %d higher, and arriv are being cleared as landed. The con sumptive demand for lamb is active and prices are very firm at unchanged rate's. We expect that if any change in trices takes place it will be in favor of sellers. As mutton and lamb are selling so freely we anticipate that the heavy arrivals later on will be cleared more readily than was at first thought-. Prices for beef fores are %d higher and for hinds V 2 d higher owing to a temporary shortage of chilled, but large arrivals am expected shortly, when a reaction will probably take place.