COMMERCIAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1394, 19 September 1885, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

THE TIMARU GRAIN MARKET.

Wheat-Red chaff, 2s 9d to 2s ,10d ; Tuscan, 2s lid to 3s; velvet, 3s 2d. Oats, bright long, Is 9d, short Is lid ; inferior, Is 3d to Is 7d. Barley—Malting, 3s to 3s Bd ; feed, Is 9d to 2s 3d,

CHRISTCHURCH CORN EXCHANGE,

The Corn Exchange reports for the week ending Friday evening, the 18th iiist. :

The week’s transactions in the grain and produce markets have been of a character. For a few special lines a brisk demand exists, but the bulk of the produce is marked with extreme dulness. Prime hard winter wheat firm ; plenty of buyers at top quotations; but second quality lines can only be quitted at a concession on prices asked by holders. Chick wheat is firm when fit to ship, but when damp buyers are much less numerous. Oats are wanted both for shipping and local requirements, but prices do not rise so rapidly as might have been expected, seeing how bare the market is at present. No doubt the approaching spring tends to make local consumers cautious in purchasing heavily, and the Southern heavy stocks regulate the shipping prices. Harley remains inactive ; the business of the week to note is a few lines of good feed for shipment at low prices. The chief enquiry for peas is for small lines of seed ; these command full rates. Beans are wanted for shipment, but buyers are not inclined to speculate at sellers’ limits. Rye grass is quiet, only small orders coming to hand, but the scarcity of this article keeps the market firm at quotations below. Cocksfoot There is a good demand for bright heavy seed, fit to ship to the Home market. Discolored is not so saleable, the principal sales being made are to farmers in small quantities. Potatoes are neglected for the moment there being no buyers for large quantities. Up to the time of writing our report Derwents are firm in Sydney at £4, sacks included. Dairy produce remains quiet, Sydnej market showing a slight decline. T. he quotations are as follows : Wheat—Prime milling (Hunter’s and Pearl), 3s Id to 3s 2d ; Tuscan, 2s lid to 3s; second quality 2s 4d to 2s fid ; chick wheat (whole), 2s Id to 2s 3d, f.o.b.

Oats—Bright milling and short feed, 2s to 2s Id ; discolored and long feed, Is 8d to Is lOd, f.o.b. Barley—Malting, 3s to 3s 3d ; feed, 2s to 2s 2d, f.o.b. Peas—Seed, 3a fid to 4s fid. Beans -2s fid to 2s Bd, f.o.b. RyeGrass—Machine dressed, 4s fid to ss.

Cocksfoot—Heavy bright, 3|d to 3§d ; discolored, 2d to 2^d. Potatoes—Derwents, 50s to 52s fid, at country stations. Dairy produce—Prime tub butter, lOd to Is ; second quality, 7d to 9d ; inferior, 4d. Cheese (small loaf shape), fid to 64d ; medium size, 5d ; large, 4|d, f.o.b.

CHRISTCHURCH STOCK; MARKETS,

At the Addington yards on Wednesday large entries of all kinds of stock were yarded for the day’s market. Attendance of buyers an average one. The entry of fat cattle comprised some drafts of very good quality. Market very fluctuating, but taken all through was in favor of buyers. Steers sold at from £5 15s to £8 12s 6d, heifers £5 to £9 ss, being from 20s to 23a per 100 lbs, A very heavy entry of fat sheep penned ; the demand only middling ; values show a decline ; a large number withdrawn. Prime quality heavy weight crossbred wethers, 16s to 20s; medium quality, 12s 6d to 15s ; prime quality merino wethers, 12s 6d to 15s 3d ; medium sorts, 7s 6d to 10s 3d. A fair entry of store sheep yarded; demand very dull, and but few sales made A line of two and four-tooth crossbred wethers sold at 11s 9d ; a line of hoggets at 7s 7d ; a line of merino ewes and lambs at 10s ; and a line of merino ewes in lamb at 7s. An increased number of fat lambs was sent forward, selling at from 7s 6d to 24s per head. A large entry of store cattle were yarded, and a dull demand was shown at auction. Lines of three-year-old steers, in fresh condition, sold at £4 12s 6d and £5 per head ; other sorts at late values. Market for dairy stock very dull.

Messrs R. Wilkin and Co. report : For our sale of sheepskins, fat, hides, and wool on Thursday at the Few Zealand Wool Stores, we catalogued a large supply for the week, representing 2638 sheepskins, 124 pkgs fat and tallow, 65 ox-hides and calfskins, and sundry lots of wool. Amongst our entry were some good lines of dry station skins, and the usual quota of butchers’ crossbreds and merinos ; but we had again to submit to a further drop on late quotations. The fat market is steady at late rates quoted; hides at current prices reported last veek. Butchers’ merinos, 2s 7d to 4s 6d ; do crossbreds, 3s 2d to 3s lid ; dry country skins, Is to 3s lid. Rough fat, id to l§d ; tallow, l|d to 2£d per lb.

CANTERBURY HORSE MARKET.

Messrs H. Matson and Co, report:— At Tattersall’s, on Saturday last, our sale entry for the day comprised 80 horses, a slight increase on the previous week’s auction. Of this number considerably more than half were hacks and light harness horses —medium descriptions—for which the demand and prices remain comparatively unaltered. In draughts the scarcity of good sorts referred to of late still continues, the market values for the same continuing firm. The absence of several buyeis in Sydney and en route, on Saturday, however, had soipe effect in prices —which ruled rather below quotatioi s at the two precious sales—still , in comparison with ihe average of the past twotnoiiibs, there was even then a decided improvement, prices current being such that owners bad little or no cause for complaint.

Governed as the demand still is almost wholly by the export trade, we cannot but expect that rates will fluctuate somewhat in sympathy with the returns from the other side ; and although the market there is at present somewhat glutted, it will no doubt again recover itself, and for a time be still available for our consignments. With grain at the present exceedingly low quotations, the next change must have an upward tendency, which means, of course, the calling into requisition of horses to till the soil. Whenever this time comes our market will not be as dependent upon the Sydney trade as it is now, and it will be a question of years before there is a possibility of a glut again. Young stock of all description is very scarce, and owners cannot err in forwarding any they may have for disposal, more particularly heavy sorts. Of our Saturday’s entry most of the lines were sold.

DUNEDIN STOCK MARKETS

At Hie Burnside Yards on Wednesday the following business was transacted Fat Cattle—l9s forward. Only a few really good, but the balance excellent beef, with the exception of about a dozen inferior beasts. There were some nice light-weight stall-fed cattle. The small supply caused brisk competition, and prices ruled higher than have been realised for the season. Best bullocks brought £9 10s to £lO 12s fid ; others, up to £9 ; cows, £4 10s to £9 15s. Beef, 22s fid to 25s per lOOlbs. One auctioneer quotes as high as 27s fid. Mr L. Maclean sold for Mr E. Harper (South Canterbury) 7 bullocks from £8 12s fid to £lO 12s fid. Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co. sold on account of Mr James Guild (Trevenna), 12 bullocks at from £9 17s fid to £lO 12s fid ; for Mr Andrew Grant (Temuka), 6 bullocks at from £7 17s fid to £8 10s.

Fat Calves—None yarded. Fat Sheep about 1000 merinos, altogether an oversupply. The quality on the whole was not equal to last week ; and while there was a small proportion of prime sheep, the bulk were only fair to good mutton. Prices realised were irregular, in some instances well up to last week’s rates, but in others much below. Merinos sold up to 11s fid, and crossbreds up to 16s. Mutton, from 2|d to 2|d per lb. Mr L. Maclean sold for Mr M, Studholme (Waimate Estate). 227 shorn crossbred wethers from 10s to 10s 3J ; for the New Zealand and Australian Land Company (Pareora Estate), 108 crossbred ewes from 13s fid to 13s 9d. Messrs Wright, Stephenson and Co. sold for Mr Win. Grant (Timaru), 54 prime halfbred wethers at 15s ; for Mr Andrew Grant (Temuka), 120 halfbred wethers at from 14s to 14s 3d. Pigs—lß2 penned, including a large proportion of good firm bacon pigs. Prices were lower than for some time back. Wright, Stephenson and Co. sold 93 at from 30s to 46s for bacon pigs ; at from 21s to 26s for porkers ; at from 7s to 18s for stores and suckers.

Horses—Wright, Stephenson, and Co. quote first-class draughts at from £24 to £3O; medium, £l6 to £2l; first-class hacks and light-harness horses £lB to £25 ; medium, £lO to £ls; light and inferior, £3 to £7.

DUNEDIN PRODUCE MARKETS

Wheat—Only a nominal business has been done. Buyers are holding off, and, vendors being equally firm, few transactions have occurred during the week. Prime purple straw has been sold at 3s 4d, and woolly ear in prime order 3s 3d. Quotations are : Best velvet and Tuscan, up to 3s 3£d ; red straw, 2s lOd to 3s Id ; medium milling, 2s7d to 2s 9d ; fowl feed, 2s 3d to 2s 6d,

Oats—Business has been active during the week, and at slightly improved rates. Exporters have operated both on the market and for future delivery. Stocks are light, and all qualities may now be quoted at better prices. Prime milling is worth 2s to 2s Id ; bright short feed, Is lOd to 2s ; inferior, Is 6d to Is 9d. The Mutual Agency Company have sold some choice samples at from 2s 3d to 2s 6d per bushel.

Barley—Demand quiet at 3s to 3s 3d for malting, and 2s to 2s 6d for feed and milling. Chaff—The market is bare, and unless successive supplies come forward £3 5s might now be got for prime quality, well cut; inferior and ordinary sell at £2 5s to £2 15s.

Potatoes-—Prime samples are scarce, and are worth £4; inferior, £3 to £3 10s ; kidneys, hardly saleable at 30s per ton.

Butter—Salt is still wanted and none coming forward : price, lid for prime ; fresh, Is to Is Id for prime ; and 9d to lOd for medium quality. Cheese -5d for best quality. Eggs—B|d per dozen. Grass Seed—Ryegrass, 4s 9d to 5s for well-dressed parcels off old pasture ; cocksfoot, 4|d per lb.

Sheepskins—At Monday’s sales green crossbreds brought 2s to 3s 10d ; do merinos, Is lid to 3s 3d ; dry pelts, Id to 7d ; dry crossbreds, low to medium, Is to 2s 9d ; do merino, 8d to 3s Id. Hides—The demand continues steady, and prices range from 3d to 4£d, although special lots will be held for a trifle over. Latterly the condition of skins has improved, and more attention is evidently being paid, and not before time, to the manner of flaying. Tallow Market unchanged. Small lots of fine mutton have been sold at 20s ; medium, 16s 6d to 18s 6d ; inferior, 14s to 16s ; rough fat, 10s to 13a.

ENGLISH MARKETS,

Loudon, Sept, 14. Adelaide wheat shows an increase of 6d, and is quoted at 36s ; ex warehouse, 34s 6d ; oft' coast New Zealand wheat is unchanged. At the wool sa'es 9600 bales were catalogued. The market is still dull in tone. Sept. 15. At to-day’s wool sales 9700 bales were catalogued to a dull market.

Thp New Zealand Lean and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, have received the following cablegram from London, dated September 15th, 1885 : Wool—Merino combing has advanced per lb since the close ot last sales, and tor long staple merino light in grease the market .is slightly firmer, . The total

catalogued to d.V.o is 130,0 >0 hales, and withdrawals amount to 25,010 bales. 37,000 bales have been taken for expoit. Tue sales progress steadily. Wheat Market firm. Adelaide is worth 36s ; New Zealand, average quality, 32s 6d ; and New Zealand long-berried, 34s per 4961bs ; Adelaide, f.a.q., is worth c.i.f. off coast, 34s 6d per 4801ba.

Tallow —Market better. There is a good trade demand for lower and medium sorts. Good mutton and beef tallows are worth, respectively, 28s and 27s per cwt. Leather market is unchanged. Frozen meat market quiet. New Zealand mutton of 651 b to 701 b per carcase is worth 4£d per lb.