THE AUSTRALIAN MARKETS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1824, 4 December 1888, Page 4

THE AUSTRALIAN MARKETS.

The statistics of New South, Wales,. refereuces fo ! which are contained in Sydney pipers,- giro tome account of the probable food requirements of that colony during the coming, year. .The principal requirement!, are rFlout 1 , 140,000 tone'’ potatoes 'lO4 OGO tons 5 butter, 7200 j cheese, 2600 tom. The ‘ production of wheat in the colony ii net yet equal to the demands of the population; In 1887 the deficiency of homo [production was about-1,300,000 bushels equal to about 26,000 tons of flour or 19 per cent of the whole requirement!; a large quantity.©! grainwM by rain, io that the actual deficiency wai much greater. The season of 1886-7 wits; however, creep-* tionlly igocd, and the production considerably above the average. For 1888 the eitimated deficiency amounts to 2,600 000 bushels bf wheat, equivalent to about 52,000 tons of nearly 36 per cent of the whole requirements for consumption. These figures however, have-been altered disastrously for fhe colony .by, the terrible drought it is suffering frokn, and; itbe quantity, required from putiide .markets;,.will be largely, increased. The amount of potatoes imported during 1887 (was 54,140 tons, while the quantity available from tlje fields ;, of the colony, wa» only 45,803,t0n5. The potato oropisof New 1 South jWales have been'almost totally ruined,, and jthdse of Tasmania and ,Vibt6W»/ pro greatly the pirevailihg drought. ’’.lt therelorfe follows that in wheat and -potatoes the |Austral»n ‘colonies will have.‘insufficient ; to { supply themselves,' and‘-the -samei may- be said of oats- and other farm; produotsi.ii New Zealand, is- the nearest place these icjlonies can ‘look toJor supplies, and the prospect /jf..high prices is therefore strong. This it the cauie .of the agitation in the colonial markets at the present imp, and, the agitation is dully warranted by the condition of affairs.