COMMERCIAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1854, 16 February 1889, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

CHRISTCHURCH CORN EXCHANGE

The Corn Exchange reports for the week ending Friday evening, the 15th iust. : With favorable weather the harvest operations are being pushed on with rapidity. The principal part of the oats are already harvested, and farmers are now busy with the wheat. A good deal has been threshed out of the stock, and judging from the samplers’ reports serious errors in many instances have been committed. Wheat coming to hand is in anything but prime condition, indeed some experienced farmers maintain that unless we have nor’-west weather the grain will not be fit to thresh for the next 6 weeks or two months, the dull, dewy weather, together with the gross undergrowth, retaining the moisture for such a considerable time. The Australian markets are very’unsteady, and have all round a downward tendency. We shall expect to see the London market rule our prices, while Australia is expected to take our surplus supplies of oats and barley. Freights to London are easier, plenty now offering at 30s. Wheat—As yet but few sales of new grain have been effected, and prices have as yet not been clearly defined. Sellers ask 3s 6d to 3s Bd, while buyers are not prepared to give over 3s 4d to 3s 6d for prime milling. Fowls wheat varies from 2s 6d to 3s, according to quality. Oats —Sales are being made at 2s 3d to 2s 4d for short feed, milling commanding 2d advance. Barley—Prime is being sold at 4s; second quality is not in favor at 3s 3d to 3s 6d. Peas and Beans—The.former has a fair demand for Sydney market at 3s 3d to 3s 4d, but as yet there are few offering. There are no beans in the market. Grass Seed has a good inquiry at 2s 6d to 2s 9d for farmers lines.’ Dairy Produce —Sydney warket for butter is still very satisfactory. Our local market has been as quiet as Sydney. On account of the large shipments to London prices remain at 6d to 7d for prime. Cheese is quiet at 5d for loaf, and 4d to for large and medium. The above prices are those paid to farmers for delivery f.o.b. Lyttelton, sacks extra.

CHRISTCHURCH STOCK MARKETS,

At the Addington Yards on Wednesday fairly large entries of stock.

Fat Cattle —Aboutthe usual number on offer, quality varied. Yalues were little, if any, better than at last week’s sale. Steers sold at £5 to £6 12s 6d; heifers, at from £4l2s 6d to £sl2s 6d, being at from 15a to 17s per 1001 b as per quality. Dairy Cattle. —Good sorts of cows iu full supply £4 10s to £6, secondraters £3 to £4. Veal Calves—The best vealors sold at from 15s to 21s, medium to inferior 8s Od to 5s 6d. Fat Sheep A moderate entry, quality varied. Prime wethers sold at from 8s 6d to 10s 3d; lighter weights, 7s to 8s; ewes sold at from 6s 6d to 9s; merino wethers, 5s to 7s Id, being at from l?d to l|d per lb as per quality. Fat Lambs—A large entry. Primest sold at from 8s to 9s 3d ; medium to inferior, 7s to 6s 3d. Pigs—A very small entry. Porkers sold at from 23s to 28s 6d, stores 15s to 20s.

DUNEDIN PRODUCE MARKETS

The following is the report for the w&k ending Wednesday:—

, Wheat—The demand for this cereal continues exceedingly dull, and sales are difficult to effect. Millers have stocks of wheat on hand, which in the meantime they are not prepared to increase. There is a fair stock of medium and fowls’ wheat in agents’ hands, but prime parcels are not plentiful. Quotations : Prime milling (nominally), Bs 3d to 3s 6d; medium, 3s to 3s 2d ; fowls’ wheat, 2s to 3s per bushel. Oats—The market for these is also quiet, and sales difficult to make, shippers in the meantime not being disposed to operate. Sales have been made at the following range'of prices during the past week —viz., for prime milling, 2s 4d to 2s 6d; good feed, 2s 2d to 2s 4d; inferior, Is 9d to 2s lid. Barley There is nothing doing pending samples of the new crop coming to hand.

Ryegrass is low in stock, but there is nothing doing. Prices, nominally 3s 6d to 3s 9d for machine dressed ; 2s 3d to 3s for undressed. Potatoes —Prices now are barely so firm and range from £5 to £6 per ton. Pigs—Well fed up to 1801 b, 4|d. Hams and bacon: Hams, 9d ; flitches and tolls, 6d to 6|d. Oaten Chaff —£4 is obtainable. Straw Oaten and wheaten, 40s, Hay—Oaten, 655. Butter-—Prime salt, 8d net cash, packages extra; fresh do, not so plentiful. Eggs are getting scarcer. Honey— Prime extracted, 4|d ; run do, 4f d to 4d. Cheese—Prime Akaroa, loaves, 6d; factory, 6d.

Sheepskins—On Monday dry crossbreds sold from Is lOd to 6s 3d ; do da merino, Is 4d to 5s 3d ; dry pelts, 6d to Is 2d; butchers’ green pelts, Is to Is 8d; lambskins, Is 6d to 2s 6d. Hides—Heavy weights, 3?d to 3|d; medium, 2fd to 3d ; light, 2£d to cut, slippy, and bulls, to 2|d per lb. Tallow—Quotations: Prime mutton, £25 to £26 103; good, £24 to £25; inferior and medium, £22 to £23105; rough fat—best 18s to 19s; medium, 14s to 17s 6d.

DUNEDIN STOCK MARKET,

At the Burnside Yards on Wednesday the following business was transacted

Fat Cattle—27s head were yarded, comprising all sorts, and containing several very prime drafts. Another considerable reduction had to be accepted to effect sales, and several lots were passed in to be held over for next week’s market. Best bullocks brought £7 5s to £9 ss, one pen extra heavy bringing £10; ordinary, £4 to £6 10s; cows, from £3 10s to £6 17s 6d.—Messrs Reid. Maclean, and Co. sold for Mr J. Spring (Timaru), 14 bullocks and heifers from £7 2s 6d to £s,—Mr Donald Stronach sold for Mr John Hedley (Seadown), bullocks to £7 17s 6d; cows to £6 15s. Messrs Wright, Stephensou, and Co. sold for Mr James Guild (Trevenna), 6 prime bullocks at from £7 12s 6d to £8 12a 6d; ou account of Mr T, Parke (Canterbury), 12 bullocks and cows at from £4 16s to £5 12s 6d.—Messrs Donald Reid and Co. sold for Mr James Guild (Trevenna), 6 prime bullocks from £8 10s to £7 10s.

, Fat Calves—Only a few yarded, prices ranging from 14s to 21s. Fat Sheep—lß36 yarded, including 120 merinos, all the rest crossbreds, only a small proportion wethers. Bidding was dull. Best crossbred wethers brought 10s 6d to 12s; ordinary, 7s 6d to 9s 9d ; best crossbred ewes, 8s 6d to 10s 9d ; ordinary, 6s 3d to 8s 3d; mixed merinos, 5s to 5a 6d.

Fat Lambs Only 693 penned. The top price to-day was Bs, and the range down to 5s 3d. Fat Pigs—Only 92 were penned. Prices remained about equal to those of last week. Suckers brought 8s to 16s; porkers 26s to 325; bacouers, 41s to 60s; extra heavy to 675.

DUNEDIN WOOL SALES

Dunedin - , Deb. 14. At the wool sale of Donald Eeid, prices ranged from 7d to lOd for crossbreds, and from 7£d to 10jd for merino.

WANGANUI RAM FAIR.

Mr D. R. Jackson’s ram fair began on Wednesday. It was well attended, and was a great success. 916 rams as well as 400 ewes were in the yards. Bidding was very spirited, and good prices were realised all through. The highest prices were obtained by J. B. Dutton, of Eiverton, Southland, for 6 purebred stud rams, 2-toothed Lincolns, which fetched 24|, 25, 25, 25, 27, and 84 guineas each. Mr Wilson, of Whonamabi, obtained 20y and 13 guineas for two 2-toothed Lincolns.

ENGLISH MARKETS.

Prime New Zealand mutton has advanced to 4£d. Wool remains very firm. The series closes on February 10th. The American demand is good. Crossbreds and merino are strong. Deb. 13, The English wheat market is firmer, the Continental remains unchanged, but the American has an upward tendency. The wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom is 2,308,000 quarters, and for the Continent 440,000 quarters. The American visible supply is 34.250,000 bushels. Deb. 14. Foreign wheat has advanced Gd per quarter. Quotations for wool are unchanged.

AUSTRALIAN MARKETS

Sydney, February 14, Potatoes, New Zealand, £6 10s to £7 10s (expected to be lower next week); Warnambool, £5 7s; Circular Head, £9. Onions, £l4 15s, Bran, lOdto lOfd. Pollard, Is to Is l|-d. Oats, dull, 2s lOd to 3s 4d. Maize, sound, 3s 7d ; weevily, 2s Od. Wheat, cluck, 3s 3d to 3s 6d ; milling, 4s 5d to 4s 6d. Butter, local, lOd to Is (plentiful supply); New Zealand, Od to 9d. Bacon, firm, 9d to lOd. Hams, dull, lOd to Is. Chaff, Now Zealand, .L'G 103.

Melbourne, February 18. Three thousand bags of New Zealand oats were sold at Bs lOd, ex wharf, or its equivalent for export. Feb. 14, For wheat there is a good demand at 4s 7d. Flour, stone-made, £9 10s; roller-made, £lO lOd. Oats, Cape, 3s; thin white, 3s sd; stout, 3s lOd; seed, 4s Barley, 3s 3d 5 English, 5s 4d; Cape, Bs 3d. Maize, 3a iHd. Bran, Is l^d, Adelaide, February 14. Wheat is dull; shipping parcels 4s 6d, with little or no business; farmers’ lots, 4s 4d at Port Adelaide; outports, 3s 2d. Flour, roller-made, £11; stone-made, £lolss. Bran and pollard, lid each. New Zealand oats, 4s sd,