COMMERCIAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2037, 24 April 1890, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

AUCTIONEER'S REPORT, GERALDINE. Messrs J. Mundell and Co. report sales for the week ended April 19th, 1890, as follows : At the Geraldine yards on Wednes day there was a very large entry of stock brought forward for the day, especially sheep, every yard available for them being filled. • Competition was good on all lines suitable for turnips, every lot of this being sold at prices satisfactory to the vendors. Culls suffered a drop of about 6d per head on prices ruling at previous sales. The totals yarded were—l2,24o sheep, 29 head ofcattle, and 23 pigs. The following are our quotations for the day : Sheep Crossbred wethers and maiden ewes, 2 and 4 tooth, in forward condition, 12s 3d to 8s Id ; half-bred ewes, 2-tooth, 8s Id to 6s 9d; threequarterbred lambs, 8s 6d to 7s 4d; three-quarter-bred ewes (full mouthed sheep) 5s 5d to 4s 3d ; culls, 3s 7d do 2s; merino ewes (sound sheep), 3s 9d to 2s 6d ; culls, Is 6d to Is. Cattle The sale was dull and dragging. 3-year-old steers, handy weights, nice quality, were withdrawn at £4 15s; fat cows sold at £3 7s 61; dry cows in low condition not saleable ; calves, 10s. Pigs—Bacon sorts £2 ss, breeding sows £1 15s, small stores 10s to 6s. AUSTRALIAN MARKETS. Sydney, April 22. Wheat—Chick feed, 2s 3d to 2s 9d ; local milling, 3s 7d to 3s 9d. Oafs— Feeding, Is 9d to 2s Id. MaizeNew crop, 3s Id to 3s 3d ; old, 3s to 3s Bd. Barley—Cape, 2s 7d ; English, nominal, 3s. Bran, 9d ; pollard, 9d. Peas—Blue prussian, 3s 3d to 3s 6d. Potatoes New Zealand, £3 15s; Circular Heads, £4 5s to £4 10s. Onions, £4 to £4 10s. Butter—Dairy-made, 6d to lOd • factory.made, lid to Is. Cheese, 3d to sd. Bacon—Locally-cured, 6d to 8d ; New Zealand-cured, 9£d. Hams -Locally-cured, 9d to lOd; New Zealand-cured, lid to llfd. Melbourne. April 22, Wheat, 3s B|d. Flour—Rollermade, £9 ss. Oats—New Zealrnd stout. 3s. Bran, lid, Adelaide, April 22. Wheat, 3s 6|-d. Flour—Stonemade, £8 5s to £8 10s; roller-made, £9 ss. Oats, 2s 9d to 2s 10s ; bran, 9d ; pollard, 9d.

ENGLISH MARKETS. The London agents ot the Canterbury Farmers’ Co-operative Association, Limited, report* under date 7th March as follows : Wool—As indicated' in our last issue the first series of sales for 1890 closed on 24th ult., and no change in the position took place after the departure of last mail. Some 1000 bales have recently been sold by private treaty. Trade generally ia good, and the outlook, on the whole, is fairly encouraging for next auctions, commencing on 10th April. Arrivals to date for these sales amount to 111.000 bales, of which 12,500 are New Zealand produce. About 38,000 bales have been forwarded direct. Grain A fortnight of severe, wintry weather has given a wholesome check to vegetation, and has also han the effect of stimulating the consumptive demand. It has °also tended to improve the condition of English wheat, for which a better trade is reported from most of the country exchanges. Foreign wheat generally has met with more enquiry both on the spot and to arrive, and a good business has been done at an advance of 3d to 6d per quarter. The tone is quieter at the close, but the statistical position is encouraging to holders. American quotations are higher, and shipments continue small. Flour, however, still comes forward' freely, interfering materially with Home millers’ trade. Californian cargoes are 3d per quarter dearer at 86s per 5001 b off coast, and for prompt shipment. An Australian cargo on passage has been sold at 34s 9J per 4801 b, ci.f., u k. for orders, and a small parcel ot the new crop arrived here per steamer has found buyers at 38s Gd per 4961 b, ex store. Now Zealand, on the spot, goes steadily into consumption at rather better prices, owing largely to the concentration ..f supplies We quote sound longberry, fair to good, 37s Gd to 37s 6d to 3Ss Gd per 4961 b- sound shortberry, fair to good, 34s to 35a per 4961 b ( x .store). Arrivals—Orient, s.s., from Sydney, 49 sacks wheat; Bothwell ( astle, from Adelaide, 780 sacks wheat. New Zealand oats are nominally worth 80s to 32s per 3841 b, ex store,ho general market being firmer. Aew Zealand beans are still a drug in the market and must again be quoted lower at 32s Gd per 5041 b. Butter With colder weather the trade has been firm for the finer qualities, some of which have advanced in value. Common or middling descriptions being still in very heavy supply have remained weak, with a downward tendency iu quotations American and Canadian parcels are very plentiful and are offered at low rates to effect clearances, Australian consignments, being of nice, even I quality, sell readily. New Zealand shipments continue to arrive in numerous small lines of uneven quality, mostly inferior, and their sale is attended with great difficulty in

consequence. Thei. various parcels per Arawa have proved disappointingly irregular. We;quote Normandy (per cwt), 108 s to 124 s ; Danush, 116 s to 1225; Britanuy, 84s'to 98s; Australian, 90s to 104 s ; New Zealand, fine, nominally, 90s to 965; medium, 60s to 80s; inferior, 35s to 50a ; grease, 30s to 32s 6d. Cheese has recently met a steady demand, but very little New Zealand has been available.

Hemp—l he auctions held during the past fortnight have passed ioff without any spirit, and the small quantities catalogued have been only partially cleared, at prices shewing a further decline of about £1 to £2 per ton. Quotations are almost nominal, at £27 to £3O for fine Auckland, £24 to £25 for good Wellington, £22 to £23 for fair Wellington, and £2O to £2l for common, Feveral parcels bought “ to arrive ” have been rejected by buyers in consequence of nonadhesion by sellers to the strict letter of their contracts.

Frozen Meats—The cold weather of the past fortnight has naturally tended to strengthen the market for all descriptions of fresh meat, Home-fed mutton having been somewhat scares has improved in value, but owing ,to milder weather yesterday and to-dav does not close at its best. Beef has also been firm, and latterly the lightness of supplies of American has enabled holders of New Zealand and Australian beef to make satisfactory progress . with sales. As regards frozen mutton, the demand has been steady throughout, and as stocks are within moderate compass it has been found possible to obtain an occasional advance in price. Latterly, however, the change in the weather has checked sales. New Zealand lamb has sold readily at full rates owing to its comparative scarcity. '1 he provincial markets haue been firm. Smithfield quotations : Prime Scotch mutton, 5s to 5s 8d per 81b; prime English do, Ss to 5s 6d ; prime Foreign do, 4s 4d to 5s ; prime New Zealand do, 3s 2d to 3s 4d ; secondary do do, 3s to 8s Id ; inferior do do, 2s lOd; prime New Zealand lamb, 4s 6d to 5s ; prime Biver Plate mutton, 2s 8d to 2s lOd ; secondary do do, 2s 6d to 2s 7d ; prime Sydney do, 2s 8d to 2s lOd ; prime Queensland do, 2a 9d to 2s lOd ; secondary do do, 2s 8d ; New Zealand beef, hinds, 2s 10d to 3s; New Zealand do, fores, 2s 8d; Queensland do, hinds, 2s lOd. A telegram received in Wellington from the Agent-General, dated 18th inst., says: —“Hemp is in better tone. Fair to good—Auckland, £2l to £23; Lyttelton, £2O to £22; Wellington, £l9 to £2l ; prime sorts, £24 to £26. Manilla is firmer at £34 to £35. Sisal about £25.” London, April 20. The English wheat market is lifeless, and the Continental is advancing, while the American has an upward tendency. For New Zealand wheat on the passage sellers are asking 34s but buyers are not inclined to give more than 33s 6d.

Adelaide wheat is quoted at 38s 6d, Victorian do 38a, nominal. New Zealand long-berried wheat, ex store 36s 6d, the market being firmer. Tallow—Medium mutton 235. beef do 225. Tip to date 97,400 bales were catalogued at the wool sales ; 88,400 bales have been sold. Galvanised iron—Orb brand, £l9 • Gospel Oak brand, £2O. No. 1 best Scotch pig iron, f.o b. in Clyde, 45s 9d, cash quotation. Sugar—German beet, 12s 6d, market firmer; Java, 15s, also firmer. New Zealand hemp, good to medium quality, £2O 5s to £2l. Kauri gum, good pale scraped, £5 10s. ’ A pril 21. The wool market is unchanged, but impending strikes on the Continent are restricting the operation of foreign buyers. & -Eight thousand five hundred of Australian wheat, March shipment, have been sold at 38s 3d. English wheat has advanced Is and foreign 6d per quarter. ° Crossbreds and good merino wools are selling well. Other sorts are neglected. mi . . . April 22. i tie depression in the wool market has increased.