COMMERCIAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2154, 24 January 1891, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

OHRISTOHUBOH CORN EXCHANGE.

The following is the Corn Exchange report (per N, P. Meyers, Secretary), for the week ending Friday, January 23rd:—

Eeports ; from the various country districts are certainly more favorable than they were a few weeks back. The gentle and warm rains have greatly benefited the pastures and crops—especially the later sown ones We can only hope that our later advices will prove the most correct, and that the harvest will not be the failure that has been predicted. The markets are extremely dull. Merchants are waiting for a development of the market for the new grain, and only handle old stocks for urgent and prompt orders. There is absolutely no speculation of any kind, Stocks of old wheat are low, and where required bring full rates. Chickwheat is scarce. Oats have been dull and lifeless, and, with a larger supply of new lines on the market, we expect to see a decline. Maltsters are now awaiting the new crop before operating, and it will greatly depend on the quality offered that the prices will be fixed, as excellent accounts come from both Nelson and Blenheim as to quality there, but buyers from here will have to face an extra 6d a bushel carriage and freight from those districts. Besides, the North Island will be buyers for the larger proportion that may be for export; consequently we shall expect to see new barley open from 3s to 3s 3d far good malting samples. Grass seed is enquired for, but little is offering. Our quotations are as follow :

Wheat Tuscan, 3s 8d ; pearl, 3s 6d; hunters, 8s sd; whole chick, 3s Id; broken, 2s Bd. Oats—Milling, Is 9d; short feed, Is 8d; long and Inferior, Is 6d. Barley—Prime malting, 3s 3d; feed, Is 8d to Is lOd. Grass Seed—Machine dressed, 4s 6d to 4s 9d ; farmers, 3s to 4s. Dairy Produce —Unaltered,

The above prices are those paid to farmers for delivery, f.0.b., Lyttelton, sacks extra.

OHEISTOHUEOH STOCK MAEKETS. At the Addington yards on Wednesday there was a fair attendance of buyers. Fat Cattle —A small entry. The demand for all classes showed a slight improvement. Values, however, showed but little alteration, though the greater portion of the entry changed hands. Beef may be quoted at 17s 6d to 19s, and inferior from 15s per 1001 b. Steers sold at from £4 15s to £8; heifers from £4 to £5; and cows from £3 2s to £6 12s 6d. The quality was uneven. Store Cattle —Two or three pens of young steers and heifers, and about a dozen pens of dry cows were penned. A few cows changed hands at current rates, but a large portion of the entry was returned unsold.

Dairy cows sold at from £2 5a to £5 15s. Competition was pretty brisk.

Fat Lambs —Buyers showed a fair amount of spirit in their transactions, and a general clearance was effected at slightly improved rates. The general run brought from 7s to 11s. Some of exceptional quality realised up to 12s 9d.

Fat Sheep—About 4000 yarded. At the commencement of the sale a slight improvement in values took place, but it fell away. A pen of remarkable sheep sold by Messrs H, Mataon and Co - topped the market at 225, while the general run of butchers’ sheep was from 10s 6d to 13s. Store Sheep—A small entry, which changed hands at late rates. A grand line of crossbred maiden ewes sold at 9a, while hoggets made from 6s 8d to 7s 6d. Pigs—There were about 120 of all classes of pigs, which were disposed of at current rates. CHRISTCHURCH WOOL SALES. Cheistohuech, Jan. 22. Over 6000 bales of wool were submitted to-day. Prices generally were much the same as at last sales for bright, clean, well skirted halfbreds, bat there was a tendency to a slight fall towards the end of the sale in crossbreds and merinos. Mr John Deans’ first combing halfbreds brought 14cl, and second combing lid, being the highest price this season, DUNEDIN PRODUCE MARKETS. The following is the report for the week ending Wednesday : Wheat—Yery little new t® report in this line. Millers take up prime lots milling sorts for mixing at quotations. Good tusean and velvet, 3s 8d to 3s lOd ; other sorts, 3s 6d to 3s Bd. Fowls’ wheat, scarce; good whole worth 3s 3d to 3s 4d ; medium, 3s to 3s 2d; broken and infeiior, 2s 9d to 2s lid. Barley—Very little business passing in this line. Samples of new crop are expected shortly from the north. Oats —These have improved in value during the week • but now that shippers have pretty well supplied their wants, prices should not go much higher. Prime milling. Is 6d to Is 6|-d; good short feed, Is to Is 6d ; medium and inferior, Is 4d to la sd. Flour—Timaru roller, sacks, £10 ; SO’b £lO 15s in Dunedin; town brand, sacks, £9 ss; 60’s £9l6s in Dunedin ;

southern do, sacks, £9 ; 50’s, £9 10s in Dunedin. Oatmeal, in 25’s, packed in sacks, £9 per ton. Bran, 50s. Sharps, 70s. Potatoes—Prime kidney up to 90s ; small and inferior, 60s.

Pigs—Very little demand, 2d to 3d ; bams and bacon, no demand, 4d to 6d for bacon, and 6d to 8d for hams. Chaff—Q-ood, well cut oatea sheaf, 47s 6d to 50s ; other sorts, 80s to 455. Straw, oaten and wheaten (hydraulic pressed in bales), 30s per ton. Butter—Fresh butter still in strong supply, and hard to sell at 4d. Salt butter, very little demand, selling at 6d to 6^d; packages extra or returnable

Cheese—Good factory, large size, 4^d; Akaroa, from 3|d to 4d. Grass Seeds—ln the absence of sales, we refrain from giving quotations.

Sheepskins —On Tuesday prices were very satisfactory. Butchers’ green skins, crossbreds sold at 4s 3d to 6s 6d, pelts at Is to 2s 3d, lambs at Is 4d to 2s. Country dry skins, crossbreds sold at Is 6d to 6s Bd, merinos at Is 6d to ss, pelts at 3d to Is 2d, lambskins at 8d to Is 7d.

Hides —Pair prices are secured for well-cared-for parcels, but as buyers are careless about touching the inferior sorts, returns for these must be very disappointing to consignors. Prime heavies to 3d per lb ; medium weight, 2d to 2£d per lb j light and inferior, l£d to l|d. Tallow Prime rendered mutton tallowj £2O to £2l; prime rendered mixed, £lB to £l9; medium, £l6 to £l7; inferior, £lO to £l4; clean mutton cauls, 13s to 18s 6d; inferior and medium, 9s 6d to 12s.

DUNEDIN STOCK MARKETS. At the Burnside Yards on Wednesday the following business was transacted : Fat Cattle—Only 123 head yarded, but were too great for the requirements of the butchers, and the worst sale of the season resulted. The demand was wretched, and prices obtained for the best cattle did not exceed at the very outside 15s per 1001 b, and it is quite certain plenty of ordinary and second rate quality sold at a good deal less. Best bullocks brought from £7 to £8 15s; ordinary do, £5 10s 6d to £6 15s ; light do, £3 to £5; best cows, £4 10s to £6; ordinary, £3 to £4; old and inferior, £1 10s 6d to £2 10s.

Pat Sheep—2s34 came forward to a fairly good market, especially for prime wethers, for which there was a moderate demand for export. Prices for this description of sheep were firm at last week’s quotations. Ewe mutton made about the same money as last week. Extra heavy crossbred wethers made 14s 6d to 14s 9d; prime do do (freezers), 13s to 14s; ordinary do do, 12s to 12s 6d ; light do do, 10s 6d to 11s 6d; prime crossbred ewes (heavy), 12s to 18s; ordinary do do, 10s to 11s 6d; light do do, 8s 6d to 9s Gd; merino wethers, 9s to 10s 6d, Eat Lambs—B77 penned. A few pens of the best commanded good competition, realising 10s to 11a 9d. Other lots were dull of sale at a reduction of quite Is a head on las* week’s prices.

Pigs —lO2 penned. Wrighti Stephenson and Co. sold 33 at, sayi bacon pigs,‘ 25s to 375; porkers, 18s to 245; stores, 14s to 19s; suckers, 6s 6d to 11s.

AUSTRALIAN MARKETS. Sydney, January 21. Wheat, chick, 3s 2d to 3a sd; milling, 3s 9d to 3s 4d; oats, la lOd to 2a ; maize, 3s lOd to 4a; barley, Cape, 2s 6d ; bran, 7d to 7?d; pollard, Bid ; peas, Prussian blue, 4s; potatoes, £4 5s to £4 10a ; onions, £5; butter, dairy 7d, separator Bd, factory 9d; cheese, 5d ; bacon, machine-made 6£d, hand-made 7|d, New Zealand »d; hams, lid to ll^d. Melbourne, January 21. Wheat —Milling, 3a 6d. Flour — Stone made, £7 10a to £9. Oats— Algerian, la 9d ; thin white, 2s; danish, 2s 3d ; stout, 2a 9|d to 2a lOd. Maize, 3s 4d. Barley, malting, 3s to 3a 2d. Bran, B£d ; pollard, 9d. Adelaide, January 21. Wheat, steady, 3a B|d. Flour— Stone, £7 10s to £8 ; roller, £8 to £9, Bran, Bfd to 9d ; pollard, Bjd. ENGLISH MARKETS. London, January 20. At the Antwerp wool sales the selection was only old wools, and therefore no test of the market. Jan. 21. The quantity of wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom is 2,032,000 quarters, aod for the Continent, 708,000. Money is declining. Antwerp, Jan. 21. At the wool sales to-day 4300 bales were offered, of which 360 bales of Australian out of 500 offered. The attendance was limited, and owing to the small quantities offered, prices have offered 10 centimes on those realised at the October sales, The stock markets are recovering. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, bare received the following cable message from London, dated 20th inst.:— Wheat—Market quiet, quotations unchanged since last telegram. !