COMMERCIAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2569, 17 October 1893, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

AUCTIONEERS' REPORT.

The Canterbury Farmers' Co-operative Association, Limited (per Mr J. Mundell, auctioneer), report on the horse market at Tattersall's on Saturday as follows : The sale was a little quieter than usual, and priceß were slightly in favor of buyers. Our entry consisted of 16 head draught, light harness and hackneys ; 11 sold under the hammer at the following quotations : —Draughts, young and sound (with trial), £lB 10s, £l9, to £2O ; do, light and aged, £9 10s to £11; light harness sorts, £l2 10a to £ls ; hackneys, £6, £7 10s, to £10; weedy sorts, £3 10s to £5 15s. TIMARU MARKETS. The Canterbury Farmers' Association, Limited, report as follows for the week ending Friday, October 13th, 1893 : Wheat—The very disheartening news advising a relapse in the Home markets, is affecting holders here, who show more inclination to Bell. Fowl wheat is in strong demand, and very scarce. Velvet, 2s 6d to 2a 7d; tuscan, 2a 5d to 2s 6d; red chaff, 2s 4d to 2s 4Jd, on trucks, Timaru.

Oats —Supplies are sufficient to meet a fair demand. Milling, 2s to 2s Id ; short feed, la lid ; danish, Is 9d to Is lid, f.o.b. Potatoes —The season is over, so far as this district is concerned, and sellers freely availed them of the late nigh rates offering, exhausting supplies ; on the other hand, in North Canterbury a large quantity is still available with no outlet. DUNEDIN PRODUCE MARKETS. The following is the report for the week ending Wednesday : Wheat—Prime quality saleable at 2s 9d to 3s; medium, 2s 4d to 2s Bd. Fowls' wheat, gobd whole grain, 2s 7d to 2s 8d —in good demand. Millers are not anxious to operate, as little or no flour is selling. Prices are keeping low. Barley Chevalier, 3s 9d to 4s ; Cape, 2s 9d for malting qualities. Oats—Good milling and prime feed, 2s Id ; long tartarians for seed: bright, 2s 3d to 2a 4d ; danish, 2s. Hops—ls f.0.b., Nelson. Potatoes —Prices range from £4los to £5 2s 6d.

Pigs Have inquiry, 4d to 4£d for suitable sizes and quality. Bacon, 5Jd to 6|d; hams, 9d. Chaff has demand, prime £3 10s to £3 15s; good, 40s to 55a. Salt Butter—Demand quiet, 7|d, packages .extra; jwime quality only wanted. Cheese —ln better demand, Akaroa (large), Md to 4£d ; factory, 4jd to sd. Honey—From 3£d to 4|d. Roller flour, £7"los ; stone flour, £6 sb. Bran—£2 ss. Pollard, £3. Oa + meal—£lo 10s.

Pearl barley, £2O. Grass Seeds—Ryegrass, 2s 6d to 3s; machined from 3s 9d to 4s 6d (demand improving); cocksfoot, 3|d to 5d (in good demand).

Sheepskins—At auction on Tuesday all classes of halfbred and crossbred skins brought slightly higher rates than last week, and especially lines suitable for shipment, merinos ruling at about the same rata as of Best crossbreds and halfbreds brought 5s to 5s 3d, extra heavy to 5s 6d; medium to good, 4s to 4s 9d; merin..s, 2s 6d to 3s lOd; dry country skins proportionate rates, according to j freight and condition. | Hides —If any change may be noted it ; * slightly iu purchasers' favor. Prime heavv' ox m& * Djth 2 * d io 2^l—extra heavy to 3d'; and mixed classes, Ifd to 2d ; ;«*»**» 1W per lb. TallowL-Thesu'pply is 7^™%*' y *£ both tallow and rough fat comma. \ .* ready sale at prices as under: —Be. rendered mutton tallow, £2l to £22 per ton ; medium, £lB to £2O.

DUNEDIN STOCK MARKETS.

At the Burnside Market on Wednesday the following business was transacted : Fat Cattle—l 32 head yarded, some extra choice heifers being included in the entry. All lots weve cleared at prices which would bear favorable comparison with those current at any market this season. Prime bullocks brought £lO to £lO 15a; extra weights, £ll, £ll ss, to £ll 17s Cd; medium, £8 5s to £9 10s; inferior, to £7 15s. Good cows and heifers, £8 to £9; extra prime, to £lO ss; inferior to medium, £5 10s to £7 ss. Fat Sheep—lß96 penned, ..about 200 being merinos, including Bottle very prime lots. The market, however, was much' about the same as last week as regards the current rates per lb. Ordinarily prime wethers brought 1 7s to 18s; extra heavy, 19s, 20s, 21s, and 21s 9d (one or two selected sheep 22a 9d); medium to good, 15s 6d to 16s 6d; light, 14s to 15s. Most of these sold at the first-mentioned figure being purchased by graziers. The quotations for meriuo wethers ranged up to 12s 3d.

Fat Lambs —110 penned. A few of the beat sold at from 12s to 13s 9d ; medium, 10s to 10s 6d; inferior, 7s 6d to 8s 6d. Pigs—Sixty-eight yarded. For slips and small stores there was a good demand, porkers also selling fairly well; but for the fair bacon pigs there was less demand. Weaners brought 8s 6d to 12s 6d; slips, 15s to 17b; stores, 20s to 23b; porkers, 26s to 325; bacon pigs, 34s to 445; one or two extra heavy, to 645. Store Cattle—The principal demand is for three and four-year-old bullocks, or cows and heifers in forward condition.

Store Sheep—Good lines of crossbred hoggets are moving off slowly, and there is also a fair demand for forward-con-ditioned wethers, but generally speaking business is restricted. Another fortnight or three weeks, with an increased growth of feedjL will no doubt bring about a better inquiry.

MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL. London, October 12. New Zealand 4 per cent, inscribed stock, 104 J ; 3£ per cent. do. 95£. Frozen mutton, first quality, 3fd per lb ; second quality, 3Jd. New Zealand hemp is dull. 300 bales were withdrawn from auction.

Danish butter 1265, best Victorian 116 s to 120 s. At the wool sales at Bradford there was a fair enquiry, and prices for crossbreds were firm, but for merinos wore weak. New Zealand long-berried wheat, ex warehouse, is quiet at 295; South Australian wheat, ex warehouse, is flat at 30s ; Victorian ditto restricted at 29s 6d. The first of the series of wool sales is to be held on January 16th. It has been arranged that all arrivals up to opening day shall be available. Messrs Weddell & Turner are sending 150 tons of frozen meat to Germany, where it is believed a large market can be found for it. October 14. The new Oriental Bank declares a dividend of 8d in the £, payable in January. The remaining assets are estimated to yield 5s in the £.

The Trust Agency of Australasia have declared a dividend of 20 per cent. A company for establishing co-operative colonial stores is being formed with a capital of £250,000. The Company is under Australasian auspices. At to-day's auction 6000 bales of sheepBkins were offered, most of which were Bold at from Jd to £d above thenprices realised in August. Numerous schemes for the reconstruction of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company have been submitted, but no decision has yet been ai rived at.

Owing to the weather the price of coal has fallen 8s per ton. Nelson Bros, report that the market is not prepared for sudden heavy shipments of beef. It is impossible to say at present whether Buch shipments could eventually be absorbed.

Ottawa, Oct. 12

It is reported that the Finance Committee of the Canadian Parliament have decided to recommend the exemption of

wool from duty. Oct. 13. The Canadian Pacific Railway Company are negotiating for a direct line of steamers between Halifax and England. Melbourne, Oct. 13.

The conference of wool buyers and brokers has failed to arrive at a satisfactory settlement, and the wool sales here and in Sydney are consequently at a standstill.

FROZEN MEAT TRADE,

The Central Market Cold Air Stores, South East Tower, Smithfield, London, 8.C., per Mr A. Towers, reports for the mouth ended Sept. 2nd, as follows: The past four weeks have again witnessed a very depressed state of trade, and on every hand lower prices have been accepted. There is no prospect of a brighter outlook in the immediate future. With very large stocks on hands, most of the refrigerators being filled, and further arrivals near, there is every indication of values receding still more. The arrivals during the month include the Elderslie, Arawa, Aorangi, and Maori King. Mutton—Large quantities of New Zealand brands are on hand, which are not of prime quality, and these are being pressed on the market and sold at low rates. The low range of prices ruling for inferior grades is seriously affecting the value of prime qualities, as many butchers are purchasing the inferior mutton rather than pay the higher prices. Canterbury mutton is plentiful, and it is a question if the present quotations will not give way further. Australian mutton has not yet arrived in large quantities, and its value is relatively higher than New Zealand mutton.

Lamb—There is a further depression in price, and stocks yet on hand indicate that a further shrinkage may take place before they are moved off. This season is probably the most disastrous yet experienced in the lamb trade.

Beef—As intimated in my last circular, we have seen a heavy fall in the value of beef, and we have now reached alow level. Some holders seem to have unnecessarily forced down the values by pressing sales. The stocks are not heavy, and until the Duke of Sutherland and Dulo of Argyll arrive there is no reason why any further decline should take place. The Maori King has a small quantity of New Zealand beef on board. The present quotations are :

Mutton—New Zealand, best Canterbury, 2s 5d to 2a 6d, per 81b; medium and good grades, 2s Id to 2s 4d, per 81b ; Australian and Queensland sheep, Is lid, per 81b. Lamb—Best Canterbury, 2s 6d to 2s Bd, per 81b ; good grades, 2s to 2s 4d,per 81b. Beef—New Zealand hind and forequarters, none; Queensland, hind, 2s Id to 2s 2d, per 81b; fore, Is 8d to Is 9d, per 81b.