COMMERCIAL.

Waikato Argus, Volume II, Issue 113, 30 March 1897, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

The Waikato Akgus Office, Monday. AUCKLAND MARKETS. Messrs Esam axd Aktuck's Weekly ReI'ORT.— There is no special chauge to report iu the produce market. The "slump" in potatoes continues, the quality of the locally-grown, as a rule, being very inferior. Southerns are not coining forward in excessive quantities, but regular supplies may be expected shortly. In cereals there is not much doing. Fresh butter is plentiful, and pricc3 arc maintained. It is difficult to place keg butter, the quality generally being below medium. Eggs are scarce. Hams and bacon of new cure in small supply. Fruit : Supplies are principally confined to medium quality, and prices as a rule are most discouraging. What good apples there are are affected in value by so great a supply ot infected. We quote prices as follows :—Potatoes, £» to .I*4; pumpkins, £2 10s to £3 ; v onions, £5 to £7 ; kumaras, £6 to £7 ; white carrots, 25s to 30s ; fresh batter, No. 1 4d to 6sd, No. 2 2d to 3d; fait butter, 3d to s}il ; eggs, Is 3d to Is 4-Jd ; cheese, 3d to 4d ; bacon 4d to (id, inferior 2d to 3d ; hams, 5d to 5Ad ; poultry, tabic fowls Is (id to 2s, hens, Is to Is sd, young fowls Gd to Is ; ducks, Is 4d to Is lid. Fruit: Peaches, larce, 9Jd to Is 4id ami 2|d to 3d lb; others, 3d to dessert peara lid to 2Jd, j large cooking l}-d to lfd, tmall $d to Id; C*pe gooseberries, to 2d : apples, choice dessert 4s to 5* 6d, cooking (clean) 3s to 4s fid, others Is to 2s 6d ; persimmons, aid to 6£d ; hothouse grapes 6}d to inferior 2-Jd to ' 4d, outdoor lid to 2id ; watermelons, 2s to 73 ; rockmelons, Is to 3s fid ; mushrooms, lid to 3d ; tomatoes, Ad to lid ; quinces, id to Id ; lemons, 4d to 7id ; figs, ljd to 2id. Mr Alexander Aitken's Report.— During the week the demand for produce was fully up to the supply. Good samples of potatoes found ready buyers, medium quality. The supply was large, buyers not inclined to operate except at low values. ICO sacks Tasmania, ex Te Anau, sold for £5 lfis. I quote prime local, £4 to £5 ; inferior, £2 co £3 ; cow, £1 to £1 5s ; onions, £4 to £6 10s ; carrots, £1 10s to £2 ; kumaras, £5 10a to £8 103, according to quality ; preserving melons, £2 to £2 10s. Cereals, no change to report ; oats, 23 fid ; Danish, 2s 5d ; maize, 2s lOd ; wheat, chick, 3s 9d ; bran, £3 los ; sharps, £4 ; chaff, £3 to I£3 58. Dairy produce, abundant supply. Factory rolls, 9sil to lOd ; bulk, 9d ; dairy, prime, 5d to fid ; medium, 3d to 4d ; pastry, 3id to 4d ; keg, prime, Cd : eggs, guaranteed. Is 3d to Is 9d : coast, Is 3d. Hams and bacou : Hams in cloth, 9d ; bacon, 7Ad ; hams, bare, 8d ; bacon, 6d to 6-id ; local, prime sides, 6d ; hams, 8d ; section honey, 3s Cd ; bulk, 2jd to 3d ; cheese, loaf, factory, 4-fd to 5d ; large, 4A,d ; farmers, 3d to 3Jd. Fruit : Heavy consignments to hand this week ; prices satisfactory for the vendors, with the exception of poor quality of apples. Peaches, best dessert, Is to Is 7d : others, Cd to 9d doz. ; pears, dessert, 2d to 3d lb ; cooking, jjd to lid; quinces, gd to Id ; passion fruit, lAd to 2d ; lemons, 6s 9d to 8s 6d case ; tomatoes, *d to 2d ; figs, ljd to ljd dozen ;' plums, 2d : hothouse grapes, 4Ad to 7d ; in bad order, 2d ; outdoor, lid" to 2d ; walnuts, oijd ; Cape gooseberries, 5Ad; apples, best dessert, 4s to 5s ; cooking, 3s to 48 ; medium, 2s 3d to 2s fid ; poor aud mothed, Is 3d to Is 9d case; bananas, 5s 9d to 6s lid ; watermelons, 5s to 9s ' dozen ; rock melons, ss. Poultry, large supply : Roosters, large, Is 9d to 2s fid ; medium, Is 3d to Is 8d ; small and cockerels. 8d to Is 2d ; hens, lid to 2s Id ; ducks, Is Sd to 2s 4d ; geese, 2s to 2s fid; turkey hens,2s 9d to 4s ; gobblers, 4s 9d to 8s fid ; chickens, 6d to Is 3d ; hens and broods, 2s fid to 3s ; pigeons, 5d to Is 7d ; canaries, 23 9d to ss. Pigs : Medium, 13s fid to 14s ; weaners, 8a to 10s ; suckers, well-bred, 6s 9d to Bs. JMkssrs Arthur Tooman and Co. report a busy week and auction sales •held daily, with good attendances throughout. Supplies have been heavy. I The fruit market has been firmer, and as supplies fall off prices are advancing. Apples particularly show a decided improrenient. Stone fr.uits arc now about finished. Eggs have been in good supply, but unlimited demand causes extremely high prices. Butter is very plentiful, but low in value. Potato market continues glutted with second growth and second-class lots, and it has been quite impossible to clear, even at unreserved sales, and we can only advise . growers to keep their crops at home ; although we are glutted with local lots we have been compelled to buy Southern grown to fill our shipping orders. Onions command steady sale. Poultry was in good supply, with strong demand. Pigs, plentiful aud of good quality, and steady demand. We quote : Prime potatoes, free from second growth, £5 ; others, £1 5s to £2 2s-6d ; fair, £2 10s to £3 ; cow, 10s to £l. Onions : Prime, £5 10s, fd to Id lb ; poor, £4 to £5 ; picklers, id to |d ; gailic, 2d to 2jd. Maize, 23 lOd to 3s ; bran, £3 15j ; sharp?, 4s ; wheat, damaged, 3s ; sound, 3s 9d to 4s ; oats, 2s 6d ; pumpkins, £1 10s to £2 10s ; pie • and citron melons, Is 6d to 2s 6d cwt. Butter : Fresh prime, 5d to 6id ; poor, 2d to 3d ; kef?, local, 2d to fid ; Taranaki, fresh potted, 7id; boxed,(id toOAd; frozen factory rolls, 10d to lid. Eggs, Is Gd to Is lOAjd. Cheese, fully stocked.sales slow. Bacon and hams unchanged. Honey, no buyers. Fruit : Extra prime dessert apples, 5s to 9s 9d ; fair, 3s (id to 4s 9d ; prime cooking,, 2s Gd to 53 ; poor and mothed, 2s to 2s 3d ; pears ranged from Id to 4:j.d, according to quality ; peaches, large choice, la to Is lOd ; good, 8d to lid ; small, lid to 2d lb and 4d to 5d dozen ; passion fruit, -Is to Gs full ca-e ; tomatoes, Id to ljd lb ;quinces, £6 to £7 ton in sacks ; eases, 3s to 5s 3d; plims, 1-Jdto 3d ; grapes, .superior, Is to Is 2d ; poor, 3d to Gd ; fair, 8d to 9.j-d ; outdoor, ljd to Id ; mushrooms, 3d to 4d; figs, Is (id to 3s box ; walnuts, new, (3Ad ; watermelons, 3s to Ss ; rockmelons, 2s to 10s Cd; bananas, 3000 realised 2s 9id to 3s ; picked cases, 3s 9d to 5s ; pines, 5s to 7s ; peanuts, lid to .I','d ; cocoanuts, Ss ; lemons, local, 5s to Ss ; Italian, 5s to (is half-case; 10s to J2s large case ; oranges, Island, (is ; Italian, 10s (id to 10s; fow's, ordinary, Is 4d to Is fid ; good, Is (id to Is 10(1 ; heavy roosters, Is 8d to 2s 4d ; ducks, Is fid to 2s 3d; geese, Is lOd to 2s (i 1 ; turkeys, hen 9, 2.3 Cd to 4s 3d ; gobblers, 3s Cd to Ss ; pigs, Gs 3d to 15s, according to size and quality.

HAWERA MARKETS. ThkEhmont FakMkks' Union (Limitku), report under date—Hawera, March 25tb, 1897 : —We liehl our monthly sale at Okaiawa on Thursday, the 18th hist. A large number of cattle came forward, and being of good quality, bidding was brisk, so that most lines changed hands. We quote :—Store bullocks, £4 lus to £5 U; two to two and a-half-year old steers, £2 13s to £3 7 s Gd ; fat cows, £2 19s to £3 17s Gd ; store cows, £2 Is to £3 ; cows and calves, £3 2s to £3 17s Gd ; dairy cows and heifers, £3 .Is to t'4 5s : yearlings, mixed, fl 2s (id to €1 12s (id ; ueaucrs, mixed, lis (id to tils, On Tuesday, the 23rd inst., we held in unreserved clearing sale on behalf of Mr \V. V. Jenkins, Eltham. The dairy cows were not in good condition, but for all that they sold very well, as did everything ehs offered. We quote :

Dairy cows, £3 2s (id to £li 7s Gd ; fat cows, £3. There was a small attendance at the Manaia sale on Wednesday, the 24th inst. Although the entry of cattle was fairly large, bidding was very dull, so that small business was done. We quoto:—Two to two and a-half-year-old steers, £'2 15s to £3 7s Gtl ; fat cows, £3 3s to £3 10s (id ; store cows, £ 1 2s Cd to £2 15s; heifers in calf, £2 to £2 los.