Commercial.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 293, 9 December 1902, Page 2

Commercial.

'O ENGLISH MARKETS. ' Messrs Dalgety and Co. report under dne London,'December 4th :—" Prime New Zealand frc/.en mutton is worth 3d to sJil per lb ; the market is firm. Prime New Zealand lamb iswoith oh\ to s|d per lb, Prime Ne.v Zealand beef, hindqmrtevs, 5d per lb, and forequarteis 4d per lb." . , The Department of Indnstues and Commerce h s n-ceived the following cable message concerning the London wool sales—" The sales have closed. The estimated value of the firm oossbred of all grades is 9.',d to lljd ; medium crossbred, all grades, 7i,d to 9d ; coarse crossbred, all grades, to 7d; merino, superior, Is to Is lJ,d; medium, lOd to Is ; inferior 8d to sOd. The opinion is that the advance will be maintained. Stocks are small and buyers are giving greater attention tocrossbreds on account of the high prices of merino."

HORSE SALES. The Canterbury Farmers' Co-operative Association (per Mr J. Mundell, auctioneer), repo't on the horse market at Taferssll's yards, Timaru, on Saturday, as follows :—Our entry compiised 35 draught, light harness and hackney horses. All good sorts were in keen demand, aud sold well, the top price being £4!i l(k General quotations are a< follows: Draughts, young with trials, £3O, £3l, £32 10s, £35, £35 15j, £39, £43, £47 10s, to £49 10s ; ditto, light and aged, £2O, £22 13s, £23 ss, £2O, £2«J to £33 ; light harness horses, £ll 10-!, £l2, £l3, £ls, £l7 lOsto £2O ; hackneys, £7 ss, £S 10s, £lO to £lO 10s; ponies, £l3 to £l7 10s, the latter being a 3 yearold and of a stamp that is seldom seen.

CHRISTCHURCH GRAIN AND PRO

DUCE MARKETS

CiißiSTi-'iiußcn, December 6,

A cable message states that the Melbourne Leader's estimate of the Victorian wheat harvest is 3,055,000 bushels, equal to an average of 4.8 bushe's per acre, the lowest yield yet produced in that state. The requirements are set down at 6.00G.000 bushels, leaving a shortage of 2/J51.000 bushels. Argentine crop prospects appear to be excellent, says the Australasian. On October 23rd it was cabled to London that rains had fallen throughout the covntry, and had completely saved the wheat and linseed crops, the yield of which was expected to pass all previous estimates. The area under crop is exceptionally large, consisting of 8,038,000 acreß under wheat, and 2,301,000 acres under linseed. Cargoes of new Argentine wheat, 611 b per bushel, for JanuaryFebruary shipment per steamer to Europe (St Vincent for orders) were quoted in London on October 24th, at 27s 6d per 4801 b, cost, freight, and insurance, equal to 3s s.}d per bushel of 60)-b. Whether thete is any opening tor the importation of Argentine wheat into Australia remains to be seen As in the ease of the maife i\tr"oe¥, the freight, from the Ar«rntini: Republic to Australia w>uld probably be iieater than to Europe. The description uf wheat, also, is totally different from the full-grained, bright wheat to which Australian millers are accustomed. Following the recent sales of Indian wheat to arrive in Melbourne {says the same paper) supplies of that description are now offering more freely. L*to in

October it was cibled to L mdon th.t good rain had fallen in Southern India and in sev.-ral sub-Himalayan districts ; that the autumn harvest was still i > progress atid, on the whole, the outturn was good and the prospects, with slight exceptions, remained favoiir-ibte. Since our last report further rains h . ve fallen in Canterbury, and the ground has received a soaking that will almost sutliee tili harvest time comes roi.nd. The weather being cool the crops showing signs of corning into ear will receive a check and further growth will b; promoted. At present the outlook for the coining harvest of both hay and grain is exceedingly good. The grain markets are remarkably quiet. There is a good enquiry for wheat, but there is practically none offering. Merchants are still asking 5 s f.0.b., but no sales are yet mentioned at that figure. For oats the>e is no dennnd beyond what is required for the usual hand to mouth local trade. There is a fair quantity of interior long oats available, but prim- sort-, are scirce. Theie is not much demand for chaff, the requiiein'ens being confined to the local trade. A cable menage states tint prime quality potatoes aie in demand in Sydney at £ll to £l2 per ton. Private advice received on Friday quotes New Zealand potatoes at only £B, but the inures a;e practically no importance to the local •marker, as the export season has closed. There is little doing in potatoes except filling local order?, and the price is still nominally £6 per ton. Dairy produce is in splendid supply, and, while the market is easier, there are no alterations in quotations. The following are current prices paid to farmers, and free o£ commission, except where otherwise specilied : Wheat—Hunter's anil Tuscan, 4s 7d to Is 8d; Pearl, U *d to 4s <JJ, at country stations, according to distance from port. Oats (nomin-d)—Long feed, "2s (Jd to 2s 7d ; short feed, 2s 7d to 2s 81 ; milling Canadians, 2s 8(1 to 2s 9d, at country stations. Barley (nominal)—Prime, 3s 3s at country stations. Flour " (Millers' quotations)—Poller £l2 per ton. Pollard, £7. Bran, £7. Oatmeal, £l4 10s. Potatoes -Derwents £5, at country stations. Oatsheaf chaff—£.l 10s per ton, at country stations. Grass seed—Cowgrass, weathered, od to 6d Dairy produce—Cheese, factory, dAd to 5'J ; dairy, Id to lid ; butter, factory, local, lid; North Island, lid; f.o.b. Welling on ; dairy. 8d to '.id for prime ; salt (in boxes) 7d to sd ; bacon and hams, Bj,d to 9jd ; factory b.teon and hams, rUI higher f.o.b— Pre.-s.