WOOL & FROZEN MEAT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2560, 30 March 1887, Page 2

WOOL & FROZEN MEAT.

Tiio Now Zealand Loan and Mer-> • cantile Agency Circular for February ) 11 th, has the following information i ,Tho continuance and aggravation of war rumors have reacted - somewhat prejudically 01,1 the wool market during I the past A-eek, with the result that . except for the best classes of greasy . combing, whether merino or. crossbred, some restriction in demand and a consequont weakening of quotations 1 have been experienced, Especially is [• this the case in those grades of morino which are suited for the wants of home 1 consumers, German buyers also con- . tinue to operate with some degree of . caution, For good greasy merino prices have been maintained tifc full opening rates, an 1 the existence of ' American iu conjunction with French competition has contributed not a little , to this result, The value of crossbred wool in like condition is also upheld as it is eagerly sought after both by home and foreign buyers. Lambs' Wool, when froe from fault and well grown commands full rates, Apart from political considerations, the situation of the artiole is generally satisfactory, and it is the existing war cloud on the continent which chiefly retards the development of activity in those industries/ whethor at homo or abroad, upon which tho stapl# so. k'goly depends, The daily offerings .continue largo, and up to duto 1,76,832 .bale's have been catalogued. The mild weather which- prevailed during the greater part of the fortnight .naturally lends to' curtail the general ■ demands, and depress values io from meat. Supplies, of English owes -wore plentiful- unliUhe past fow day 3; but : of late . there ,haß"bifen • ii. marked falling off in tho njimbeivsont to coar--•kefc,; with tlio ii'csulfc ' fchp.t relatlvo prices have, advanced . appveciably;

This movement; by raising tho- .level of., quotations for.Home fed mutton, has set the .market free from ,an incubus which for. soinejime. past has •weighed rather heavily liponthe 'trade, ti frozen mutfon. Tho litter, hat, with a return to colder- weather, regained strength during the past" fort' days, and can now bo reported in lullvi as. good a position aswaif a' fortnight ago. The small consignments, comprised in recently arrived- ship-, ninnta from Now Zealand have now. •been practically cleared 'off, and, for tho present, the Smithtield market iarelieved of any unnecessary competition amongst salesmen, A limited number of New Zealand lambs have been sold at 5d and Gd per lb, but their quality has not been such as to command much attention. Until quite lately the beef trade was excessively slow and depressed, but during the last few days there has been some hardening of values, consequent upona curtailment of the supplies received from all sources,' Quotations are still, however, unusually low. In the pro-, vincial markets, there has been a fair amount of business transacted at rates fully equal to, and occasionally better than, those obtainable in London.