COMMERCIAL. Waikato Times Office, Wednesday. MELBOURNE WOOL AND GRAIN MARKETS.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1698, 24 May 1883, Page 2

COMMERCIAL. Waikato Times Office, Wednesday. MELBOURNE WOOL AND GRAIN MARKETS.

Messrs Goldsbrouoh and Co. report, under date Melbourne, May 7 :— Wool. — During the past month a fair amount of business has been tiansacted in this market considering the season of the year. At the auction sales 2723 bale's, have been catalogued and 231. "5 bales sold, the prices obtained being fully equal to thoac quoted in our lost summary. The attendance of buyers continues large, and we look for brisk and well-sustained competition thioughout the winter. Inquiries for shipping parcels of scoured are frequent, but as the arrivals are limited, and regular monthly auctions arc held, we prefer disposing of consignments at the public sales. The prices current for the class of wool now offering are :— lnferior to fair average greasy, Gd to lOd peril). ; and ordinary to good scoured, 15d to 21d per lb. Our next catalogue will comprise about 900 bales. We regret to note that the detailed advices and returns to hand by last mail confirm the telegrams received during the currency of the Ternary-March sales. The market, which opened with good spirit, became gradually weaker as the sales progressed, and prices for medium greasy and inferior and faulty scoured declined framed to Id per lb. below December rates during the course of the series. Crossbred wools, with the exception of the finer grades — which were in demand in America — are still selling at low values, although an improvement was noticeable towards the close, some repoits quoting an advance of Id per 11). on November rates for washed and scoured parcels. There has, however, been a good demand for bright shafty scoureds, but our extra superfine flocks were comparatively neglected. Lambs, of good quality and free from fault, were also in good request, at an advance of Id per lb. on last year's rates. The available arrivals for the series, including 16,000 bales held over from the previous sales, amounted to 322,924 bales, of which total 31,000 bales wore forwarded direct to the manufacturing centres in Yorkshire and on the Continent, thus leau'ng 201,021 bales to be dealt Avith at auction. Ot tliis quantity 16."), 000 bales— or about 37 per cent. — have been taken for cvpoit, 21,000 have been passed in, an<! the balance (102,921 bales) have been letaincd for home consumption. About 7000 bales wore bought for Amcnca. It will thus be seen that although the niai ket may be said to have maintained a faiily fnni tone tlnoughout, prices on the \\ hole are somewhat lower than those cunent dining thcMcvemborDpccmbcr seiic^. The consumption of avool in the manufactiuiug distticts is s.iid to be lar^e, but at tlio <-amc time complaints aic pic\alcntof uniemuneiative prices for goods. The prospects for the ne\t scncs of sales, which commence on the lGfch inst., aie, thcreloie, not encouraging, and theie is no doubt that those gioHcis who disposed of their clips in this market ha\ c been considerable gaineis by so doing.

Monthly Gnu> Rki'Out.— During the past month a very limited amount of business lias been done in wheat tor export, operations being mostly con lined to supplying local millers, with whom trade has boon faiily Inisk in supplying 01 dors foi (lour to the adjacent colonies of New South "Wales and (Queensland. The publication of the annual statistical yield of giam, showing a larger surplus lcniaining on hand than was geneially supposed, Ims had a depressing ell'ccb on prices, and with an c\poit supply of about 2.1,500 ton.s still remaining, we cannot look for any rise in value unless there is a rise in the home maikct ; and It is to this contingency that speculates are now anxiously looking fonvard to lelicvc them from loss on puieha&es made early in the season. Taking all the surroundings of the market-, into consideration, the piospects for holtleis aie by no means encoui aging, and it can only be by a (|tiick resumption of our cvpoit tiartc that they can expect to relies c themselves from loss. Should the intercolonial demand for Hour fall off a very dull winter's trade, with much loner iatcs, must incMtiibly follow. Our season so far has been most favourable, and a much larger aioa than last year will be cultivated. Moio lain, however, is required in some distiiets in Victoiia and New South Wales, and a hea\y downpour would bo beneficial. Though deliveries from the countiy ha\c been on a veiy restricted scale, stocks in stoie lumatn unduninibhod, all supplies coming for•waid has iug found an outlet tluough our local nulls. The purchases now made aie to supply present wants only, as milleis anticipate an easier maikct later iu the season. Wheat, with tniling fluctuations, lemaius at pi ices quoted by us last mouth, \i/., .">•> 3d to ,1s 4d per bushel, with no piospeefc of an improvement unless home news should be more fuomable, some of our laige holdcis being sanguine on this point.