COMMERCIAL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1817, 28 February 1884, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Waikato Times Office, Wednesday. London markets, [beuteb's tklkuhams.] London, February 25.— Consols remain at 101$. — New Zealand securities are quoted to-day as follow : — The 5 pi»r cent. 10-40 loan, 104.J ; the 5 per cent. 1880 loan, 101 ; the 4^ per out. 1879-11)01 lo.m, 100 e\ div. ; 4 per cent, inseribad stock, 100. — The market rate of discount has f.illen to 3&, and is now j} below the bank rate. — Adelaide wheat, ex store, remains at 445, and New Zealand ditto, 3(!s to 42i ; Adelaide flour, ex store, is 3(K— Au«tiali.m Tallow : Average quality beef, is> 38s ; mutton 41s Gd. LONDON WOOL S VLRS. London, February 2").— At the wool sales to-day 11,(500 b.iles were offered. A fair demand was experienced.

'i'RO/KN SI EAT. In its KUtnin'iiy of the year's tiansactions, the New Zealand Lun and Meicantilc Agency Company publishes an inteie->ting review of the trade m frozen meat, from which we extract as follows :— The progress made in the development of the frozen meat industry during the past 12 monts exceed* the expectations of its most ■sanguine promoters. The following figures will show the quantity shipped from both Australia and New Zealand. In 1880, Australia whipped 400 carcases of mutton ; in 1881, the number was 17,275 ; in 1882, 57,25(5 ; and last year, (53,733, making a total for the four years of 138,(5(54 ; besides which 313!) quarters of beef were also exported. The trade has only been in existence in New Zealand for little more than a year, as during 1882 only two shipments were despatched ; yet we find that 129,732 carcases have been shipped, as well as 728 quarters of beef. The review goes on to say that a want of uniformity in the .size and quality of the sheep was observable in some recent arrivals from New Zealand, owing, doubtless, to supplies being from various centres of production in that colony. While, viewed as a whole, the importations from New Zealand show that these are becter adapted to the existing lequhements of this market than those shipped from Australia, the latter continue to manifest great care in selection, butcheiing and refrigeration, and when the carcases »runot of a distinctive inoiino type they loalise prices closely approximating tho-e seem od for the best New Zealand shipments. The prices realised for hound mutton weio — Australian .sheep 7UI per lb to 4\ per lb ; Australian lambs, Od to Bj>d ; New Zealand sheep, 8d to 4[M ; New Zealand lambs, i)d to Bd. The lowest price obtained for beef from both colonies was 3\d, while the highest for Australian \vas."Hd, and for New Zealand Gd.