Commercial.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 18, 30 January 1891, Page 13

Commercial.

The New Zkaland Loav and Ylkkcvntile Aoknct Co, Limi TKU. leport tor the week ending January 2H as follows : Stoic Cattle — Th«- position or the rcurket in n spt-ct to this c ass of stork has in no w,iy clinnge I since w. last repor »-d. The demand is rot by any nvans active, and t,.i ttie f.-w whicti do change bands piict- obtaiue<i ar.' not pu.-u i.s art- lik. ly to i ucourage breeders tocontin ue producing litst-. l»iss stock. S ore Sheep — There are a g x>d number of these now changiog bands, principally youiu Hheep, which have the most demand, °and well-bred, sound-mouthed, merino e'*es are also being placed, while aged merino wethers, alth ujjh occasion >1 sales are being effected, are but seltlom nuniiifd for, bu}t,rs evidently holding oft' in the auticipa'ion or being able later on to obtain their requirements at prices more in accordar cc with tLeir ulei of value. Wool. — Ti.erei9 no news of any const quence to hr.nd from Home regarding either trie pr sent o- the future of the market. Wf, however, have no re .son to doubt, but thai the coubumimou ia progressing at a>-atisf ciorv iatr, and we lot.k forward to ,i tirm mtiket during the siTien which w rtfl to op.-v on th ■28 Ji. lVlegrams aiinoutici'ig thu opening are low being anxiously 1 .< ked forward fo-, as they munt ia a great rue isure rerl^ct v; on the i.noes to bo reiLsed at our loc il sale) on Thursday and Fiidav. Ste. pskins. — The c continue in good demand, all the offerings at auction being freely taki'n uo. We hnd the usml attendance if buyers at our weekly auction on Tuesday, wi en we submitted a m iderately full catalogue unbracing V c usual variety of classes. There was very goo 1 competition for all lots offered, Loih dry and green skins, the latter especially improving m value wit'> the increased pruwh of the woo. Country dry crossbreds, inferior to medium, brought l, 7.1 to 3^81; do do m. rino 1 s 6 i to 3s 4,j ; ful - wool I. d crossbred h, 4-. 2J to 6i 7i ; ' ( o d.i raei im>, 3* 10 Itoo, ; dry pelis, 5J ti Is 6" I : trre< n croi-f-bud i c Is, Is 8d to 2* Id ; co Ao lambbkins. Is 7, i to 2s ea'-h. R,i )b t-kins —Public, liess ar d private telegrams repor r unfa/(juraolv oi me to <■ < f t'u- L ><\do i m-uk t. At h i.ieiu^ld the c n-t Kr.day, 23 d ns . ,t vv uld appear from thea.* i« .b grains thit HfalUif 1 I pt rlbha I I kt-n pl:i- , which wII !>.■ s .r U . whit di - apDointmir to hlnppei-. t>ut wui h.ud) have an tif c< <m nu r.tK.ns here in tbe m-ianlime, as ihu quat.tuy put through now amounts to b«t htlle. For those that are offered very fair prices are obtained

say for good spring skins, lOd to Is 3d ; medium to good summer, 6d to 9d ; half-grown and inferior, 2Jd to 5d per lb. Hides.— The market continues fairly steady but quiet, the local manufacturers being the principal operators who absorb the hulk of our supplies. We have no alteration to mtke in our quotatious of last week, which we repeat, viz., for good fo best, 2£d to 31 : medium, 2d to 2|d ; light, l£d to I^'d ; interior and slippy, Id to Ud per lb. Tallow. — The marke shows no change Bince our last report. A steady tone prevails, values remaining unchanged, and as the supply is not very heavy there is no difficulty in placing consignments immediately on arrival. We quote, prime rendered mutton, 193 6J to 20s ; medium to good, 16s to 18s ; inferior and mixed, 12s to 15s 6d. Bough fat, best fresh mutton caul, 13a to 14s ; inferior to medium and good, lid to 133 9d per cwt. Potatoes. — The market is fully, supplied with northern sorts which are difficult to place owing to their inferior quality except at Tery low prices, the value of really prime in consequence is considerably effected while the supply is not by any means excessive. Quotations for best local grown, £3 103 to £4 ; others £2 10s to £3 per ton. Chaff. — The market this week is fully supplied and prices easier quotations for best oaten properly cut and screened, 42s 6d to 45s ; extra prime, 47s 6d ; inferior to medium, 31s to 403 per ton. Dairy Produce. —The market is unaltered. Considerable quantities of both cheese and butter are being shipped Home being the only means of quitting stocks. There are no buyerß for speculation in the market, the only purchases being ma le are for local retail. Prime salt butter selling at o^d to 6^l ; factory made cheese, 4d to 4^d ; good dairy made, 3£d per lb. Flax. — A very fair demand exists for well got up parcels long fibred white and Boft at prices relatively higher than tho3epail at Home, second and third rate quality can also be placed for shipment. We quote : Soft ;»nd bright, £19 to £20 ; medium to good, £15 to £18 ; coarse and strawy, £10 to £14 10s per ton. Grain. — Wheat : The market continut 8 firm, but owing to the supply in agents' hands being almost exhausted, trade actions are not extensive. We quote — best milling wheat and Tuscan, 3s lid to 4s ; medium to good, 3s 3d to 3s 9d ; best red wheat, 3s 81 to 3s lOd ; medium, 3s 5d to 3s 7d ; inferior, 3s to 3s 4d, ex store. — Oats : The market continues steady, but prices have not improved during the past week. We quote — stout bright feed and milliug, Is 6d to Is 6id ; medium to good, Is 5d to Is s^d ; inferior to medium, Is 2d to ls"4d, ex store, packs extra. — Barley : There are no sales of any consequence passing in the meantime, only odd lots of inferior to medium, which came to hand from time to time, b -ing disposed of. We quote — prime malting, 2s 9d to 3s 3d ; medium to good, 2s 6d to 2s 9d ; feed and milling, 2* to 2s 4d, ex store. Grass Seed. — The recent rains have caused a slight demand for ryegrass seed, but buyers are not disposed to give late current rates, anticipating that the new seed can be obtained at lower prices. Late quotations : — Best mach'ne-dressad, 4s 31 to 4s 9i ; farmers' best dressed, 3s to 3s 6d ; medium, 2s 6d to 2a 9d par bushel. Cocksfoot seed, 4d to 44 4 l d per lb.

Messks. Donald Stkonach and Sons report for the week ending Wednesday, January 21, as follows .—. — Fat Cattle. — The supply was a meagre one, only 133 head yardec*, but, nevertheless, it proved too great for the requirements of the butchers, and we have in consequence to report the worst sale of the season. The demand was wretched, and prices obtained for the b°st cattle did not exceed at the very outside 15s per 1 001 b., and it is quite certain plenty of ordinary and second rate quality sold at a good deal less. Rest bullocks brought from £7 to £8 15s ; ordinary do, £5 10s Cd to £6 153 ; light do, £3 to £5 ; best cows, £4 10s to £6 ; ordinary, £3 to £4 : old and inferior, £1 2s 6d to £2 10s, We sold bullocks for Mrs. Brown (Mosgiel), at £0 2s 6 I to £G 17s 6d ; heifers for Mr. D. Sutherland at £5 5s • for Mr. T. King (Portobello), light heifers at £2 3s to £2 ss. Fat Sheep. — 2534 came forward to a fairly good market, especially for prime wetherp, for which there was a moderate demand for ex- , port. Prices for this description of shrep were firm at last week a quotations; indeed, the lirst few pens sold made a slight advance, but as the sale progressed the lmorovement was lost. Ewe mutton made about the s-ime money as last week. Extra heavy crossbred wethers made 14s 6d to 14s i)J : prime do do (freezers), 13s to lls ; ordinary do do, 12s to 12s 6d ; light do do, 10s 6d to lls Cd ; prime crossbred ewes (heavy), 12s to 13s ; ordinary do do, 10s to lls 6d ; light do do, 8s 6d to 9s 61 ; merino wethers, 'Ji to 103 6d. Fat Lambs were in over supply, 877 being penned. A few p ns of the best were taken for export, and these commanded good competition, realising from 10s to lls 91. Other lots were dull of sale at a reduction of quite Is a head on last week's prices. Pigs. — 102 penned, mostly slips and suckers — very few bacon pigs and porkers forward. Guaranteed grain and dairy-fed lightweight bacon pigs ranging from 1001 b. to 1401 b. were inquired for, and had there been any suitable lines in a fair price would bave been obtained for them. Heavyweights, on the other hand, are very diflicult to sell. Store Cattle. — We <|vote mquiiies from thu south for well-bred well-grown bullocks. Sheepskins. — Moderate catalogues were oilered at the weekly sales held on Tuesday. Buye b were present in full force, and on the whole very Fatisfactory prices were obtained, as follows: — Butchers green skins : crossbreds sold at 4a 3d to Gs Cd ; pelts, Is to 2s 31 ; lambs, Is 4d to 2s. Country dry skins : crossbreds sold at Is 6d to 6s 8d ; merinos at Is 6d to 5s ; pelts at 3d to Is 2d ; lambskins at Sd to Is 7d. Rabbitskins. — Very few coming forward, and these mostly springs and summers. Former bring from lOd to Is 3d ; latter, 6d to lOd ; other qualities in proportion. Hidte. — There are the usual number arriving, of which, however, comparatively few can be desmbed as prime. The greater part are from light to medium weights, and badly flayed and dirty. Fair prices are Becured for well cared for parcels, but as buyers are careless ,

about touching the inferior sorts, returns for these must be very disappointing to consignors. We quote : for prime heavies to 3d per lb ; medium, 21 to 2£d ; light and inferior, l£d to ljd. Tallow.— The demand continues good for country lots of tallow an ! fresh lots of rough fat. A good deal of the latter arriving at pi :sent in completely " gone " before it reaches us, and for such very lo v prices have to be taken. Wequote — Prime rendered mattoa tallow, £■-'0 to £21 ; prime rendered mixed, £18 to £19 ; medium, £16 to £17: inferior, £10 to £14 ; clean mutton ciuls, 13i to 13d 6d ; infetior and medium, 9s 6d to 12s. Grain. — Wbeat : The demand is entirely confined to local millen, an i as the? ere at present fairly well supplied, the market has undergone no change. Stocks in store are very low, and any description, if of prime quality, is easily sold at very full rates. Fowls' wheat is almost unobtainable, and fetches comparatively higher values. We quote — Prime milling from 3a 9d to 3* 101 ; medium do, 3s 7d to 3a Bti ; ioferior and fowls' wheaf, 3s 4d to 3s 6 i.— Oats : There baa been no increase in arrivals this week, and as shippers and local dealers have no stocks to fall back on the demand is very brisk. At auction on Monday increased prices were again paid, as high as Is 6d being obtained for a very prime lot of Sutherland oats. Any lots of fair feed are now readily sold at Is 6d, but inferior descriptions are not so easily placed. We quote : — Prime milling, Is 6d to Is 7d ; best feel, Is 61 to la 6£d ; inferior to ordinary, Is 3d to Is 5Jd. — Barley : In this cereal there is not very much doincr, for with the exception of odd lots of feed there is practically none in the market. For feed parcels there is a better demand, as owing to the scarcity of fowls' wheat it is now bnnsj used as a substitute. We quote :— Prime malting, 2a 6i to 2s9i ; milling and feed, 2i to 2s 4d. — Ryegrass: The market is completely cleaned out, anl in the absence of any transactions we refrain from quoting. The new crop should shortly be in the market, and as there are alrealy inquiries for it, prices are likely to open considerably higher than those ruling in the beginning of last season. Potatoes. — The market still continues over-supplied, and sales difficult to effect unless they are really good and newly dug. Small and inferior sorts have no demand, and unsaleable except at unsatisfactory prices. We quote prime, £3 103 to £4 10s ; northern, £2 10s to £3 per ton. Chaff. — Owing to a short supply consignments having almost fallen off to nothing during the past week, any offering could be placed a^ an advmca on late quotations ; but during the last day or two consignments have come to hand more freely and while £2 10s might be got on an emergency, buyers decline to give over 45s to 47s (5J for best per ton. Dairy Produce. — There is a moderately fair demand for factorymade cheese — medium size at from 3^d to 4d per lb ; but rather than accept those prices sellers prefer to ship, considerable quantities being now sent forward to the London market. Tbere is no improvement in the demand for butter ; quotations unaltered. Flax. — During the weeK we placed several parcels at late quotations, and find no difficulty in disposing of all consignments coming forward.

Messbs. Donald Reid and Co.. Dunedin, report for the week ending January 28, as follows :—: — Sheepskins. — Our catalogue submitted at our usual sale at the Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday comprised 6kins of all qualities. We quote : Best full-woolled crossbred skins, 4s to 6s 8i ; medium weights, os 6d to 4s 6d ; merino skins, 2s 6d to os ; dry pelts and lambskius, 6d to Is ; green do do, 9i to 2s 6d. Tallow — We have cleared all torward at for — best rendered, 18s to 20s ; medium do, 15s to 17s ; rough fat, up to 14s per cwt. Wheat.— We quote — Prime milling, 39 9i to 3s lid ; medium, 33 6.1 to 3s 8d ; fowls' wheat, 3s to 3s sd. Oats. — The demand continues brisk. We quote — Milling, Is 6d to Is 6|d ; short bright feed, Is s\i to Is s^ ! d : discoloured and long, la 4d to Is 3d (sacks extra). Barley.— Stocks are well cleared out. We quote — Malting, 2s 5d to 2s 8d ; milling. 2s Id to 2s 4d ; feed, la 7d to 2s (sacks extra ) Potatoes. — We quote— Prime, £3 10s to £4 ; ordinary, £3 to £3 7s 6d.

Mr. F. Meexan, King street, reports : — Wholesale prices— Oats : Is 4d tols 6£d (bags extra), good demanl. Wheat : milling, 3s 3d to 3s 9d ; fowls"', 3s 3d— latter firm, sacks included. Chaff : Market bare— £2 5s to £2 10s ; hay, oaten, £3 ; best rye-grass, £3. Bran, £2 10s. Pollard, £3 10s. Potatoes, new, £3 10s to £4. Flour : roller, £10 to £10 15s ; stone, £9 5s to £9 15s. Fresh butter, very plentiful, value from 4d to 7d ; salt, nominal, for prime, 6d. Eggs, 9d. Oatmeal, in 251 b bags, £9 10s.