COMMERCIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2377, 18 December 1908, Page 6

COMMERCIAL.

MATAWHERO STOCK SALES.

The effect of the' three days wet weather was noticeable in the small yarding of sheep offered at uVLatawhero yesterday. What quantities •were offered were drawn from the near locaiiites and were flookng well. There was not a big demand for rat sheep, and fat cattle did not sell up to recent rates, chiefly because the market was overstocked. Messrs Dalgety and Co. and Messrs Common Shelton and Co. had some fine cattle in their pens. The former firm offered 5 Polled Angus -buHs, which brought good prices, ranging from G.V guineas to 10 and 141- guineas-. •SHEEP.

The total number of sheep yarded did not reach 1000, and were mostly shorn. Eat sheep did not reach high in-ices. Sixtv-live ewes (in the wool sold <it 13s Gel, 71 wethers at 12s 6d, 30 lambs at 12s, 13 ewes and wethers at 12s 9d. and 15 forward wethers at 12s (id were the best prices. ,«123 'forward wethers brought 11s Scl, 112 stores 9s 2d, 79 ewes /s 9d, <8 eves and lambs 10s 3d, and 20 ewes 8s Gd.

CATTLE. The supply of cattle was in excess of demand and prices fell backward, ,a, number of pens being passed J n. Eivo prime steers topped the market .at £7, equal to 20s per 1001 b ; 4 small steers sold at £5 7s 6d, 3 nice steers at £6,1 fat cow in prune condition at £6, 4 and other cows from £4 5s to £4 15s. Store cattle did not sell readily. Messrs 'Dalgety and Co and Common Shelton and Co. cleared all their lines; but a few pens were passed m the opposite yards. Three forward bullocks brought £6 2s 6d, .5 well-con-ditioiiecl steers £5 10s, 7 Polled Angus heifers £4 7s Gd, 13 young steers £o, 12 .steers £4 10s, 15 two-year Polled Angus heifers £3 7s 6d, 5 yearling Angus heifers £2 12s Gd, 6 voung steers £2 7s Gd and one empty tbw £2 ss. Polled Angus bulls sold at 144, 10, 84, 74, and o 4 guineas. In the eastern yards a pedigree bull -was offered and passed m a t £lO, another bull selling at £3. A. nice pen of 35 Polled Angus and Shorthorn reading heifers brought £2, 7 cows £3 17s Gd, 2S big steers £5 2s Gd, 2 forward steers £4 ss, 4 heifers £3 os, while young steers sold from £2 -to £2 15s_ and store steers from £3 10s to £4 os. A few horses were also disposed of at satisfactory prices.

DUNEDIN WOOL SALES

(Press Association.]

DUNEDIN, Dec. 17

The first of the series of Dunedin wool sales was held to-day. The total offerings were 8821 bales, as agunst 468 S at the opening sale last vear, the increase no doubt being accounted for by the fine weather eluting the last few weeks, and also by the fact that the prices ruling at the North Island sales were much an advance of what -wlis expected. There iwas a large attendance of buyers, representing 'British, Continental, and American centres, _ as well as local buyers. The quality of the clip for the most part was equnl to that of last year, but some of the Central ■Otago wool gave evidence of the severe winter. The most noticeable feature was the comparatively high prices paid by Bradford buyers for sound crossbred hogget wool of good length. Continental buyers were strong competitors for medium halfbred,”dn mUny cases outbidding the local! mfills, who usually take the bulk of these lots. Prices ruled as fellows: —Super half bred 10 4 d to Is, fcnedium to good 8d to lOd, inferior G£d to 73d, super crossbreds 10c! to 124-d, good do 73d to 9id, medium do 04 to 74-d, super merinos 12d, medium to good Sid "to 1.04-d, inferior 7d to 73d. Pieces, bellies, and locks sold •at a reduction of Id to 14d per lb.

FROZEN MEAT

[Press Association.]

NAPIER. Dec. 17

The Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company, London, cable the following report - of the frozen meat market: “There i-s" a % decreasing demand for all descriptions of frozen meat, due to the depressed conditions of trade throughout Great Britain, which must result in an all-round decline in values in the future. Today’s quotations are Canterbury mutton 3£d, Napier, "Wellington, and North Island 34d; lamb, first quality s]d, second quality sd; beef, hindquarters 3§cl, forequarters 3d.