COMMERCIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2403, 19 January 1909, Page 6

COMMERCIAL.

GRAIN AND PRODUCE. The graip and produce markets are quiet after the holiday trade, and prices for mqst lines are easier. is a little cheaper consequent upon the now crops corning "to lraikl, and the glut of the potato market has reduced the price of the new season’s crops, there being practically no old potatoes on offer. Eggs and butter art: cheaper than before the holidays, and there is a slight reduction -on t-lie quotations, for chaff and oats. Tiny following are the quotations for wholesale quantities by local merchants for the following products:— Flour: sacks £l2 per ton, 1001 b bags £l2 10s.. 501 b bags £l2 15s. Wheat:-5s 3d per bushel. Oats: 2s 6d to 2s lOd per bushel. Chaff: local £4 lO.s, * Canterbury £6 15s.

Potatoes: best new season’s £6 10s per ton, with a probable fall in price.

Eggs Is per doz; butter lid to Is Id; lb icon 9d to lOd: lianas lOd to lid per lb; honey -Hd per lb.

GISBORNE WOOL SALES. The local woolbrokers arc arranging for a woo] sale to be held during the month of February, but the date has not yet been fixed. The wool stores are at present well-filled and the catalogues are .expected to be large. TO LOG A BAY STOCK SALES. Messrs. Common Shelton and Co., Dalgety and Co., and Williams -ant! Kettle held a sale of stock on Saturday last at Tologa Bay. There was a fair attendance of buyers and the yarding totalled about 2000 sheep and 50 head of cattle. The cattle were all passed in and tike following -were the principal lines of sheep sold:—ss full-mouth ewes 9s 9d : 428 two-tooth ewes 10s and a pen of cull ewes at 2s 3d. EFFORTS FOR DECEMBER, The following were the exports from the port of Gisborne for the month of December, 1908:—Butter 513 ewt., valued at £123; frozen beef 9073 cwt.. valued at £10,731; frozen mutton 23,218 carcases, weighing 17,816 cwt, valued at £20,787; frozen lamb 11,007 carcases, weighing 3231 cwt.. valued at £6213; 657 hides valued •at £657 ; 5166 skins, valued at £1342; 51 tons tallow, valued at £1162 ; and 3,161,2461bs of wool, valued at £BO.764. FROZEN MEAT. A LONDON REPORT. Writing on December 14th, Messrs. Yv. Weddell and Co. report on the frozen meat market as follows: The market for frozen meat has remained quiet. In the case of mutton, the tendency is rather in buyer’s favor. Lambs are selling oniy slowly at the moment; but the statistical position is strong, stocks of New Zealand lambs being practically exhausted, while arrivals from Australia to date are small, .as compared with fast year. Frozen bee-? .is almost unsaleable in competition with chilled beef at x present prices. MUTTON.

Now Zealand: Arrivals during the past two weeks amount to 43,354 carcases. Very little change has taken place in the mutton market since our last report, the demand for all description::. especially 'Canterbury, being very -low. Arrivals from the Continent although no; now so heavy, are quite- sufficient to movent any improvement taking place in the frozen trade. Small Canterbury sheep under 4Slbs.’ are a shade easier at 3pl, whilst medium weigili (48 to C4!bs) realise 3yd. Heavy carcases (6411) to 721 b) are also saleable at 3pcl per lb. Good quality North Island sheep still command rates almost up to top Canterbury price, to-day’s quotation for light and medium weights 3-pl per lb., and for heavies, 3\d per lb. Second quality carcases are steady at 31 d. Ewes are in short sunoly and realise up to 3'd per lb for good quality slieep. LAMBS. Arrivhf.s during the past two weeks amount to only 18,527 carcases from Australia 8589 carcases from New Zealand, and 7388 carcases from the River Plate. The retail demand is very slow, and has counteracted any benefit to the frozen, lamb trade which might otherwise have resulted now that marketings of Continental mutton and lamb are not auito so excessively heavy. Canterbury lambs, are quoted at 51 d for under 361bs, 5| for 361bs to 421bs, and (nominally) 4-|d for 421bs to 501 bs. Wellington lambs under 421bs realise 5 pi and s§d per lb; and ordinary quality North Island -pi per lb less. The .small quantities of Adelaide and Sydney lambs now available are meeting a slow, demand. Best qualities realise 4pl and 4|d ; medium 4pi .and 4gd ; inferior parcels 4pl per lb. River Plato lambs of good quality and weight can bo bought at 4Jd and 4pi per lb. BEEF. Frozen.—Total arrivals during the fortnight amount to 3066 quarters from New Zealand, and £6,882 quarters from the River Plate.. As the result of the continued low prices, of chilled beef, it has not been possible' to make much headway with frozen. Holders., however, are not xinnecessarilv forcing sales, and closing quotations* ma.v be termed steady. ■ THE HIGH COMMISSIONER’S CABLE. fPtutss Association-! WELLINGTON, January 18. The High Commissioner’s cable to the Department of Industries and Commerce, dated London, January 16t'h, is ;as follows : There is a dull sale for. all qualities of mutton. River Plate is in large supply, and is being strongly pushed for sale, Current quotationsVare:— Canterbury ’(which is in small supply) 3fd, North Island (of which holders are firm) 3-Jd, tßiver (Plate 3pl, Australian 2pl. (Dutch mutton is freely offered at 4pl. Tho (lamb market is quiet, and lias been unfavorably affected by a large supply of Australian lamb. Shipments from the Argentine are increasing, 246,000 carcases arriving

this season up- to January 9th, as against 8-1,000 at the same time last year. Canterbury ilainb is quoted a sd; other than Canterbury 4jjd. A small'shipment of this season’s Napier lambs averaged ssd ; River Plato lambs 4jjd. The beef market is dull. 'Hindquarters are quoted at 3§d, forequarters 3d. The butter market is rather unsettled, buyers holding hack expecting prices to go lower. All butter shipped by the Pap art; a arrived in a damaged condition. It is stated on good authority tfliat 12,000 'boxes -were jettisoned, and a quarter of the remainder condemned by the health officer. Current quotations: Choicest New Zealand Ills, Australian 108 s, Danish 115 s, Siberian 101 s, Argentine 108 s per cwt.

The cheese market is quiet. Holders are firm. Current quotations are 60s for white, and 61s for colored makes. A small part of the shipment by the Pnparoa arrived in a slightly damaged condition. The hemp market is quiet, the tendency being in favor of buyers. Current quotations are: Good hair grade*, on spot, £25; fair grade, on spot, £23; fair current Manila, on spot, £24; January to March shipments, good fair grade, £24 10s; fair grade, £22 10s; fair current Manila, £23 los. Last week’s output from Manila amounted to 23,000 hales. The wool market remains firm. The hop market is quiet, hut firm. The cocksfoot seed market is quiet, there being scarcely any demand; 78s is the nominal price per bushel of 171bs. . THE HOME MARKETS. United Press Association. Coptrtoht LONDON, Jan. 16. The ’Bradford wool market is quiet. Forties 12Id. forty-sixes 131 d, common sixties 22p1, super 23:{d, sixtyfours 24-id. Butter and cheese are firm for all sorts, prices being unchanged. Home of the Victorian butters were slightly heated at the time of manufacture.