COMMERCIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2432, 22 February 1909, Page 6

COMMERCIAL.

PRODUCE SALES. Messrs Miller and Craig report the following prices realised at their sale on Saturday : —Hens Is 8d to 2s Id, ducks Is to Is 7d, eggs Is 7d d <■>’/.. butter lOd lb, onions Id to I|d lb. pickling onions Id lb, cucumbers Is doz. marrows 3s Od doz, potatoes Id lb, tomatoes 1 d lb, carrots Id bund'c, bananas os case, pears lid lb, peaches 2d 11), plums l;]d lb, beetroot 3d bundle. Messrs F. S. Malcolm and Co., report a very busy day at their Gladstone Road mart on Saturday last, when the following prices were realised : —Pullets and cockerels lOd to Is 3d, ducklings lOd, ducks Is 8d to Is lid, hens Is 3d to 2s 6d, roosters Is 6d to 2s, eggs Is 6d and Is 7d doz, butter lOd lb. Gore cheese 4d lb, tomatoes l£d to 2{d lb, swedes Is 9d bag, potatoes 7s to 12s sack, onions Id to ]Jd lb, rhubarb 3s doz bundles, plums Id to 2d lb, lemons 6d doz, peaches 2d to 3d lb,.nectarines lfd lb, pears l£d to 3d lb, apples 3s to 6s case, bananas 5s to 5s 6d case. The firm have cleared over two tons of plums during the week. Some excellent samples of local potatoes arc now coming forward, of large size, and quite free from blight, notably Up-to-Date and British Queen.

HORSE SALES. There was a good attendance of buyers at Messrs Williams and Kettle’s weekly horse sale on Saturday at the Lowe /Street bazaar. There was fairly spirited bidding for a good many of the lots out of a large entry. Hacks sold well, fetching from £7 to £l2, and spring-cart horses brought up to £l3 10s. The racehorse Convoy was offered during the afternoon, hut did not change hands, being passed in at £2O.

MATAWHERO SALEYARDS. The large yardings which are received at the MatawherO' saleyards during the busy months of the year, bear eloquent testimony to the importance of Poverty Bay as a stock district. The entries in the summer months, and particularly those of sheep, are .exceptionally heavy as a rule, and at some sales up to 30,000 sheep havo passed under the hammer in a single day’s selling. 3-t naturally follows that the winter entries, owing to the deplorably had state of the roads, are on a low scale, but the figures taken over the period of twelve months are surprising, even to those in close touch with local commercial affairs. The figures for the year 1908, as given below, do not represent the actual yardings, but only the actual sales recorded, and all interested m live stock will recognise that the number of "animals' yarded and,unsold would, if included, considerably augment' these figures. •Sheep. Cattle. Pigs

Williams and Kettle 9(5,241 3987 238 N.Z. Loan and Mercantile 77,237 3550 194 Murray, Roberts and Co. 5,043 313 2 Dalgety and Co. 29,321 1591 278 Common, Shelton and Co. 24,574 1282 16 Totals 232,416 - CO CM i o' [ 728