COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1369, 7 March 1865, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times Office, March 7th. There has been rather more activity in the markets during the past week, and prices have been well sustained. Wheat has realized 7s per bushel, and has been much enquired for at that price. Flour, m consequence of the demand for the diggings, has advanced in price. The wholesale price is £24 10s per ton, and the retail price 27s 6d per lOOlbs. Oats remain at last week's quotations, namely, 3s per bushel. Barley is still quoted at 4s per bushel, but the transactions have been merely nominal. Hay fetches from £3 10s to £3 15s per ton, and straw 20s per load. The supply of potatoes continues abundant: they are sold wholesale at 6s per lOOlbs, and are retailed at the rate of lOlbs for Is. As rer gards building materials, a slight decline has been experienced. The fruit and vegetable markets have been well stocked. Owing to the difficulty of carriage, the price of fruit remains much higher than might be anticipated from the abundant crops we have had during the past season. Some considerable importations of apples are expected from Tasmania, and the supply of peaches in the province is reported to be larger than at almost any other known season; yet the supply of both, but especially of the latter, in Christchurch is comparatively limited. A meeting of the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce was announced to have taken place on Thursday last. The object of the meeting was to take into consideration the proposed revision of the Customs' tariff, but as a quorum could not be formed, the proposed meeting did not take place.

Otago.—Our dates are to the 4th inst. The Daily Times of that date gives the following commercial items:—

Messrs. A. G . Fisher and Co's creditors met at the office of the firm. The statement submitted shewed direct liabilities to the extent of £20,000, with contingent liabilities to the amount of £38,000, the assets being valued at £16,000. A proposition to appoint three trustees was made, which purpose will probably be carried into effect at another meeting, to be held on Thursday nest. William Black and Charles Frederick Black, runholders, Ornakao. Debts, £24,713 6s 4d, including'£22,9s3 6s 5d admitted partnership debts, £103 separate debts of *Villiam Black, and £1656 separate debts of Charles Frederick Black. Assets—real and personal estate, £24,500 f deficiency, £213 6s Id. Causes of insolvency—Having, m 1864, purchased a large number of sheep at an extortionate price; sudden and unexpected depreciation in value of all their station property; and pressure of several creditors. ' The demand for suitable goods for shipment northwards has continued active. For town trade, however, transactions have not been numerous to any large amount. Flour remains at the price noted yesterday, and is held moderately firmly. Low congous have been inquired for, and some parcels, long in stock, have changed hands at fair values.

Messrs. Driver, Maclean and Co. report, for the month ending Feb. 16, 1865: — Fat Cattle.—We have sold 606 head, 123 of which were provincial bred. The whole, including have been sold at prices varying from £6 to £15 10s each; 246 of the lot, little better than stores, and not guaranteed, free from disease, cleared off at £6 each. Price per lOOlbs purely nominal, but every evidence now of a steadier future and better prices, particularly if the market is not glutted with heavy importations. Store Cattle. —In the present state of our market there can be no transactions of importance. Runholders are very cautious in dealing with this class of stock, not knowing what will be the effect of the opening of the ports ;• but as the importations thus far have resulted in a loss to the shipper, we may reasonably expect but few arrivals in future, and consequently a better demand for good healthy stores. We haye sold a few small lots, at prices which can scarcely be quoted at market rates. Fat Calves still a ready sale. Our sales are from £2 10s to £4 12s 6d each. Fat Wethers. —Our market, during the past month, has fluctuated considerably,—at present rather full; sales have, been effected at 4£d, even higher during the month, but from advices of provincial lots on the way now, there will be difficulty in maintaining that rate. Store Sheep.—2, 4, and 6-tooth ewes we have sold 490Q at average 23s each; 4, 6, and 8-tooth, have been sold at 19s. Lambs, 22s to 24s per pair, very saleable. Store Wethers, few transactions ; we have sold 1200 2-tooth at 15s each, and wether lambs at 10s each.

Station Properties.—We have to report the sale of Messrs. Hamilton and Wayne's run, 45,000 acres, and 10,000 sheep, £18,000; and John Jones, Esq's, Coal Creek station, 30,000 acres, and 20,000 sheep, for £24,000—both to Dillon Bell, Esq. We would request the attention of our friends to the sale by Messrs. Miles and Co., Christchurch, of 40,000 acres, with 75u0 sheep, situated at the Kaikoura, province of Marlborough, on 31st March, We have much pleasure in calling attention to our sale of rams and stud ewes, on the 21st instant; amongst others, the very choice sheep of Messrs. Gouldney Brothers, of Christchurch, are particularly deserving the attention of breeders.

Wool.—This market has exhibited greater animation and firmness since the arrival of the London mail of November, advising results of the first nine days' sales, then in progress, showing that reduction of discount and consequent ease in the money market was all that was required to give a firm tone to the wool market, which has been responded to in the price catalogues to hand, and we have been confirmed in our future opinion of this market stated in our last month's report, and are gratified that the high tone we maintained during the langour so manifest at the close of 1864 has resulted successfully. We now report a much more lively month, which is more particularly marked in washed wools and scoured —descriptions which have, until the commencement of this month, been quite neglected by buyers, wools in grease having been the only wool competed l'or at our sales; and many of our runholders, who have not taken advantage of the high rates scourers have offered at our sales, will, we fear, regret shipping in grease, as, though the home trade seems in a very healthy state, and price of wool is assuming a steady tone, yet the fact of so large an increase in imports for the year 1864 of 68,000 bales, and a corresponding increase in 1865, will beep prices from having any upward tendency, and only a large increased demand prevent prices receding, so that all ill-conditioned, wasty, heavy, grease wool will be indifferently competed for, and show little, if any, better prices in London, with increased ■ charges, than were offered and could have been sold in Dunedin. Washed wools—that is those lots which can be* valued as washed—have been much in inquiry this month, and at our last sale we succeeded in clearing off satisfactorily several parcels, and one lot, well got up, we were offered at auction 20|d, and, had the whole parcel been in store, we could have placed it, immediately after the Sale, at 2ld. Scoured wools have been much sought after, and really superior parcels well competed for, and we have buyers at corresponding rates for unlimited quantities (if well known brands. Two ships have sailed, as our shipping table denotes, and this month will show export ot over 10,000 bales. Our quotations are Scoured fleece wool, 21d to 25d per lb; do skin wool, 14d to 20d; washed fleece, 17jd to 21d; inferior fleece, 15d to 16d; greasy fleece, 9d to lid j do lambs' lOd to 12d.

Sheepskins.—We have held our usual auction sales, at which good competition has brought satisfactory rates, wool skins bringing 7£d per lb, and pelts, from Gd to Is each. Hides—Our sales hare been well attended by buyers, and by our system of classifying, great results have been achieved for the interest of the vendor?, ns will be seen by our quotations, which are reports of actual sales, some heavy hides netting over 18s each. Heavy hides sold at 2£d to 2.|d per lb. Medium hides sold at 2tl to 2|d per lb. Light hides sold at Ifd to ljd. Damaged ond inferior, 2s fld to Os Gd each. Exports this mouth, about 6000 hides. Tallow.—Only very small lots are offering. There is a good demand," both by shippers and town melters, but no parcels offering worth attention of the former. We have sold slaughterers' rendering, mixed beef and mutton, at £27 to £28 per ton. Southland.—The Southland News of the 25th ult. says:— We have again to report two days of extreme quiet in the wholesale trade. Buyers have been waiting for the

clearingsalo at Messrs. Buttner and»Hallenstoin's (areport of which wo give elsewhere), and tho probability of low rates prevailing has checked even the small purchases the dealers have been making of lato. Chilian flour is quoted at £24 to £28 per ton, and Adelaide still keeps at £30, with little demand. A moderate quantity of imported ale has changed hands, at prices a trifle below current rates. Colonial ale (the Provincial Browcry) is getting in favouv, In spirits no change to. noto. Potatoes are coming in freely, and realise from £7 to £8 per ton, according to quality. Tho supply of potatoes, of home growth, will this season bo large. Colonial produce, generally, is inactive at late quotations. Auckland. —The Weekly Times, of the 25th, gives the following commercial items:— Business has been moderately brisk during tho week, the demand being principally for provisions. Tho arrival of the English mail caused some little stir, but it has had no effect upon tho market. The intelligence that shipments to New Zealand had largely increased has caused the price of some articles to be less firm, but, generally speaking, there is no alterations in quotations. The scarcity of flour has been met for two or three weeks by arrivals from Adelaide and Valparaiso; and the Constance, also flour laden, is now due from Adelaide. There is plenty of room, however, for further shipments. There have been no trade sales of importance during the week. There has been one English arrival, the Ernestine, from London.