COMMERCIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 166, 16 July 1896, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Evening Star Office, Auckland, Thursday. Team generally continues brisk for the Mason of the year. The steady influx of population consequent upon the revival in Ihe mining industry is undoubtedly beginoing bo have a beneficial effect upon business. One noticeable effeco is the demand for conveniently sibuatod dwellings, and n 0 doubt rents would have advanced ere this were it npb tor the fact that new houses Jre being built all around tb?» übur,^ and particularly in the Mount Eden districb: This has had a good effect on the building trade, and almost every night Advertisements appear for wpJ«M«' bricklayers. The timber mills are Millas busy as ever attending to orders, bo^ locally and for export. The kauri gum Sebbaettot been so brisk utterly, but in a week or two another vessel will be loading for New York, when buyers will perhaps operate more readily. With the exception of re-scraped, last week a rates «ro still ruling, but transactions are not numerous. Drapery establishments are just now suffering from the customary epidemic of cheap aalos, and good business ts replied. . , .. There has been quite a boom for the last day or two on the Exchange, and heavy wles have been made of the leading stocks. It is evident that Bteady buying ia going on for London purchasers, as prices lor dear stocks have advanced latterly, me English mining market is firm, aud the demand for suitable properties for flotation sontinuea aa good as ever. Several deposits have beeu paid for options this week, and agents are still negotiating^ for other mines. New compauies are being floated almoab daily on the local market, and syndicate, shares in many instances have sold at a premium. The Ptolemy, which was floated yesterday in less than an hour, was over - subscribed, and by evening £50 was freely offered for shares which sold in the morning at £30 oacb. lhis kind of thing bempta others to try thoir luck with syndicate chares, which aro therefore readily taken up, provided the property ie well situated. During the week Broken Hills advanced from Is 6d bo la 8d ; Comstocks, lid to Is Id ; Hazelbauks, 5s to 5s 4d ; Monowai, 6a to 7s> 3d ; Maori Dream, Is 8d to la lOd ; Central, 2* to 2s 9d ; Grace Darling, 2s lid to 4s 6d; Ivanhoe, Is 6d to Is lid ; Porteos, Is lOd to 3s; Waihi-Silver-ton, 60s to 65s ; Waitekaun No. 4, 5s 6d to 6s ; Waibekauri No. 2, 9_d to Is Id • Waverley, 2a 7d to 2s lOd ; Bay View, 2s to 2s 3d ; Hauraki North (contributing), 4s to 6s; do. (paid-up), 4a lOd to 7s ; Star of Wynyardton, Is 9d to 2s 9d. Bunker a Hill chares, after falling to 8a 9d, rose again to 9s 6d. There were also steady buyers all the week of Purusab 6s, Moanataiansab 15s, Crowns at 50s, Woodstock* at 43s 6d, aod Woitekauris at £5 ss. In Btandard Btocka, National Banks, Auckland and Thames Gaa, Devonporc Ferry, and various coal shares have all been in steady demand. Insurance sharea all round declined in

price. SUGAR.—Advices from London state that tbe" Cuban crop is expected to realise more than was anticipated. Stocks in America show some increase, and altogether tho ibatiabical position is nob quibe ao Bbrong as of late,. Dried Fruits.—Currants bid fair to remain cheap for some time bo come,_ as Motoa is suffering from over-production. The large demand of late years from France for wine-making purposes led to a great increase of planting, and bhe imporb duty lately imposed, which stopped ex ports to France, haa to a large extent demoralisedbuaineaa, and helped to bring pricea down to present low figures. Stocks of sultanas in London aba recent dare were 2,374, as against 3,033 bonß in 1895. Stocks of Valenciaa are atao smaller than they were a year ago. Elemes are a libble firmer. Sbocka of datea and almonda wero also reported to be small in London. Honey from this colony is making its way on the London markeb. In a recent circular Messrs Leedham, Crowe and Co. report •'Australian has been entirely neglected, bub Now Zealand of really fine quality has fetched rather bebter prices, and we auote present value ab 405." Rice.—Cable advices this week notified a further advance of 10a per ton in bho price of rice in Japan. Local holdera now aak £14 in bond and £21 to £22 for duty paid parcels. Tobacco.—Derby is once more almostunprocurable. Kerosene ab the present time is very scarce. Further Btackß are, however, on board, the Mary Haebrouck, which should arrive within bhe next fortnight. Wheat. — A considerable quantity of wheat arrived from bhe South and alao from the WaikatO this week for the Northern mills. Australian and English markets are reported somewhat dull ab present, censequently bhose in New Zealand are a little easier in sympathy, and concessions would have bo be made bo quit good sized parcels. In Adelaide the wheat markeb is fairly firm, as bhe quantity offering is ab preaenb barely sufficient to meet immediate requirements. Fowl Wheat ia more plentiful than it was.

Seed Wheat ia in good demand.

Bran ia plentiful and 10a per ton cheaper. Shipments of bron have been made to Wa-tern Anßbralia during the past fortnight from Dunedin. Sharps are reduced in price 5s per bon. Floor.—Very fair saleß are reported ab tali rates.

Maize Over 1,000 sacks of maize came to hand this week by the Chelmsford and Waibtaal. Consequently the market is rather overstocked" at present. Lines on bhe wharf sold ab 2s 9d. The bulk of the maize to band this week was in foir condition, bub until ii> is a libtle older storekeepers object bo buy excepbing for immediate requirements. Oats.—The markeb is now much sbronger than ib was a week ago ia bhe South. This ia no doubt due bo the fact thab bhe quantities offering for exporb were insufficionb bo cover shipping orders on hand. Considerable shipments have gone forward from bha South to Western Australia. The resulb haa been an advance of aboub Id per bushel during the week. An impreeaion ia gaining ground thab the stocks of oats are by no means aa large aa was eatimated. Potatoes are also mnch firmer in price, and £3 10a per ton ia now readily paid. There is also a fair demand for seed varieties, and some inquiries have been made this week for Derwente, bub stocks have nob yet come to hand. Cheese continues in much better demand Bince the removal of the duty in New South Wales* In Dunodin stocks are almost exhausted. Prices have advanced steadily. Tho markeb has also been hotter in London for cheese, bub very little Nov/ Zealand ia offering ; besb coloured is worth 38a to 40a; and pale from 42s to 435.

Butter and Eggs.—The markeb is unchanged for both bubber and egg». Flax—Stocks in London are slightly reduced, standing ab 1,699 tona against 3,318 i» 1595. The market ia, howorer, reported still dnll, Wollington fibre fetching £15 to £15 10a per ton at auction. Tallow.—Measrs Leedham, Crowo and Co. report concerning the market in London for tallow : The enormous stocka of tallow which have been steadily accumulating for tiro laab six months and bhe declining values should prove a warning to importers of bhe danger of holding an article of this description, on which charges mount up heavily. Demand is very small, and prices, although nominally about the time as" last week, would' certainly fall sharply if sales were forced; Stocks ore

now 71,000 casks against about 34,000 last year at this time.