COMMERCIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 75, 1 April 1897, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

Evening Stab Office, Auckland, Thursday /wtbe whole trade has been a little quieter y. fffle k with distributing houses, the activity for fche firsb of bhe ° onth delivery having subsided earlier -Jain.l' Many of the robail • r{l p er y houses are now once more jiiog off in order to c,ear the way L winter goods. The Porbland Lloyd •H-ive-l this week from New York wibh an nniisually large cargo of general merchants ft 3 W ell as 15,000 cases of kerosene all ? f thia port. The immediate effect of this * gh'ipment is thab keroeene is now [.-L offered ab very low prices for delivery from the etiip'a side. Dried fruits are *'" cc eultanaa bcisg still elmosb unnrficar'ablo. Wibh regard to currants news ecuived from Pabras under date of bhe 19th **, tj-jbruftry is to the effocb that the proactive import duty on currants in Ruesia G be»n enforced, ao that this article will XXf be practically shut oub of that country. A prohibitive tax te also being considered by tho French Senate. However, owing to ♦hors-iuced stocks in Groece, which now ffloanb bo between 25,000 and 26.000 tons only the markeb iB likely to continue firm fa the rest of the season. Timber mill" are still working double Aifts to k-wp P ace witn order 9, there being %„ »ood local demand, while the Homo ojrket looks very promising, recoub con* Lunen-i having realised very satisfactory oHees. Evidently our kauri is now making Us way on tho London market. An amount of building is still going on in the city ood suburbs, and yet there are nob -any empty shops or dwellings to ba seen, so the population musb still bo increasing. In tho Mputib Eden md Mount Roßkill disbiicts and Newton borough a largo nutabor of new dwellings have been erected during tho lasb few B on.hSi and others aro still being builb. In Ksraogohape Road, between Pifeb and Qooeti streets, soveral blocko of shops are approaching completion, while iv Customs* rtroot o large store iB being constructed. Parnell and Newnaarkob boroughs havo also had numerous houses erected in them. Jaul. now, however, the building trade is not so brisk as ib was. Tho news from Lendon during the week regarding the price obtained for kauri gum at the monthly auction sale was nob of a favourable character, the transactions that did take place being nba concession of about £2 per ton in price, while fchero was al«o ft pretty large carry-over. A significant fact regarding this fall in price is bhab jince th«o efforts have been made by London buyers to place orders hore at a itiil further concession in price, but th« move was not successful, the short supplies at this end having had the effect of preventing any decline in prices. The shortage in bhe output for tho first quarter of the present year was at tho rats of 1,600 tons for bho year a_ compared with the output for 1896. TfasGlenlora took shipments of kauri gum for London and the Hawke's Bay is now being loaded. The Exchange has been quiet during tho week, bank balancing and i heavy call lisb, coupled with a weak markeb in London, not being calculated to create enthusiasm ia speculators. Standard investment stocks havo had fair enquiry and South British Insurance value improved since last report. A dividend ab the rate of 8 por cent, has been declared by the directors of the Ngunguru Coal Co., snd a dividend and bonus of 7_ per cent, wich a further bonus, has also been declared by tho directors of the Direct .Supply Co. _ lUiza.—A steady demand has set in from Wellington for maize since the advance in price occurred in Sjdney. Tho arrivals cf maize this week totalled 501 sacks, the bulk of which was brought by the s.s. Waiotahi. Lin6a on the wharf sold from &7d to_2i:7_£d. Potatoes.—There has been _ a good demand throughout tho week for good Southern potatoee. and lines bo hand were readily bought at £4 10s. A small line, the first consignment from Oamaru, realised £5, Best samples of locally-grown potatoes command £3 10s. bub on the average the quality ia poor this year. Onions still sell at from 6s bd to 7s for best .-ample?. Grass Seeds.—The rain thab fell aboub a week ago prevented fallen bush being burned, coneequently the demand for grass seeds has not been so good latterly. The season -is now getting late for burning off, and it is to be feared there will nob now be a long enoujrh spell of fine weather to assure a successful clearing for surface sowing. Oats.—This markeb has shown more life daring the paab week, locally-held stocks being now pretty well exhausted. In tho South the new crop is now beginning to comoto hand, bus "the bulk of'the grain will not be sonb in for some few weeks yet. All that ha? so far come to hnnd has been tagerly picked up for orders for bho Norbh Island and Australia. At present it looks Mif tho business in oats would be large during the next month or two. Baulky. — The crop throughout the colony is reported likely to provo shorb bhia jear. Wheat.—This markeb shows no change. ;™he farmers aro still sending in wheat to the local mills. Generally the quality is excellent, bub in one or twe cases -amies, thatching of stacks has allowed good grain to be damaged. In bhe South too harvesting operations are being carried °n with all vigour. In moat parts of the colony the grain is now stacked, but in the -southern portions there is a considerable quantity yet to lead in, while it is satisfac•My to note that very few paddocks are not yet cut. Some of the threshing is over, tod from reports recently to hand ib appears tliab on the whole the crops are threshing out rather better than vtas anbicipated they wouid do, still ib ia undoubtedly a facb bhab the yield will nob come up to tho average. 'Fowl Wheat msets with little demand. Bran and Sharps are soiling more freely, Flocr.—Fair sales and good deliveries 're reported. Ciieesk.—A firm market ffl reported 'rom tho South, owing to tho continued S°od demand for tho London market. Bacos and Hams still command high Pjjces. New cure Southern is now being "wed en this market, aud there seems a ""position to quote a libtle lower to eecuro orders.

Bdwee and Egos.—Prices show no m-tags fib.B week. The supply of eggs ie "•w more equal to the demand, eales not

being so free at the advanoed rate. Butter ia still sent in too freely to admit of pricss advancing. c