TRADE REPORT.

Press, Volume V, Issue 558, 13 August 1864, Page 2

TRADE REPORT.

lles-!;=. Miles 5: Co.'s BEroax. Altlvjji-h we caunot report any marted improveEf it in i'le value of stick generally, there is ssHghtir ivr. iroved dernaiv.l f^r fat cattle and sheep. Stores rt;- more (li'llc'.ilt to move owing , , we believe, tj the rt'Ji'in lotl caution displayed by buyers on •ae.-ount of the existing tightness of our money jr. irk.t. There i* :m entire absence of speculation, and we can hardly expect much will be done in the stock y. arket until winter i? well over, and when, in anticipation of tlie ensuins; clip, money will probably eire il it; , :i little more freely. Ewes of fair arerage qnaiilv, though not ea«T of j-ale, nijiintain their value. We hare just been in-:-triu*i<\i to wiiliJraw from sale 1000 ewes, two, four, fix and eight tooth, whicli we were offering at 30s. per he-id, otsr client preferring to hold until after s-iieariii;: , . a!iJ take the chnnce of paying prices ruled then. We ha»v to report the sale ot 3000 ewes, deliverable south of the K-uigitata, at 295. 6d. per Lead far cash; also, 2000 ewes, deliverable after e'jearini, at last year : s rates, but \ipou unusually easy torn:?. Ews: ll<_'Z' •'*- —We have sold ISOO ewe hoggets, I dfiiveriihl-- in O,:obier, 25.-. per ho.ul. j Fat Wti'rTv—We have sold :vK) fat wet liers, do-j Vivcr-iV'lc v. 1 iii! l-C Miilcs fr.>ia t'hristvhurvh. at 275. ; vet" heii'i. :.o weight uuarantted.

Fat Cattle. —Wo have to notice an improved enquiry for good beef, and we quote from los.tO 50s. per 1001b*. as the market value of fat cattle. Store wethers —There are considerable numbers on hand and few buyers. If the new goldfields lately discovered on the* West Coast turn out to be a reality it may have some effect in creating an increased demntiil. notwithstanding the difficulty of access from this side. Stution Property.—There is a lull in the demaud for station property just now. The prices that have lately been ruling in Otago have attracted many buyers who were contemplating investing in this province. Holders of station property here are, however, disinclined to sell, and prices are fully maintained. The near approach of shearing has also something to do with the limited number of properties that arc now changing hands. We anticipate more will bo done in station property after shearing. Messrs. LnK & Clark's Report. Although trade is still extremely dull and money scarce, the public continue to have good faith in investing in town lands, as the following quotations, among recent cash sales and other business transarted, .Jill testify : — Town Lands. —A lot of town, reserve containing about five and a-half acres, with improvements, £3100 ; a lot of town reserve containing rather less than an acre (no improvements), £150 ; a lot of town reserve containing 2i acres (no improvements), £1100. A steady business has also been done in the Setting of town lands on building leases at rentals varying from 5s to 50s per foot, according to position ; and hinds offered with the advantage to the lessee of a purchasing clause, have gone off to a greater extent than formerly. Suburban "and Rural Lands. —Lands both to the north and south of the town have realized from £200 up to £600 per acre, according to position. Some have been sold for cash, and others on deferred pay-

ments. Rural Land in the Lincoln District (unimproved) has sold for £7 to £10 per acre, and unimproved lands on the Great South road have brought £12 to £25 per acre, in blocks of 20 and 30 acres. Money on mortgage at from 12 1 to 15 per cent, has been eagerly sought for.

There has not been so much doing in the purchase and leasing of Government lands as in the preceding month. Messes. Ucexell, Benjtett, & Spkott's Report. At this season of the year the report which a stock agent must give is necessarily limited, but this year, owing to the slate of the money market, it is more than usually so. Hunholders, however, seem to be in h position to hold out against the capitalists now in

Canterbury, and although there is a perceptible fall both in sheep and cattle, it is more attributable to the failure in the expected increase of population, the outbreak of pleuropneumonia in Otago, andother causes, than to the necessity for realising. Fresh speculations are certainly not rife among the holders of country, hut we firmly believe that a fair legitimate passing over of stock at reasonable prices will soon take place in tho market, and have to report already a strong tendency to arrange sales for the next few months.. We have few transactions during the past month to report, but have closed for delivery after shearing one mob of ewes, two, four, and six tooth, at 28s ; one mob of ewe hoggets before shearing, at 30s ; and one lot of ewes (full mouth), with what increase is by their side, at 30s cash, delivery iv their wool. Of wethers we have sold 450 by average, realising 283 6d per head, bnt find there is a great difficulty in procuring really fat sheep ; and 50 wethers in middling condition, 'atgos; 80 ingjKgptcd two tooth ewes were sold ft 2Tk fj& >per haul, att&for one very fine lot of highly bred pertly pure I§bttthdowii sheep, consisting of six ewes, we obtained £26 5s each. As last will most probably appear at the coming Exhibition, parties desirous of securing rams from this breed will have an opportunity of judging of their superiority over every tiling which has been hitherto seen here in the Southdown breed. We have sold only a very few cattle privately at prices wiiich would give no indication of the market, and refer to our report of the last, and only sale, this month, at Riccarton, to rule prices : — Messrs. Burnell, "Bennett, and Sprot held an auction sale on the -Ith iust. at their yards, at Riccarton, when the following stock were disposed of: —6 heifers in calf, at £12 each ; 2 ditto, at £14 ; 30 head store steers ard heifers, at£l2 12s; 30ditto ditto, £10 10a; 32 ditto ditto, £9 lis ; 35 ditto ditto, £9 9s ; 35 ditto ditto, £7 7s ; 30 ditto ditto, £6 6s ; 6G store wethers, at 21s 6d per head. The attendance of purchasers was good, and the cattle were considered to be well sold. A few cross-bred Cotswold and Southdown j rams were offered, but failed in finding purchasers it I the reserved prices. | _ Mb. W. D. Barxabd's Report. Mr. W. J). Barnard reports that the horse market [ daring the past month has been rather dull, owing, principally to the great tightness m the money i market; however, late sales have relieved the market, more especially of medium draught horses and low priced hacks, the former for farm work, and the latter i for packing to the West Coast. First-class draught mares are much enquired for, j and any offering would command good prices. I During the last month several small lots have arrived overland from Dunedin, and have realised satisfactory rates. The yards have been toltrably well supplied, but no marked change is noticeable in prices, and nearly all recent arrivals have passed into the hands of the dealers, who are holding in anticipation of high rates. First-class draught mares and geldings from £65 to £S0; medium ditto ditto, from £40 to £50; inferior dittto, from £25 to £35; first-class hacks and light harness horses, £35 to £45; medium and useful hacks, £20 to £30 j inferior ditto and packers, £14 to £20. Messrs. Aikssxs &■ Wilson's Report. Cattle.—The market for fat cattle has been good this month, and although we have no very important sales to notice, wo report the following : —6l head, part fat, at £12 10s. Numerous enquiries have been made for prime beef, of which the market is rather bare at present. In store cattle wo have to notice a steady demand at good rates. Amongst recent sales we quote 80 head mixed at £10 10s'; 25 head two-year-old steers, £8 10s ; 15 head 18 months old, £7 ss: and several small lots from 12 to 25 head at prices ranging from £S to £11. At our auction sale at Saltwater Creek we sold 70 head, most of which brought £12 10s, and none under £11 ; also steers for yoking at £12 10s. At our weekly sales at our stockyards we sold about 80 head, chiefly female stock, which brought good prices : —Dairy cows, from £12 to £21 ; and unbroken heifers from £3 to £15. There is a great demand for quiet dairy cows near calving. A team of working bullocks fetched £112. Sheep.—Fat wethers are offering in numbers in excess of the demand. F=res.—We have to quote the sale of a Hock of 6-tooth at 30s. Another of lambs, of mixed sexes, 10 months old, at 15s per head. Land. —We have few transactions iv land to report for the last mouth, this we attribute chiefly to the tightness of the money market. We have, nevertheless, to notice that holders are firm, and town and suburban lauds have in no way receded in value. We sold two qifarter-acres of town land for £330 ; 50 acres of rural laud, fenced and broken up, about eleven miles from Christchurch, for £600; 20 acres three miles from town, at £30 per acre, cash ; halfacre, Christchurch town reserves, £250 ; two acres of suburban land, £100 per acre. We have had many enquires for farms about six to ten miles from town. Timber. —At our auction sale at Messrs. Milton and Cos. wharf, we sold several cargoes of timber realizing as follows—T. and G. boards, 31s 6s to 3is Cd, per 100 feet; half-inch do., 20s to 263 ; V. D. L. scantling. 20s to 25s ; 3x2, running measure, 12s 6d to 16s GJ. !New Zealand Timber — boards, ISs to 20s : scantling, 16s to 19s ; laths, 18s per thousand ; shingles, V. D. L., 33s per 1000; palinss. five fevt, V. I>. 1., 26s to 27s per 100.

MeSSB3. J. OILIVTEB &. SOX'S E,XPO2T,

We have not much change to report this month, business if anything is a little more animated. Both town and rural land has been much enquired after, though, as ypt, but few purchases have actually been effected. We may instance the following : —6 acres at Fendall Town, £7110s per acre ; 9 quarter sections of Sprevdon Tillage average £11 15s each ; several quarter-acre sections, Christchurch Quay Estate, £30 iind £40 each ; several quarter-acres, near the Eailway Station, £30, £ 10, and £50 each ; also one or two tewn sections have changed hands at an advanced rate. Urgent enquiries have been made for farms near town, of from 50 to 1000 acres, and there seems every likelihood of the demand being greater. The following prices have been obtained for cattle, &.C., by auction and private sales :—Cows, superior, average £1S each ; cows, inferior, average £12 each ; bulls, average £10 each ; young stock average £5 10s each ; ewes average £1 12s each ; pigs, young, average £2 10s each. With the exception of about a dozen draught horses, which have averaged £65 each, saddle horses and inferior hacks have sold at £15 to £38 ; we have had no further sale in this line. Furniture, books, stationery, <&<\, have obtained fair prices at a sale by public auction of general merchandise, consisting of raisins, candles, perfumery, blankets, hats, coats, boots, shoes, and clothing of all descriptions, moderate price were realised. A large stock of forest trees, shrubs, plants, &c, at auction, commanded good prices, such articles being particularly marketable at this season. The dull time of the year may now be said to be pact, we may therefore look for an improvement in the money market, and consequently a general revival of business transactions of all kinds.