Commercial.

Press, Volume XII, Issue 1576, 25 November 1867, Page 2

Commercial.

Pbkss Office, Monday, NoTember 25. Business matters are still in a quiescent Btate, the whole trad« being confined to purchas- s to assort stocks, and no inclination is exhibited by bujers to speculate in goods. even when offered at exceptionally low rates The sales of the past week have been confined principally to teas and sugars. Provisions in general do not command much attention, with the exception of colonial butter, which has been dealt in largely at lOd, for shipment to Westland. Bacon and hams, English and Colonial, are difficult to place except at low values. English hulk beers move off slowly. Bass's pale being quoted at £10 to £10 ss; Colonial XXX, quoted at £8, is gradually superseding the imported article. Woolpacks change hands at rates which can hardly pay the importer ; the same remark applies to cornsacks.

The tenor of the grain market is more hopeful for the farmer, prices having an upward tendency. At present 4s is offered for good milling wheat, and the probabilities are that that will be the average ruling throughOut the season. The late advices from England state the stocks of wheat and flour held are far below the usual average, which, coupled with a short harvest, will maintain prices at 7s to 7s 6d certain. Oats are not in request, except for small lots; prices remain at 2s per bushel. Good malting barley is scarce and in request, all the large growers having quitted ; it is however expected that a portion of the new crop will be in the market by Christmas, the, majority of the early-so«n crops in the Northern district being already in ear. Old stockß of potatoes are now worked off, and are not quoted except at retail rates. Hay is firmer, the new crop looking very deficient in bulk ; a good aftermath may be expected, the rain having come too late to benefit the first crop.

Messrs Wilson and Alport had a very fair Supply of live stock and produce at their saleyards on Saturday. Cattle were well competed for, and sold as follows:—Ten milch cows brought prices varying from £6 to £15 per bead ;, nine months old heifer and steer calves, £3 15s da; calves, ten days old, 30s each ; pigs, small porkers, from lis to 20.-. do j geese, 5s 6d do ; fowls, 4s 6d per couple ; oats, of inferior quality, Is 5d to Is 7d per bushel; wheat, for fowls. Is 8d to Is lOd do ; potatoes, £4 per ton ; inferior cheese, 4d to 6£d per lb.

Mr T Preece reports an unusually large attendance of buyers at the central stock and produce jard* on Saturday, and a plentiful supply of live and dead stock was disposed of at the following prices, viz.:—Pigs— Suckers, 6s 6d to 7s each ; stores, 7s to 10s do ; porkers. 10s to 21s do. Turkeys, halfgrown, 5s 3d each; ducks, 5s to 6s per couplejj; fifty pairs of fowls, from 4s to 5s 9d do ; guinea fowls, 7s 6d. Produce—Potatoes, Derwents, 4s 6d to 7s per cwt. ; do, white, 2s to 4a 6d do; flour, 8s 6d per lOOlhs. ; sharps, lOd per bushel; bran, 8d to 9d do ; wheat, for fowls, 2s 3d do ; oats, 2s 3d and 2s 6d do; barley, 2s 6d and 2s 9d do; hams, Sinclairs', 10|d per lb.; do, colonial, 7d do ; bacon, 6d do ; lard, interior, in kegs, 4£d do ; colonial cheese, inferior, 3d to 6sd per lb. Several horses were sold at satisfactory prices.