Commercial.

Press, Volume XII, Issue 1582, 2 December 1867, Page 2

Commercial.

Pbkbs Office, Monday, December 2. The past week has been unusually quiet, the business transacted being almost nil. This is usually"the case towards the latter end of each month, as purchasers by deferring their purchases nmil after the first of the month obtain nearly fur months credit, all trade acceptances being drawn from that date. It is expected that the operations of this week will be brisk, especially in sugars, which are Quoted higher in the Australian markets. Malt is in demand, and prices have advanced ; colonial is lightly held, 8s 6d per bushel is asked for it, whilst English commands a shade over 10s, with little in the market. Since the arrival of the mail some energy has been shown in the inquiries for wheat, as it has now been ascertained that the English harvest exhibits a deficiency of a fourth below an average; the prices for wheat during the week have been firm at 4s per bushel. Oats are offering at 2s, but no parcels of any size have been quitted. Both the wheat and oat crops in the neighbourhood of Christchurch do not 'ook well j but in the Northern districts a full average yield is confidently expected, the grain now being in full ear. Barley is nominal, the market being quite bare of saleable samples, and no business will be done in it until the new crop is offered One or two sales of old hay have been made lately at £4 per ton, delivery taken as required. Good sound potatoes are inquired for at £4 10s.

Stock has rather declined in value, owing to the West Coast markets being reported glutted, combined with the late inclement weather ; this decline is only looked upon as temporary Fat weathers are offering freely, but transactions are so small and at such varied rates as to render us unable to give anything like a fixed average.

A correspondent furnishes us with the following summary of the state of the market in the Northern districts :—

Of the crops in the Northern district we are able to report very favourably. Their growth has been materially assisted by the late rains, especially in dry localities, where the prospects of a good harvest are now about equal with those of more propitious situations. ..Though the season is scarcely advanced enough for the reaping hook, or more properly the " reaper," the former being now an article belonging to the past, yet we have bean informed of ripe barley in the Mandeville district.. If this is the case, an early harvest mny be anticipated Boot crops are genera ly a fair average, and have been exempt hitherto from enemies or «nj yet discovered disease. Wheat,; oats, and barley are in demand, and prices have ari upward tendency. Of the latter the district ie about cleared, while stocks of the former are •lowly moving off for export. Oats seem to be in little or no demand, except for home consumption. Quotations of prices—Wheat, 8s to 3s 6d per buebel; oats, Iβ 9d to 2s 3d do s barley, 3s to 3s 6d doj potatoes, £3 per ton.

' .Messrs Wilson and Alport report 'he cattle market as b«ing steady. At the Car]ton yarde, on Wednesday,, eight dairy cows said at from £7 10s 10 £11 15s ; one do do, £13 ; two cows, with calves, £9 15s and £10 ; five tliree-year-old store steers, £11 each ; seven eighteen months steers and heifers, £7 do. On Saturday, at the Cashel street yards, there was a decidedJimprovement upon Wednesday's prices. Old cows brought £7 15s to £8 5s each ; good quality young cows, £12 to £14 do; heifera, £10 10s to £14 do ; one buli, fifteen months old, £7 10s; nine and fifteen months old steers, £3 12s 6d to £4 17s 6d eai-h. It was notable that a cow which was sold at the Carlton yards on Wednesday for £10 brought over £13 at the Cashel street yards on Saturday, and generally the cattle Bold at higher rates on Saturday as compared with Wednesday, proving the advantage of the market sale held in the centre of Christchurch.

At Mr T. Preece'a ealeyarde, on Saturday, there was a good attendance of buyers, some of whom were purchasers for the West Coast markets. A large quantity of live and dead stock wae disposed of, and the following prices realized :—Pige ; —Suckers. 4m to 7s 6il each ; ematlatoree, 8s to 10s do ; porkers, 15a to 23s do. Poultry —Ducke, 6s 3d to 7s per couple ; fowle, 5s to 6s 6d do. Produce—Flour, seconds, 9a per 1001 bs.; do, inferior, 6s 6d to 7s do j sharps, 10d to lid per bushel; bran, 8d do; barley, inferior, 2« 3d to 2s 6d do; wheat, for fowlsy&B 3d to 2s 6d do ; potatoes, blue, 6a to 7b per cwt.; do, white, 2s 6d lo 8a do ] Sinclair's banoß, 10id to lid per lb.; colonial bacon, 3d to 6}d do; do hams, 4d to €id-do-j do cheeee, damaged, 4Jd do ; do do, Superior, 10d do. A spring-cart, horse, and harness were bought in at £30 j dog-cart, £i 8 A quantity of furniture and miscellaneous goods sold at lair prices.

Bettu i of Grain a lipped at \g Novembi iaiapo: 30, 18 during the month endii >7:— Nov. • 1 ,15 15 20 22 25 25 Revell & Co Birch & Co Birch & Co j Revell & Co Birch & Co I Kevell & Co Birch & Co Belcher & I Fairweatheri Revell & Co Birch & Co Shippers. Shipped to. I Lyttelton Lyttelton tyttelton Lyttelton Lyttelton Lvttt'lron W'ellngton I _^_ Bhs 1920 1240 140 2120 ' 600 2100 i 2"0 CO 3 Bbs. - I "— p i Bhs. _ ■■ 80 - - I - j 500 390 ) I Wellngton Lyttelton Lytteltou I 827 I 27 27 2000 3S4 I 174 10.774J I 1297 ,' , ! 674 i A* Co,; WOO 470 It Itioual fhipmi ton sharp.-*, 2 is. bran, a&i hams. ents—185 ba! ! tons potato lbs. cheese, les wcx JS, 84 0( 205 bi »1, Birch and ) lbs. sharps, isbels beans. stum of Grain shipped the mouth ending 1 it Saltwater Creek during November 30,1367 :— I Shippers. Shippcd.to. Nov. 6 6 19 19 Grlgg Grp Grifl Bhs. _ Lytteiton « 468 L.y tU-lton .... 800 Lytteltou .... 968 Lyttelton 960 ' 3196 litional _eUipmentiy—-9 bales wool, 10 teas S>OVBt« Kt,