MONETARY AND OOMMERCIL.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4235, 11 March 1871, Page 2

MONETARY AND OOMMERCIL.

Daily Southern Cross Office, Friday Evening. There is Jittle change in prices to report since the date of our last commercial aura, tn.uy. The .s.«« 'City of Melbourne' arrived ' (,n iU.Miday, and by her wo received further i'liiL'lish ncv, s vu inioz. The comnicrci.il intelligence is confirmatory of the generally cncoiu aging reports bi ought by the >San Kraneisco mail. The advance made in the price of New Zealand ilixn maintained, And various tests are being applied to determine the absolute value of the fibre as a lope-making mateiial, as well as to devise means lor adapting it for weaving. A noticeable featuie inthe particulars of sales to hand is (ho higher ] -noes genei ally realised for Auckland di cased fibre as compared with that imported fi om the Southern provinces. We think thi3 h more traceable to the superior quality of the wild flax most commonly found in this province than to any difference in the method of dressing. It ia possible, \\ow ovev, that the Auckland prepareis may bestow more attention on their flax than their competitors in the South, and we are sure it will in the long run well remunerate them to do so. Inferior-dressed fibre is at a decided discount in England at piesent. The London market value for flax of good quality is from 29/. 5s to SOL ss, and for fine from 33/. to 30/. 10s. The wool sales show a healthy state of firmness, but no particular alteration in values. For mutton tallow tkoro appears to be a good demand, and from 44s to 4os is quoted as the ruling price. The schooner ' Amateur' arrived on Monday, with about 1,101) sacks flour an A 950 sacks wheat, in addition to a quantity of malt and barley. Tlii--. amount was further supplemented by a shipment of flour and wheat ex 'Loid Ashley,' by which 790 sacks of oata were fdso received. The firmness of the wheat maiket in Canterbury, and the diminution of imports, has caused a slight advance in the pi ice ot wheat. Canterbury; yam is worth fiomss 3d to 5s 6d ; Adelaide and Auckland, Gs Gd. Very litfcle Aiieklaud ' wheat has come in. Flour in selling at from hll. to 16£. per ton. The cargo of oats ox 'Flirt' was £sold at 3s 6d, but we have heard that the ' Ashley's' shipment is being quitted at 3s 4d ; it is not, however, of equal quality with the oats leceivcd per ' Flirt.' The only vessel with grain now due is, we believe, the 'Joliba/ barque, from Lvfctelton. Our •xports have been small, the principal item being a shipment of flax, gum, and tallow to Sydney pe*r the barque Alice Cameron. The same vessel also took 240 pieces of sawn timber. The auction sales were unimportant, and call for no special comment. Messrs. B. Tonks and Co. held a sale of oilmen's stoves, at which good average prices were obtained. In general merchandise we have no change to report. The steamer 'Clyde,' announced to be sold by Messis. L. \). Nathan and Co., was withdrawn. At Mr. S. Jones's sale of produce, &c., today, theie was a good attendance, and satisfactory prices were realised. Mr. L. \Y. Eaton sold to-day — Apples, 2|d to 2|d ; quinces, 1 t 'd.