MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL. Southern Cross Office, Thursday evening.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4602, 24 May 1872, Page 2

MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL. Southern Cross Office, Thursday evening.

The arrivals of j the'steamships ' Hero ' and ' Nebraska ' and the brigs ' Jane ' and ' Amhurst ' have caused considerable activity in business during the week. We summarise leading imports of merchandise by the 'Hero' as follow':— 7s cases kerosine, 2 cases 2 qr.tierces 32 boxes tobacco, 14 boxes candles, 17 qr. -casks 33 case 3 wine, 10 bags sago, 1,000 mats 970 bags sugar, 500 bags rice, 3 casks coffee, 5 cases cigars, 512 cases brandy, 50 kegs nails, 14 buckets, 138 bars iron, 2, 170 bags potatoes, 28 plates iron, 1 cask vinegar, 5 kegs carbonate soda, 10 cases fish, 45 drums oil, 12 tanks malt, 100 cases schnapps, Go casks bottled beer, 21 barrels 10 hhds. ale, G tons pi« iron, 604 bags maize, 20 mats dates, 28 bags onions, 4 chests 47 half-chesta 366 boxes tea. We are glad to notice from those items that more attention is being paid to the state of the market. The small quantities of tea and tobacco on the manifest, as compared with usual shipments by the ' Hero,' will scarcely be heavy enough to further depress the already overstocked market with tboso goods. The ' Nebraska's ' cargo chiefly adds to our market an acceptable shipment of sugar to the extent o£ 257 kegs The ' Jano ' wa3 the bearer of 472 cases of jana and 607 oases of green fruit. Prices of these goods are indicated by Mr. Binney's sale this week, when jams were quitted at 7s 6d per dozen, and fruit at an average of 3.sd all round. The * Amherst brought a large quantity of produce, for which fair prices are obtainable. At auction, bacon and hams, 9£d ; bacon, 7d to 9d ; cheese, 6d. We have no change in 'breadstuffs to report. The market is still very firm, but English and American advices via San "Francisco are calculated to prevent a further advance. The crops both in England and California were looking wall uuder favourable weather. Auckland flour at the mills is quoted at £15 to £17. Oats are stocked equal to requirements. At a sa'e of wines and spirits by Mr. Jones, the following prices were realised : — Hennessy's cask brandy, 7s 4d; Mar toll's cask biandy, 7s ; Geneva, 13s 3d ; sherry (cask), lls ; port (cask), 7s- The English commercial news received yesterday is very satisfactory, more especially that relating to flax and wool. We bope and believe continued attention to the dressing of flax will result; in the permanent establishment of that fibre in the homo markots at a figure very little lower than that given for manila. The following is the quantity and value of goods on board the ship Bulwark, which sailed from London for this port on March 2 ; — Apparel and ready-made clothing, £4,400; blankets and flannels, £1,150; carpets and baga, £100 j cotton goods, £2,120 ; general drapery, £1,160 j haberdashery and hosiery, £4,250; hoots and shoes, £1,470 ; saddlery and leather goods, £1,290; canvas, £480; cordage and twine, £220 ; sacks, 9,000 ; cement, 40 tons ; paints and varnish, £1,100 ; glass, window and plate, £460 ; glassware, £550 ; earthenware, £270 ; paperhanginga, £30 ; paper, 770cwt.; stationery, £550 ; books, £230 ; -brushware, £170 ; agricultural implements, £400; hardware and ironmongery, £3,540 ; machinery, £925 ; railway materials, £200; upholstery and furniture, £840 ; pianos and musical instruments, £640 ; toys and fancy goods, £1,285 ; oilmen's stores and provisions, £1,760; salt fish, £280; candles, 2000wt.; oils, 4,520 gallons; [perfumery, £290; corks, 451b.; gunpowder, 900wt. ; salt, 70 tons ; fruits and spices, 400cwt.; sugar, 263 c wt.; tea, 6, 1401b. ; confectionery, £250; chemicals, £550; drugs, £1,230; tobacco, 5001b.; tobacco-pipes, £21 ; agricultural seeds, £120; hops, llcwt. ; malt, 416 bushels ; beer in glass, 134 barrels ; braudy, 5,057 gallons ; British spirits, 1,24S gallons; geneva, 416 gallons; ram, 4,172 gallons ; red and white wine, 656 gallons ; bar and rod iron, 50 tons ; galvanised iron, 12 tons ; pig iron, 80 tons ; iron pipes, 4 tons ; lead — sheet, pipe, and pig, 8 tons ; nails, bolts, and nuts, 23 tons ; steel, 4 tons ; shoathing metal, 10 tons ; tin plates, 38 boxes ; lino, 15 tons; quicksilver, 30 bottles. THE SHARBMARKET.^ Mr. Charles Burton reports; — "Market quiet. Caledonian, £19, sellers £19 10s ; Thames, £5 10«, buyers £5 7s 6d ; Tokatea, 753 j Windsor Castle, 16s, 16s 6d; Priflekf Tokatea, Bs, 8s 6d, to 9a ; Waitemata, 6a 6d to 7s ; Golden Calf, 40s, buyers 36i ; Moan*, taiari,. £s^buyeri £5; Central Italy, 35». n

Mr. J. M. Lennox reports :—" The sharer market continues dull. Caledonian shares werelsold at £18, but closed with an upward tendency. My sales comprise : Caledonian, £18 10s ; Thames, £5 10s, £5 7s 6d ; Tookey (double issue), £6 ; Pride of Toliatea, 9s 6d, 99. Waitemata and Insurance shares ate inquired for. Closing buyers : Caledoniau, £18 10a ; Thames, £5 7s 6d ; Inverness, 12a ; Waifcemata, 6s 6d. Sellers : Caledonian, £19 ; Thames, £5 108." , Mr. E. B. Robinson reports :•— " A good demand for Pride of Tokateaa at advanced prices. Caledonians also in demand at £18. I sold— Piide of Tokatea, 9a j Coromandel Beaoh, 14s j Working Miners, 7s 6cl, Bs. Market closed with buyers of Caledonian, Pride of Tokatea, and Orianas." AMERICAN. San Fbancisoo. — Messrs. Morison, Middleton, and Co., of 322, Washingtonstreet, San Francisco, report, on April 29 :— " The ' Nebraska' arrived here on the evening of the 24th, and her mails were delivered on the morning of the 25th instant, with dates from Sydney and Auckland of the 14th and 22nd of March respectively. Tho arrival of the steamer took everyone by surprise, as we did not expect to see the 'Mohonga,' with the above mails, until about the 30th instant. In consequence of the ' Nebraska coming direct on here, the mails which left | this on the 29th ultimo, and the 6th of April, will have been detained »t Honolulu awaiting the return of th« abovo steamer, whioh is ! most unfortunate. Relative to this line of steamers, it is much to be desired thai the announcement that Mr. Webb had effected a new contract with the Governments of New Zealand und Victoria, under which, ius boats, including the ' Dacotah,' are hereafter to run to Melbourne, will have weight with Congress, and induce the Senate to agree to tho bill authorising the subsidy We note that the 'Nebraska' brings 1,618 : bales of wool, the half of which will be worked up here by our local mills; the other portion goes East to Boston and New York. There are also some flax and rope, which arrive to a good market. The month of April has found business somewhat dull; still the general trade of the port has been fair. During the early part of the month the new clip of wool absorbed much attention, and prices quoted in our last advices wera fully maintained. Within the last ten days, however, it hns been rather quiet, the many buyers here from the East holding back, in the expectation that by so doing they will force our ranchmen to content themselves with lower prices. The improved quality of colonial wool already to hand has also had the effect of weakening domestic wool, and we should not be surprised that our next advices will show a reduction upon prices at present asked ; nominally, for first-class clips, 50c. to 524 c has been paid for portion of a clip during the month. We sold a parcel of greasy sheepskins lately at Idol. 50c, which four months ago would only bring 75c. New Zealand Produce : We are glad to see by the 'Nebraska's' manifest that our friends had not shipped any butter ; there is quite » plethora of domestic and Eastern in this marke\ ; so much so that some of our merchants have been shipping large parcels of choice fresh roll, in pickle, to New York. A small parcel of New Zealand, which came up by last steamer, was sold at 9c, m bond, equal to 13c, duty paid. We notice that one of our large ropemakers is turning out rope made from New Zealand flax, which he offers at 12£ c. per Id. This Beems very low, and we are afraid that the smaller men who generally bought the parcels lately from New Zealand will be shut out of the market, as, with their appliances, they c&iin o * afford to turn out so cheop an artiole. The party above referred to passes almost all the Manila that comes into this market through hia hands. New Zealand flax, 80. to B£o. — Freights: Contrary to precedent, at this season of the year, freights have become more animated, and vessels arriving, seeking, are obtaining improved rates. This ia more especially noticeable in the coasting trade, and foreignlumbertrade,whilstwheat charters are also somewhat higher than at the date of our last advices. It is a noticeable feature that, notwithstanding the large anticipated demand for shipping to move the new wheat crop, the amount of tonnage on the wayhither is much under the average, and growers are looking forward with some anxiety for the means of transport. The latest wheat charters for Liverpool were made at 52a 6d. The 'Kirkwood,' 'John Ritson,' and 'Edith' are under engagement. The 'Osceola,' 'St. John,' and 'St. Nicholas have been chartered toprooeed to Newcastle, N.S.W., to return with coal at 9dol. A number of vessels have been taken up for Chili and Peru for lumber and railway ties, and a British barque of 229 tons has been engaged for a cruise under sealed orders at 1,300d01. per month.— Wheat during the greater part of the past month haa been quiet ; improved prices in Liverpool say from lowest point, lls 7dto 12s 4d, as also the novel demand for flour for Eastern States, have however given a firmer tone, We quote Idol. 90c. to 2dol. Flour, partaking of the firmness in wheat, and with a large demand for the Eastern States during the last week, is very steady at— superfine, 4dol. 50c. to 5d01. ; and extra (this quality sent East), sdol. 75c. to 6dol. Barley, weak at Idol. 45c. to Idol. 550. Oats, dull, Idol. 60c. to Idol. 70c. Consols (English), 93fc j Sold in New York, 112& j legal tender, 88-59 j gold bars, 880 ; refined ailver, par ; Mexican dollars, 7 premium; bank exchange on London, draft 48d, »nd 60 days 49d ; mercantile paper, 60 days 49d."