Daily Southern Cross Office. Saturday evening.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXX, Issue 5113, 12 January 1874, Page 2

Daily Southern Cross Office. Saturday evening.

The Customs duties received to-day woe aa follow :

Busmen is veiy aclivo at pivscnt, consequent in a tjieat measure uo doubt on tin; activity in the labour tn.xrktt. A feeling of oo.iltdenoa o\oiy where prevails. It is fottun ite that the works in pi ogress should have absorbed all spare labour at this time, as tho gieat depression on the Thames gold fit H would otheiwiso havo operated most injuriously on Auckland. A veiy long tin.c lias elapsed siiico such an amount of stagnation in buMtu-bs on tho gold fields has be n cxpeneucel. Thu luc uMuffs uniket cont nues very girntiy oveistoeked with S mthern Hour, aud it would be almost iin possible at the present moment to place » line of wheat. Southern wh>at yiowers and anllors have undoubtedly held too lory this season, and are now endi avoming to clear oil their surplus stocks in anticipation of tho new crop, which will be unusually largo Oauiaru ilour, which Iia3 moved off at £13 throughout tho past seism, is now offeiing aC £14; and Canterbury Hour is almost without quota tion. Auckland brands lvmam unchanged , £17 per ton for <>n politic flour, aiid £14 foi household JSou'htrn win at may be quoted nominal at 5s 61. Tho produce raai kct is well supplied. A considerable clea v ance of maiz n has been mi dp, and better ratos would no doubt rule but for the lir^e quantity of inferior in the market, v hich depress bettor samples. For good maize 5* is offered ; outs havo bo<n quitted at 4a lOd to 53. There is no bailey offering. Ale and porter have coma forward freely, but the cleaiances for home consumption have also been large, bo that we do not anticipate that stocks are very materially lucrtased. We are unable to st-ite yet how tho consign incuts per Liverpool ships will turn out. Tennonl's ale, which is tho brand chiefly to hand, may bd quoted, repackod, at l.ia 6d per dozen. Owing to the high pivo of corks, bottles, anil wire, home bottlers do not oare to consign horo. We havo seen letters in -which two Burton-on-Trcnt brewers complain of the unreimin< rativeneaq of New Zealand shipment?. Stoutd guaranteed are worth 13s 6-1 to 11s ; stocks are light. A considerable quantity of candles has como for** ird, considering tho season of the yoir, a.\d sains hwa bi-rn midc nt lower rites We know of two lines quitted last wvok at 10 J 1 and 105 I respectively. 1 he drinand for dried fruits has ceased; 8t')ok8 aio mndtTRto. G'oceriea ha\e barn much moio ii:!uly imported than usual, and no doubt a fun dogoiiptiuns vull run out soon j but at prisc.t we do hoc notieo any s;a r 0it). Mai" \a netting tvdno'd E >gii-h hops arc al-io ruimm,; low, and havo ad van ceil in pnu> The rates lately ru'ing c uld not poisiblj co\crtlii<c"at of nnp'Ttuig y -Ovl Satuples of pale Eut Kent hops, wi quo'e such from 2h 3d to 2a 9 I ; Tasmatnan tully stocked, and uot worth more than Is G 1 to Is 9d. Amuiicau saliiion, in full trade lines, has been sold at 14i 9d ; it may now bo quoted at 15s per dozen. Lobster is in hotter oupply, and worth lls 6d to 11s 9d. Kerosino is greatly overstocked, and lines have offered a? low aa Is 5^d per gallon, in bond. A consignment of Comet brand, Sydney manufacture, is now offeriug in town, having passed tho logal tests satisfactorily, but partly, no doubfc, owing to the prejudice against an unknown brand, and partly owing to this overstocked state of the market with American oils, tho new article does uot tiud much favour. Complaints havo been mado by some who tested it, that it is mora smoky and emits a stronger smell than Devoe'a. Of this, however, it would be scarcely fair to ptououueo very strongly until the oil has been fairly tested by consumers. Tho pie«ent consignment will probably be forced into the market, when its value as compared with other known brand-i wdl soon bo ascertained, and its prica iixtd. Amciican turps are overstocked and unsalable at 3s 9d per gallon, aud English are proport.onately depressed. Sugais are running low, particularly I Cs., which are woith about £.37. Maunt.UB first whites, £3G 10s ; second, £35 10s ; Honolulu, first yellawa, £34 10s ; second, £32 ; browns, of low quality, €'27 to 129. In teas, we aro glad to notice, only moderato Incomings, but large stocks previously reportod have not yet been sufficiently reduced. Tobaccoes glutted. Spirits in bulk aro much reduced, especially brandy. We quote Hennessy's at 9s Gd per gallon ; MarteH's, 93 ; Ilonnesay's case, 31a ; Marteir.=,29s Gd ; T. Hine's bulk, 7b Gd ; othcis, Gs 9d to 7s. Rum is very low m stock. Wines of good quality in bulk are also Ecarco and case wines, with the exception of ports and sherries, are certainly not veiy latgely held.

Ad \alorom Br ndr 110,,=, ■\\ mo Beer Kerosine lei >?clin>>pp^ Colonnl rum Col i i-W br«n '.y lOll MO £00 13 0 llrf 0 1 10 1 0 16 8 10 43 (i 'I 47 10 0 10 0 0 10 14 0 11 •> 0 2> 10 7 11 -MO 17 17 6 12 11 3 T-.tHl i.3 9 U 1