COMMERCIAL

Evening Star, Issue 7340, 12 October 1887, Page 3

COMMERCIAL

The amount of revenue collected at the Customhome on goods oleared to-day for consumption was LI 298 178 2d.

The experiment of sending butter from New South Wales to London he? Quito realised expectations The butter arrived in London in excellent condition, and realised from 100s to 108j per oase of jowt. The Fresh Food and Ice Company intend to ship legnlarly in future. J lie ' Mataura Ensign' states that Mr J. D. Hunter, who has been on a vit it to Canterbury, rcuortstlut the crrpa in that provincial dis'r.U arc looking well, and that a large accage is undrr wheat-so large, indeed, as to leid to the suppr'ition ihat prces for tint grain will not bo particular.y good thlfEcaaon. The effect, however, nny bo to stiff»n oats, and if that turns out to be the case a good many ef tho Southland farmers will have no re eon to complain On many of the Canterbury ia-ms wheat and oats aro now 6in above the ground, and p/eient quito a pretty sight—a vivid green, wavir? in the wind In Chris - church green oaten ahc ves, 4ft in length, grown in particularly favored localities, e-c hawKed about fjr sale, and the biiiht is one calculated to nuke a Southerner stop and wonder why thore should bo such a striking difference in oimate between his habitat and that of the descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers.

Mr John Cooke states that the extendivo and complete meat prererving, boiling down, and wcol sc3urlng works and plant, situated atKikatmi, near Oamaru, the property of the New island Meat Preserving Company (Limited), wbc.e shareholders reside In Scotland, have bren purchased by a Christchurch syndicate, and that various manufacturing operations will shortly be resumed on an extensive soalr.—' Telegraph,.' The Temuka Linseed Oil Cake Company Is to be wound up, became the farmers of the distriot do not think It worth their while to grow sufficient mateual to keep the concern going. The Company's debts amount to L 5.400, of which L 4,400 is due to the bank,—'Timaru Herald,' THE SOtiTH BRITISH INSURANCE COMPANY. At the annual meeting of ehareholde a of the South British Insurance Company this forenoon the report stated that the iucomo for the pist year w?s L 243.631 4s 6d, and the expenditure L.235.038 Is 3d. The balance to the credit of profit and loss account stands at L8.50S 3s 3d. The directors recommended the payment of a dividend of 4 per cent, for the last half year. STOCK AND STATION REPORT. Mr Donald S'romxch (on behalf of tho New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited reports for the week ended October 12, as follows : Store Cattle, —There is a steady d< mand for ■ 11 lots efforihg. We do not hear cf any transactions of magnitude. H riceß should continue firm as the season advances. Store Sheep.- There is nothing doing meantime. Wool.—During the week we have received oible advice Of the closing cl the (c Jrth series of the London salos; and from the continued ad verso reports received during the oontlnir.ncs of the Bales, ono might almoßt hare feared tho final results would have been worse than our London manager records them to -be. - Long stap'e merino, light in grease, has advanced id per lb during tho sales. For ooarso greasy crossbred and cross-bred lambs the market is easier; all other sorts mark a decline ranging from Jd to 2d per lb, faulty scoured having suffered the greatest fall. The absence of a strong Continental demand has evidently induced the drop in priceß; this, no doubt, boinc caused, partly at least, by the fear, ot possible* European complications. From our London circular of 26th August, to band yesterday, wo gather' that stockb in English manufacturers' hands were small, and, in viuw of tho favorable prognostications ot an improved trade in tho Home country, we are inclined to take a hopeful view of the position. The coming clip from all the, Australian colonies will doubtless bo a very heavy one. It is too sron to venture an opinion how Lr .this will affect prices: in London; but we would fain hope that the present moderate soile of prices for ' wool w(ll be maintained in the near future. Sheepskins.—We submitted pn Monday a varied catalogue of skins to a large number if buyers, when, notwithstanding the falling market for wool, prices ot the former week were fairly maintained. Country dry crosa-breds realised la 3d to 312 d ; mcrinocS, fair to good, Is 8d to 2s lid ; butchero' green oross-breds, 3s 6d, 3s 9d, 3s lid, 4s 2d, 4s 3d, 4s4d, 4s6d, 4s 7d, 4s 9d, 4s 10(1, 6s ; butobois' mui Ino sklnß, 3$ Bd, 8s 9d, 4s; lambskins, 6d and 7d. We havo sold soverala 'ots of freezing skins during tho woek at 4s 4d, 4s 6d,|4s 9d, 5j Id, 6s 3d. Kabbit-ikina There was a full attendance of the trade at our usual weekly sale on Monday, and a steady Inquiry for good winter skins exists, although rates still remain low, prices obtained being much the same as last week. ■ Hides.—There is no alteration to record in the market. We repeat our last week's quotations., Tallow.—There is an aotivß domand for all lots offering locally, at late rates. We have Inquiry for good mutton taltoW for export, but none is offering at the moment.

Grain.—Wheat: there 1b do improvement in the market, and business is nominal. The Eoglish market is firmer, with prices a shado higher than i have lately ruled, but no improvement can belpoked I (or locally. For the few parcels of provtnoial* grown still on hand, there is no Inquiry at the moment. In Canterbury* however, there are still large quantities to be dealt with, and with no induoemeat to export and an ' exceedingly .restrioted demand fr.in millers. Agents, have considerable difficulty in making sales, i Our quotations are—for prime milHbg, &s 9J to SSlOd; medium, 8s 6d to 3b gd ; inferior, 8311 39 6d (ex store, bags weighed in), with a decided tendency to lower prices. Fowl wheat, of which the market is almost entirely bare, is readily saleable at relatively high prices.- Oats : A fair amount of business i* pissing in thiß cereal, and prices have boen, on the whole, well maintained... fpbere is a fair demand for:shipment to Australia, especially for the bright heavy feed, and as tho hulk of this-description of oata.bas now obanged hands any lots offering/are readily competed for, though buyers as vot show no disposition to give enhanced prices. There are still, however, large parcels oC medium and Inferior o&ti for* sale, giving -a-generally depressing tone to the-market. We quote prime milling, Is Mi to Is Bid; short bright! feed, Is 84 to Is 81d (latter being a full price); mejJium, ls7d«iOlsTW; inferior,difflculttoplaoeatlß6idti)ls7d (exstorejbagsweißhedfiny-ißarleyiTbemarketiiquite bare, and any small parcels coming to hand, specially of fair to prime lots malting, find ready sale at 4s 3d to 4s <d. ■ Brewers are, tor the present, fairly well supplied ; but in order to provide for their probable early requirements several ordors havebeon forwarded to California during the past week. The samples offered, which were very prime, can be landed here at a, price not greatly in exoess of our above quotations. ' ' - • ,;....

Ryegross-seed continues almost unsaleable; with ftPPMenttyno prospeot of early improvement. Our

nominal quotations remain as before. Cocksfoot is in slight'y better doman ( at from 4d to 5d por lb for medium to best.

Potatoes.-The market continues wretchedly dull, and sales aro diflloult to make at oven tho rates recently ruling, disappointing aliko to producers and agents. Liod.— There is afairdctnmd for sma'l f rms in good situations at modorate prices We hive considerable inquiry for the few remaining sections of the well-known Merino Downs Esta'o, and purpose offering noma of the land adjaoant to Pukerau railway station in small fa-ma early in November upon the usuil favorable terms.