COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XVII, Issue 983, 12 April 1862, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

CHRISTCHURCH.

Mr. H. E. Alport reports the following sales by auction, at Christchurch market, on Saturday last : 8 head of cattle : I steer £7, 1 cow £8 15s, 1 do. £6 65., 1 bull £4 155., 4 steers and heifers, each £3 18s.; ducks ss. 6d, per couple ; cheese 9&d to lOd. per lb.; flour 13s. per 100 lb.; onions 3d. per Ib. On Tuesday last, at sale of fancy soaps, hair brushes, clothing, boots and shoes, felt hats, &c. the attendance was good and the prices fair. TIMARtT. Return showing the amount of revenue collected at the port of Timaru, on the different articles, for the Quarter ending March 31, 1862:—Spirits, £293 8s 4d; tobacco, £72 19s 6d; wine, £65 8s; ale and beer, in wood, £7 8s 6d; ditto, in bottle, £13 6s; tea, £41; sugar, £107 17s 6d; measurement, £11 19s; 3s. per cwt., £7 13s 6d; total, £621 Os 4d. Monthly receipts of revenue:—January, £176 3s Id; February, £)40 6s 6d; March, £304 11s 9d; total, £621 Os 4d.—Uecember quarter, £433 16s 2d; March quarter, £621 Oa 4d; total from commencement, £1054 16s 6d. OTAGO. This week has not commenced so briskly as was expected by many, from the number of country buyers in town, who, combining pleasure with business, had come to town for the races. Still there has been a good demand for some articles especially, we may mention colonial and good Cork butter, hams, bacon, and MartelPs brandy in case. In general business is very dull ; an extreme caution is manifested by cash buyers, and as extreme a caution by sellers when goods are sold on credit, neither our banks nor merchants seeming at all inclined to exceed very safe limits in any transactions. Arrivals of goods are limited, and it will require a. very continued diminution of shipments to prevent goods from depreciating in value; however, of this ■we have not much fear, for while so few shipments are advised from Britain, and values in Melbourne are almost, and in some cases, quite equal to our prices,—it is hardly to be expected that either consignees or importers will be so insane as to venture on increasing their stocks. The fine weather which still continues should enable country buyers to get up their winter stocks, but no disposition on their part to buy other than " hand to mouth " is displayed.

A meeting of the Provisional Committee of the proposed Dunedin Fire insurance Company is called for Wednesday next, at three o'clock, when some preliminary business will be attended to. Custom House, Dunedin, March 31, 1862. The quantity of gold entered* to-day amounted to 911 ozs. 10 dwts, upon which the duty levied is £113 18s. 9d. The imports realised £328 lls. lid. The revenue of the quarter ending March 31 amounts to— ON IMPOKTS. January £15,975 1 10 February 13,525 15 0 March 13,550 9 10 ■ -£43,051 6 8 ; ON EXPORTS. January £8,183 2 9. February 7,743 6 3 I March 5,319 19 6 £21,346 8 6 ! Total .£64,397 15 2 The following is the quantity of gold exported during the quarter— ozs. dwts. January 65,464 7 February ... 61,946 10 March 43,359 16 £170,770. 13 value £661,736 5 4