COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1451, 5 August 1865, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Times Office, Friday Evening. ■There is but littlest interest to report this month as affecting;rßute. The limited demand at this season of. the year has been unusually small, and the season. is not sufficiently advanced to cause any improvement as yet. Renewals on the 4th hare been plentiful, and money is very tight and scarce; but no, failure of moment has taken place since that of Urquhart Macpherson's. The Government expenditure will circulate a little more money; and, as the diggers are beginning to pass through our city, we may safely predict a more satisfactory state of affairs very shortly.

The greatest dissatisfaction is expressed at the General Government refusing to alter the Debtors and Creditors : Act this session, although they must be aware of the frightful loss and injustice that the merchants are suffering through its absurdity.

In prices generally there is no change to report, and in consequence of the new, interpretation of the tariff by the Customs,'merchants are quite • at a loss to quote prices at all for many articles on the list.

The import duties collected Hokitika, for the month of July, ty,d amounted to more than £4200 up to the 29th. The gold export duty was £2800, which would give not' less than 22,400 ounces as the quantity shipped during the last month, and representing an approximate value of £86,000.

STOCK REPORT. A good demand exists for fat cattle for the West Coast, and several lots have been sold. There is no alteration in prices, which rpay be quoted at from 42s 8d to47s 6d per lOOltjs, according to quality. Store cattle are firmly held for an advance. 3 Fat wethers are enquired for here and there but holders are disinclined to sell as the sheep now begin to carry heavy fleeces. The price is about 4dper lb. In ewes and lambs there is nothing doing, and we may say that generally a very great disinclination is shown to part with sheep at present prices.

Hokitika.—We take the following from the West Coast Times of July 26:— Produce this week haft, a tendency to rise and will continue to do so, as the demand is greater than the supply, on account of all goods being carted and packed to the Grey. Should the vessels now outside the bar get in soon, our supply will be greater than the demand for some time. Wholesale prices:—Chilian flour in 601b bags, £32 to £33 per ton; do do in 1001b bags, £30 to £32; Adelaide do in 2001b do, £35 to £36; oats, Ss 3d to 5s 6d per bushel; bran, 3s 3d to 3s 6d do; chaff, £24 per ton, Bcaroe; maize, whole, Os to 0s 0d per bushel; do, crushed, 7s to 7s 6d do; Colonial butter, 2s 0d to 2s Pd, scarce; Irish do, Is to Is Id; hams,ls 8d to Is lOd; baron, Coey's Is 'W Sinclair's Is 4d to Is 6d, scarce; potatoes, £9 16s to t'l2 per ton; onions, £44a ton, scarce; turnips, ij2o per ton; eggs, fls to 6s 6d. JViauce lk;tail Prices Current Flour, Chilian, 33s to 34s per 1001b; do, Adelaide, 38s to 38s do; oats, colonial, 6s to Os 6d; do, California, 6s Od to (in; bran, 4s; chaff, 30s to 84s; cracked maize, 8s; colonial buliter, 3s (3d; hams, 2s to 2s fld; bacon, 1» 8d to 2s; potatoes, 14a per cwt; onions, 10 to Is; eggs, 8s per dozen; oatmeal, fld per lb. Arunh in rumoured to the south of Hokiti&a, but no information of its who cabouts, or other par-

ticulars, have reached us. One party who have been working "on the quiet" aro reported to have got twenty-eight pounds weight of gold. We wish to remark that tho abovo is given simply as a rumour.

The same journal of the 29th Bays :— Tho import market during tho past weok has been marked by extraordinary fluctuations. This is inainlydue to the very impracticable state of tho bar, as detailed in another part of tho present issue. .Stocks, in many lines, though extremely light, are almost immovable in consequence of tho large parcels on board tho vessels outside, awaiting a turn in tho chapter of accidents to enter tho harbour, llctail dealers buy only to supply daily wants, and ns a natural result, one day sees some lino at a famine price, and the next the same articlo almost unsaleable. Thus—eandlos, which at tho close of ' last week freely fetched 2s 3d per lb, brought on Monday Is 9d, and Is lOd with difficulty; this ; having been caused by the arrival of tbo Wallaby in the interval with about 300 boxes on board. The prico of bacon is rapidly advancing, as shown by a considerable parcel of Sinclair's having beon submitted to auction reserved, and cleared at Is 8d to

Is lOd. Flour, which frorn being one of our principal staple articles—from tho peculiar danger it runs in importing, and the really light stocks which wo believe aro on hand—should rule high, is actually dull of sale. Bugar, especially a good crystal, is very saleable at fair rates. Company's

first white is also in demand at high prteM, 06b to 60s having boon offered! within tho last day or two. Spirits of suitable brands aro rapidly passing into consumption ait'figures whtoh, to importers by sailing resseli, must pay handsomely. First-class brands in balk J-un as high wi 80s, duty paid, although sOfflO of tno wholeßftw houses have quittod lots j (it * much lower figure. Tho .demand for case brandy does not efeem to equal that' in bulk, as «2« .to 65a . may bo fairly stated as tho ruling prico. Geneva, JDKZ, tho favourito brand in the market, ia lively, and neve* ral parcel# have ohungod hands at fl2s fld. A very fair demand exists for wflislcoy in mo, especially Kirkliston's, which now .brings, without difficulty, as high as 40s and 42«. In rum and wines salos aro very slow, and only limited parcels aro disposed of. In oilman's stores a considerable business has boon dono within tho liast few days, tho si -pie articles in this lino—sofmon, lobsters, sardines, and oysters being spoodilv cleared at satisfactory prices. A good deal ofi speculation has takon place in oats, several buyors taking advantage of tho present demand for horao-feed for the Groy, to purchase parcels at a price, thereby causing large holders to scok an advance. Taieri oats, in good condition, are worth at loast 5s 9d, whilo outßido kinds are rather less; we bolievo prices for good samplos will shortly advance to far beyond tho present rate.