COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1687, 14 May 1866, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

CUSTOMS REVENUE. The following comparative return of Customs dutiei received throughout the colony in the quarters ending March 81, 1866 and 1865, has just been issued. It will be seen that Canterbury is at present the largest contributor to the revenue, owing to the trade which has sprung up during the last twelve months on the West Coast. A portion of the revenue received atGreymouth—about £SOOO —properly belongs to Nelson, but on the other hand, a large quantity of dutiable goods consumed on the West Coast are forwarded under bond from Dunedin, the duty on these appearing to the credit of the Otago province. DUTIES HECEIVED. - 1865. 1866. Qc. ending Qr. ending Mar. 31. Mar. 31. £ £ Auckland : 48,920 37,970 Tirana!" 3,030 3,161 Wellington 16,291 21,470 Hawke's Bay 4,585 6,230 Nelson and Marlborough... 11,317 10,291 Canterbury 27,992 70,973 Otago 49,089 .49,819 Bouthla«d 6,403 8,892 Totals 167,690 208,802' Mr. Barnard, on Saturday last, sold the right of holding the refreshment booth at the ensuing races. The booth, which is eituated under the grand stand, was purchased by Mr, T, B. thotnpkins, for the sura of £4l 10s. Thurd.—Messrs. Stubbs and King report for the month : That a considerable number of milch cows have changed bands, at from £l4los to £27105. In fat cattle, not much has been doing; about 35 head of fat steers hare beon sold, at an atorage of £l6 per head. Calves Lave beon sold from £2 10s to £3 10a. Cottle are decidedly rising in price, but just now the market is bare of milch cows and fat stock. Of sheep, they report having sold nearly 2000 fat wethers, at an averago of 17s 6d. Considerable

mobs of owes havo ohauged hands, at from 12s fld to 15s per hoad, Thore havo boon nloiof lambs, In pairs, from 8s to 10s Od. ' Saddle norses aro not muoh in demand, they are quoted from mto £27. Draught horses (good), will still fetohhighor prices; medium class ruled at auotion, from £34 10s to £43. Tlioy can bo quoted nt from £25 to £45. ; Forwell-grown Bitoking pigs, 20s aro freely offered. Pat pigs, Od por lb. For Oats a number of inquirios aro reported, from 8s fld to 4s, Thoro is ovory likelihood of high prices ruling this yoar. ;■ ' Of wheat, transactions havo beon nominal, at 6s. Oamahu.—Tho Times of May 10 reports-. Prices continuo to bo well maintained for all descriptions of goods, and stocks being low, and British shipmonts of diminished oxtont. thoy are expected to remain firm at presont quotations, Adelaide flour is quoted at £BO 10s; Chilian, £22; Oamaru silk-drossed, £2O; seed wheat, 8s 0d to 10s per bushol j oats, 4s fld per bus'iol; brands ler bushol; and £3los to£4por ton for potatoos. Tho following are also ourront quotations.—Eeoneasy'a brandy, 25s to 265; MartelPs, 25s to 235; othor brands, 24s to 25s por gallon in bulk; whiskey, 16s 6d to 21s; genova, 68s to 635; bottled ale, 14s Od to ISsperdoz; hogshoad (English) £9l6s to £1010s; Oamaru, £0 to £7 j WoU Park (Dunodin), £7; colonial bacon is reported scarce, and is quoted at Is lOd to 2s; butter (colonial), 2s to 2s 2d; Canterbury ohecso, la 4d por lb; timber is in small supply, and tho same remark applios to galvanised iron—Morewood's is quoted at £42 to £44; Scotoh, £34 to £3B. Tho weather, which a few days since botokoned an early winter, is again fino and genial. Farmers are now busy with tho plough in many quarters. MsLBounNE.-Tke Argus of May 2 reports : Business in the import markets continues extremely active. Almost every description of goods has been eagerly sought after, and sales have not only been numorous, but in somo instances extensive. Considerable interest was evinced by the mercantile community in the result of the publio sale of property in tho centre of the most business part of the city, when two entire Government allotmonts, with frontages of 132 feet each to Collins-street and Flindi-rs-lano, realised the largo figure of £40,000. The market for breadstuffs generally maintain a quiet aspect, though there is evidence occasionally shown that the-o is some spirit still left in the market, by more oxtensivo engagements being entered upon, and however exceptional these may bo, tho market is materially sustained thereby. We hear of somo 495 tons of Californian flour (the Douglas's shipment) having changed hands to-day in one line at £l6 6s. Adelaido town brands are disposed of in moderate lots at unaltered rates, viz,, £l7 to £l7 10s. Trade parcels of wheat have been placed at 6s fld, and even 7s is spoken of as having been realised; figures which are not expected to be maintained beyond tho period necessary for preparing the ground for noxt year's crops, during which the farmers aro prevented from bringing their grain to market 1 . Oats are not so firm; we quote 4s 6d to 4s 9d for fine samples; at auotion, from 4s 6d to 4a WOB realised. Maize has been sold on rather easier terms-5s 2d to 5s 3d. A parcel of woolpacks has changed hands at 4s 3d. Kerosino oil has been more inquired for, but no sales are reported over 8s 9d, at which a couple of parcels of best brands have beon placed. Currants obtain a good deal of notice; as there are no stocks, however, transactions are confined to parcels on the way. Two shipments have been placed to arrive, in all twenty tons, at 6d, in bond. We hear of a shipment of pig-iron having been disposed of afloat at £6 the vessel to bo named on receipt of mail advices. In brandies we learn of a parcel of Otard's pale, hhds and quarters, having been sold, to arrive, at 6s fld. Several hundred case parcels of Hennessy's have been quitted at 295; and for a parcel of 200 oases, sold to arrive, 28s 6d was obtained. The advanco in geneva has been further established by sales at lis to lis 6d; though all the outside parcels havo not beon cleared off, and occasional sales of larger quantities turn up a shade under those rates. 600 cases were so placed. Inquiries for old torn aro experienced, and though for months, almost years, tho article has boen neglected, attention being at length directed towards it has led to tho sale of some 3000 cases to-day, at prices ranging from 8s 9d to 10s for what are called second brands, whilo 12s is required for Sir E. Burnett's. Bulk stout is much wanted, Two shipments of about a hundred hhds of Taylor, Walker, and Co.'s, to arrive, have been placed on private terms, Candles still meet with favour—some 4,000 boxes, recent purchases, have been re-sold to arrive, at an advance of 2d per lb on previous rates, 16d, in bond, having been real-' iaed for all disposed of. A report has beencurrent for the last two days that the Neva Company had raised the price of their brand, but the notification to this effeot did not reach us till this evening; the price now fixed is 17d per lb. A parcel of 500 bushels of malt, sold at 21s, has been resold in smaller parcels at 255, Good medium teas meet with fair inquiry at Is 9d. In tobaccoes, a parcel of seventy kegs of. Blackbird twists has been quitted in a line at fully up to lato sales.