COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 1779, 30 August 1866, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

CUSTOMS RETURNS. The following are the imports and exports and stocks in bond at the port of Lyttelton, for the week ending August 25 : For b, read bushels; e, cwt.; g, gallons; p, packages; f, feet; t, tons; os,bottles.

£ ■ £ Ale and Beer— ProvisionsBulk, 3000 g ... 430 Biscuit, 15 c ... 20 Apothecaries' wares, Preserved fish, 33 p... 257 5 p... 25 Arms, 18 ~,150 Salt, t ..,130 Bags— Pearl barlev, &e., Wlpacks, 32 p... 500 20 p " ... 40 Cornsacks, 15p 500 Cheeso, 44 o ...272 Books, 4 p... 170 Hams, bacon, &c, Carts,3o ...395 12 p ~. 160 Naves, 1618 ... 70 Ship chandleryChandlery— Canvas, 2 p... 100 Candles, 83J c 525 Tar and pitch, Soap, 25 c, ... 45 15 p... 48 Starch, blue, Seeds, 3 c ... 10 &c..l6Mp ... 629 Plants,dp ... 20 Corks, 2 p... 45 SpiritsCoals, 5201 ...1000 Brandy, 1049 g... 630 Coffee, 15720 lb ...620 Swt. Gin, 235 g 110 Drapery, 15 p...1000 Rum, 628 £ ... 125 Earthenware, 5 p... 95 Whiskey, 335 g 110 Tobacco pipes, Of wine, 20 g ... 15 170 p... 70 Stationery, 31 p.. 799 Glassware, 120 p... 395 Paper, 37p ...664 Fumiture,37p ... 386 5ugar,2077781b5...4025 Fruitn- Tea, 6417 lbs ... 633 Dried, 50 p... 400 Tinware, 4 p... 80 Green, 23p ...18 Tobacco, 22771b ...270 Nuts,, 5 p... 10 WineHarness and Sad- Bottled, 302 g ... 283 dlery, 3p ,„ 60 Woodware, 15 p... 60 Hops, 15 pockets... 190 Instruments— £24,485 Musical 4 p... 205 irurveying,lp ... 140 REMOVALS COASTWISI. Iron— Eod, 03| t ... 990 Drapery, 1 p... 10 Galvanised, Spirits—lOt ... 300 Whisky, 27 g ... 10 Nails, 26 c ... 90 Ironmongery, £2O 173 p... 523 Jewelry, 1 p... 200 exports. lead, c ... 65 Oil— Ale and beerColza, 475 g ... 165 Bottled, 760 g ... 100 Linseed, 650 g ... 144 Bags— Kerosine, 340 g 148 Cornsacks,4op... 500 Oilmen's stores, Spirits—--119 p... 293 Brandy, 2 g ... 2 Painters'mater- Sugar, 620 lbs ... 13 ials,44p .„ 273 Tea, 130 lbs ... 13 Paper-hangings, W001,231201b5...1600 6p ... 80 Plant, railway— £2228 1016 rails ) 2199 fishplates [4OOO 86 packages J

DUTIES, £ 8 s Spirits 511 15 0 Wine 40 O 0 Ale and beer ... ... ... 214 1 0 Tobacco and Cigars 118 17 7 Other duties 85914 3 £1744 7 10 BIOCKB IK BOND.

Greymodth.—The Grey River Argus of August 25, reports : Tho amount of revenue rccoivod at tho Customs on goods cleared for homo consumption on Thursday and Friday was as follows:-Thursday, August 23, £135 lis (Jd; Saturday, August 2t, £2O 3s 2d. During tho week business has boon very quiet, and tho trado done has only beon from hand to mouth. There is littlo chunge to nolo in prices, which may bo said to bo nominal. Adelaide (lour, brings from £25 to £2O per ton; Christchurch and Dunedin, £2l to £22, Horsefed continues dull-oats.are value 8s per bushel; chaff, £22 per ton, with a heavy supply. Hams and bacon, Is Od to is od per lb respectively, for Sinclair's or Coey's. Good butter brings full rales, say 2s 4d to 2s Od per lb. For wines and spirits there is a fair demand. Brandies continue scarce, Uennessy's and Martell's, in bulk, 10a to 0s Od por gallon, in bond; other brands, Os, Sydxev.—The Herald of August 18 reports : .

_ Transactions in the stock and Bharo market since our lust report have been chielly in Now South Wales and Queensland Government securilies. The high rate of interest offered on the Treasury bills of tho latter has induced persons having capital to invest to take up ull offering, and tlicj" are now geneially held for I per cent premium. Hank shares have improved since tho arrival of the mail. Early in the week a parcel of Joint Slocks wcro sold at £l6, and a gmuhVsale was afterwards made at 16}, but tho greater part of tho sales havo been at 16£, at which they close firm. Commercials have improved ltis per share, and nrc now held for £55. Bank of New South Wales shares havo been dono at £l3, and'afterwards at £1 higher. Bank of' New Zealand and City Bank shares brought last week's prices- Steam and insurance shares arc neglected; the only operations reported in either are A.S.N. Compnny at £lo£, and Pacih'o Insuranco at £3i-. Gaslight shares have again advanced ;-. a parcel changed hands at £l2 cum dk In coal and mining shores there is nothing to report, except a. sale of Wallscnd at £i\i' New South Wales debentures due in 1871 nd 1892 were disposed of at £1)0 and £93; and

intcrminablos at £9O and £Bs—tho lattor is the lowest liguro at which they havo boon quitted in Una market. New South Wales Treasury bills aro soarco and command par; a salo has boon made at that rato during tho weok, Quoonslnnd Treasury bill's havo sold freely at J nor cont, and a fow at 1 per cont premium, closing steady at tho lattor rato.

Spenking of tho effects of the English financial panic in India, tho Times of India of May 23 says : It was not until tho pross telegram of tho 11th camo to hand on tho 21st that tho public wore fully nwaro of tho stalo of affairs in England. This telegram gave details of tho panic in the oity, the failure of tno English Joint-Stock Bank, and of Sir Morton Peto; staled that Messrs. Ovorond and Gurnoy's liabilities woro £19,000,000; announced that the Bank discount had boon raised to 9 por cont.; and spoke of the probable suspension of tho Bank Charter. Fortunately for Bombay this messago arrived siinultauoously with that of tho 12th, in whioh tho virtual suspension of the Bank Charter Act was announced, and wo were informed by tho opinion oxprossed by the Chancellor of tho Exehoquor that tho uneasiness in monetary affairs was not consequent upon any unsoundness in tho business of the country; and that confulonco was returning. Tho public felt that Great Britain had seon the worst of tho crisis, and looked for an improvement in each succeeding telegram. During yestorday afternoon a messago appears to havo arrived, dated tho loth, but- its contents havo not transpired, This almost total suspension of telegraphic communication with Europo during the Inst ten (lays has tended to deepen tho gloom which Ims settled on all commercial circles in Bombay sinco the great fall in the Liverpool cotton market bocamo known. Perplexity was much increased by tho conflicting rumours in circulation, purporting to be based on tho latest telograms received, quoting fair Dhollera at all prices, varying from 7d to 12d per lb, In Bombay the present delays in telegraphic communication with England aro supposed by many to be owing to ono or other of tho Continental Powers having stopped, for scrutiny, all messages passing through their territory. Meantimo no new transactions in business aro entered upon, and there is still hesitation in torcing claims which, not being met, would causo widespread insolvency. Some few failures for very large amounts are already reported, the following parties having called meetings of their creditors: Messrs. Sorabjee and Norowjeo Nanabhoy (trading in London also under tho (inn of S, P. Framjce and Co.): Manockjeo Limjeo and Co, j Govind Girdhurj Tt. Diver; Curseljeo Furdonjee and Co.; and 0 ssenbhoy Nathabhoy, Sons, and Co. Meetings havo been held with referenco to tho three first-named, and trustees appointed for liquidating the estates under tho insolvent Act of 1865. Messrs. S. and N. Nanabhoy's liabilities are said to be £BOO,OOO. while it is expected their assets will enable them to pay from 10s to 12s 6d in tho pound. Messrs. Mnnoekjee Limjce and C).'s liabilities are put down at £100,009, and their assets at £420,000, Tho liabilities of tho others have not yot boon made public. Considerable oxcitoment has been caused by a charge being laid in the police-court agaiust Mr. Sorabjee P. Framjee, of criminal breach of trust and intent to defraud. The charge was brought by Mr, Beattie, agent of the Commercial Bank, and it arose out of the too common practice of advances being made to exporters under a verbal promise that the documents shall be brought when the consignment is made up and the bill of lading fdlcd in. Mr. S. P. Framjee had received Es 73,000 from the Commercial Bank on account of this shipment of 500 bales, but ho only supplied documents for 388 bales. It is urged on. his part that there was no dishonest intention, and that he only failed to make up the quantity agreed for owing to the untoward circ imstances connected with his failure. It is also stated that when Mr. S. P. Framjee found himself unable to furnish tho documents for the remaining 112 bales, ho deposited some shares with tho bank representing Es 30,000. The case stands adjourned. A similar charge of fraud has been brought against Govind Girdhur, a Bhattia merchant, who had obtained Es 30,000 from a commission house on promise that he would hand to them documents for 300 bales of cotton; but this charge was dismissed, the magistrate considering that the prosecution quite failed to show " dishonest intention," though there might be ample ground for a civil action for a breach of contract. These incidents are illustrative alike of the suddenness of the disaster which has befallen the cotton exporters of Bombay, the laxity in forms of business practice, arising partly from the implicit confidence placed in merchants of established reputation, and the distrust and ill-feeling which aro now excited by the pecuniary difficulties felt by all classes in Bombay. COMPARATIVE CUSTOMS EETUENS. The following return is compiled from an official return appended to tho Financial Statement made by the late Colonial Treasurer, showing the revenue derived from the Customs duties in the several provinces, during each quarter of the financial year 1805-6, ending June 30,1866:-

TEE WEATIIEB.

TmjßßDiT,Ano,29, The following is a copy of the telegram posted at tho Government Buildings:—

Boaley, 10 a.m. Wind N.E., light. Weather fuio and clear. Rivers low.

,Greymouth, 10 a.m. Wind N.E., light, Wcather'lino. Bur good, L . 10 a.m. WindS.W. Went!"rfine. Barrough.

NOTICE TO CORItisPONDENTS.

O. Fraz.-Deolinod with thanks.

A M o Deliver .2 .« 43 « d 0 &D g. § 5 "2 'p | § a o 3 a o fq Goods. a -0 9 °° A 0 > KM ; ; M a S a S 8 a M $ wm n Brandy, g ... 16023 1049 286 2 15781 Geneva, g .„ 2917 223 2091 Sw. Gin, g ,„ 6855 235 102 5988 Ruip.g ,.. 2220 628 31 2817 Whiskey, g ... 4900 336 381 27 4827 Other spirits, g 902 12 956 Wine, bulk, g 14O80] 87 13999 Do. bottled, g 2332 302 48 2588 Ale & Beer, bk 10950 200 10750 Do. bottled, g 21420 1254 760 19400 Tobacco, lbs... 2277 700 .„« .„« Sheepwash, lb 107258 7 34 7 101488 Cigars, lbs ... 6423 138 6285 8ugar, lbs ... 128110142879| 52846| 620|217523 Tea, lbs 33525 5417 2724 130 30088 Coffee, lbs ... 11230 142401 740 24(130 Oilmen's 8trs,p 707 107 32 842 Drapery, p ... 3 1 2 Soap, carjdles 102 176 152 125 Fcing mtls, p 137 137

1866. March ... 37,870 June ... 42,052 Totals ... 160,858 a "a 0 ST & 1 " 15 CO f. 03 ib "tO 01 CO O 0) M 00 03 01 ft ft £> hi 5 H 5. H o o 2 « Auckland. 3,151 4,OS9 16,417 Jf» If05 01 H 03 <I o Taranalri. 21,476 23,886 85,944 £ 20,185 20,397 Wellington, 6,230 6,538 24,188 03 ll*03 -J ft to to CO H Hawke'« Bay. m <o co p oo Nelson, w to co "cote CD to CO *> *. to to CO vj £ 19 03 Mft to -J 03 W Marlborough, 70,793 \ 65,774 243,880 £ 41,792 65,071 Canterbury. 49,824 8,892 45,72l! 9,281 193,349, 32,091 1 47,950 6,679 49,855 7,302 Otago. Southland, o co i : : u, Chatham Islands, to to " 208,706 167,690 i 207,887 179,052 799,847 63S,446J tO M O CO 03 O O H to a Total Iiovcnuo, ft 18115-0. H H 01 If 0 o to M tO Q 01 CO Total Revenue, ft 1804-6. i! 41,016 ] 28,835 | 161,401 ! £ | 39,451 ;j . 52,099 Increase.. The following table, based on I lie preceding, shows the actual centesimal ineivuso or decrease in die Customs Hevenue of each pmvinee, between tlie lln:meial years 1864-5 and 1805-0 :— I^^^^^^^^^^S^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H Phovincbs. AcTUAn. Gkntbsimai,, Inc. Dec. Inc. Dec. Auckland Tnninuki Wellington Ifawlio's Uuv ,. Nelson... .'.. .. Marlborough .. Canterbury Otago Southland Chatham Island £ 1167 20(1 lfi 0701 (I3U7 163101) 2128 I 62 £ 20118 ... 11.5 7.8 ... ... 63.8 ... ... 38,3 ... 20.0 ... 1048 ... 21.7 ... 10D.3 ... »4H ... 4.0 iil.8 ... ... 130.0 ...