COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2122, 9 October 1867, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Lylltlton 7Vm<s ()(Hce, . . Tuesday livening. The. Customs;.revenue .collected at Christ- : chureli ; to-day .'umountcil to X:i49 : 9s fid ■ Tlio following, were the items:—Wine, £7 flsiid; spirits,; £lO7 18s Gil ; ale, bulk, £l2 Ills; tobaceo,,. £19,,128 6d/j gooda per measurement, £193 16s Gil ; goods pcr.wtiglji, £8 2s 6d ; light dues, 4s lOd. Thti -.Customs revenue collected at Ly ttelton this day amounted to £476 l.'ia 4d. The following were the items:—spirits, £42 12s ; wine, £slßs j sugary £21358 lid ; ien','.£l79 lis Gil ; goods by measurement, £32 139 3d ; goods, by weight, 19s; light dues, 12s 8d ; arms fees, Ss; -merchant shipping fees; 17s',

HoiUllT Town.—The Mercury of Sept, 18 .'reports:—

To-day hris-'been-a dull day in thp.markots, and although produce generally is in tair supply tho demand is very light. Further stocks have just come to handby the, Boomerang froui.Lauhccstpn, ; which briiig* 1120 bags. wheat, and' 155 .bags sharps, consigned to order. Wo have heard of no sales to-day north notice. Floiir is quoted at from £9 10s to £lO per torn Bratvls per bus ei.:. Sharps, £6 to £7. per ton. Wheat is ' quoted at from to 43;4<i per ihushel, at which price small sales hare been made, but purchases aro wholly from hand to mouth. Oiits, 2h to 2s 2d per bushol. English barley it out of the market ; there is nono in hand, but Bmull parcels ; are enquired for, for seed. Cipo barley is rarely enquired for, and sales have been miido at from 2s 2d to 2s id per bushel. 'Potatoes aro quoted at from £2 16s to £3 5s per ton, bags in. Good ►ainplos of onions are searco, and inferior., aro difficult of salo. Wo have heard quotations given ranging from £3 to £4 per ton, but' all depends upon: quality.' There .has been little business doing in butter, brokers hold for Is per lb., but .sales by auction have been made at from 4d to 9d. Bacon is. quoted at from fid to 9d per lb,, very dull, and hams at from 8d to lOd per lb.

. MAuRiriDS,— I The ;■ .Commercial. Gazette of Aug, 17 reports as follows of the sugar trade:—

The market has been extremely active since pur last outward maij; and the wet weather neeessitating the many plauters to slop the manipulation of their canes, a sufficiency of produce has not come to market to meet fully tho demand or to enable, us to establish quotations. It day be ■noted, however, ..that.'.several: large..transactions 'have .been effected for the Uniled Kingdom iu greys, Nos, 12 and 13, at from sdol 10c to 6dol 20c,. and in N0.14, from sdol 25c to odol 35c; grey syrups, Nos. 6,and 7, : fetch 3dpl 50c to 3dol 70c: Nos. 7 and 8,3d0l 70c to .Idol 90c; and No. .10, 4dol 20c. About 17,000 bags of yellows and rations for th"e, Australian colonies have been purchased, as also from 3000 to 4000 bags of white, crystals for the samo destination, ; The prices of these sorts, as given below, represent the figures at which'business has been effected. Our shipments to the Australian colonies in August and' September of last year amounted to about 13,000 tons, but this season up to present date no more than 1800 tons have gone forward. For Bombay there has been a good demand, about 8000 to 10,000 bags having changed hands for th-.t presidency. Finest white crystal, above No. 20, 7dol to 7dpl 15c; white crystal, No. 2, Nos. 19 and 20, Gdol 16c to Bdol 00s; yellow do. No. 1, fidol 50c; dp do, No. 2, Gdol to .Gdol 25c; very fine yellow, No. 1 counters, 6dpi 75c to Gdol: good yellow,. No. .2 db, .5d01:6dc.tp..5d0l .76e; fine yellow syrups, odol to 6dol 25c,;.'g00d do,idol Gsc to 4dol 85c; low dark to fair rations; 3dol 50c to 4dol 50c.

The following is the twenty-fifth annual.; report of the directors of the Union Bank of Australia.,, The.. report was submitted at a; meeting held ih London on July 15 : — - The directors have to report that the. effects, of. the monetary pressure in Australia and New Zealand, which followed upon the London panic of 1866, Have proved mora enduring than tbey had reason to believe when they;last had the pleasure of meeting the proprietors. Thesehave unfortunately occasioned an increase of Tos«, which has been provided for,;; Notwithstanding this, however, the directors £iro enabled .to■.declare 1 the. same diyidend aa for the;previoua year, iarid to submit a statement of accounts which they confidently, believe must prove satisfactory to the proprietors. It will be readily understood that a contraction of business in some of the principal places has followed upon the commercial difficulties alluded to; but latest, advices tend to shew that though the operations open to the tank may consequently become somewhat more limited 'for a time, they will nevertheless furnish a sound medium for the profitable employment of <the ba k's sources,. Tt is ferj important to note that, although there has been recently a decline in the pric of wool;, the great colonial staple, its relative value baa been more steadily maintained in this country than that of any cither article of produce;.. that the yield of gold has been fairly kept up, and .that, generally the main ■ interests of the colonies continue healthy and prosperous. The directors report, with much satiifaction, that the despatches they receive continue to afford the fullest evidence of the sound intelligence and unabated zeal of the general manager and the bank's staff, Sir Charles Nicholson, Bart., and Sir Henry Watson Parker are the directors who retire on this occasion, in accordance with the.'deed,of . settlement, and offer themselves for re-election, The statement of accounts: presents, a net profit of £108,017 4s lOd available for division. The directors have therefore determined 11 apply the sum of £1CG,250 as a dividend of £2 2s 6d per shave for the half-year. Tho dividend warrants.' will be transmitted by post for 23rd instant, and m the colonies the dividend will be payable as spoil as the inspector shall fix after receipt of advices. " <

, The following report on the Panama, New Zealand, and Australian Royal. Mail Company is from the Panama Star and Herald of August 24

'^i®'fdij«y. meeting of this,company, was held, at the London Tavern on the 12th of July, Mr E. 0 ~ e"i the chair.. The report stated that the Working account exhibited an expenditure during the year, inclusive of insurance, repairs, renewals, P 0 ™ wceipits smoniitihy. to Ufy,Bs6, resulting in .a debit balance, of £0,514., Tp. this was added the intrrest^b'n,debentures, and; other home expenses, in all £H2,063; : making; t"g'.-ther £lß,6o7,:whioh was reduced bv the previ* ous credit balance of £9,026 to ifySil. The directors could, not therefore recommend a dividend for the,past , jflkr,. Tho Chairuian. in m. 'ving. the adoption of tbe report, expressed his rcgrer and th.tof his colleagues that the working was n>,t so satisfactory as could have been wished. The falling off in the receipts of tho oompany was Owing .to the interprovincial and intercolonial lines, but at the same time, while they regretted the. past il wai gratifying to know that tho d fE- ; culties, so far as tho local lines were concerned, hid be,m overcome. The Panama line itself had succeeded beyond expectations, with the excep-. tion that it was hot-fully Supplied with outward bound passengers, because some people were airaid of the supply of coal running short and a delay .taking place; but extra coaling, stations bad : been established, and that difficulty, h- hoped, was thu-i obviated. Tho exceptional circumstances which had operated against the company were not likeiy t') occur again, and thero was every reason that they should look hopefully to the : future. Ilie;.mption having beenvseoomled wa-, atier a.short discussion, adopted, and the proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks to tho chairman and directors.