COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 4452, 21 May 1875, Page 1

COMMERCIAL.

Lyttriton Tinu Office, ' Thursday Evening. The. Customs’ revenue collected to-day amounted to £231 6e Bd. The following were the items SpiritSi : l7ls gallons, £lO4 4s sa; wine, gallons, £9 145,~ sample 3s 6d; tea, 1771$lbs, £4l 5s 9d; sugar, 43321b5, £25125; stationery, 1 case, £1 14s ; galvanised iron, 4 cases, £2 Is; drapery, 4 cases, £3O 12s; matches, 1 box, £7 16s; watches, 1 box, £4 6s; sundries, 18s. The land sales to-day amounted to 2042 acres 1 rood, as follows Upper Christchurch, 148 acres; Timaru, 65; Waitangi. 50; Lincoln, 80; Banks Peninsula, 1084; Lyttelton, 27; Oxford, 588 acres 1 rood {—realising £4084105. Mr Aikmon reports on Mr B. Wilkin’s weekly Wool and Skin Auction, last Thursday, as follows A large quantity of skins were catalogued, and all sold at prices for best sorts about equal to those obtained the previous week; the second and inferior sorts were decidedly lower. Best butchers, 3s to 6s 2d; rough fat, 2Jd per lb; inferior, Ijd to 2d per lb. Mr B. E. Alport reports, that on Wednesday last -the .Canterbury Saleyards were barely supplied -with' sheep. An average quantity of, sheep were brought to market. A superior line of half-bred Bomney Marsh fat 2 tooth wethers brought 15s to 155.6 d; good half-bred Leicester fat’wethers, 11s 6d to 12s V do, do, Downs, lls. Fat cows and heifers brought £Blos to £10; do steers, £lO 10s to £l2; springing and dairy cows, from £7los to £l6; twoyear old store steers, £3 12s 6d. Prime mutton is worth 2sd per lb; beef, 30s to 35s per lOOlbs, The cattle market remains exceedingly’firm, and in sheep the tendency is upwards. .

Olaoo.—The Otago Daily Times of May 17 reports: —Thera Js not much to? cqspMri <?f.this ..week;.a Sfrtowri’trada hair been done, and there remains a good few orders from up-country for execution. The broken weather has proved ’bather a hindrance, and the reception of the Governor has caused business to; Ws slightly neglected. In spirits there is not much‘mcreasb-of business to report, but certain changea„are .working'round, which we may briefly Indicate. ' In brandy, we remark that HenneaSy hardly maintains the position so long accorded him. This may be temporary, and is possibly the periodical consequences of a continuous popularity, which, running down stocks, forces into the market brandies, the greenness of which is incapable of sustaining even so higha reputation. At all events, there ore one or two brands that have hitherto stood only second that are now- working their way into first rank; with all the Appearance-’ of speedily having their position. thus acknowledged. : In whisky, there is still a fair demand (or superior « distils—which would no-doubt be larger but 5 closing of ,the* Distillery Coirijaony. On reference tolast transactions, we whisky, New Company;.dSuig the months of February, March.aad April, were not anjph, mere than one-third,-.of;.the Quantity cleared'during the inpnths of )this year. " In rund, new source’of supply in’ bur own seas, which is not unlikely to grow into importance. Messrs' Joske Brothers, of the Fijis, advertisethe manufacture of.thiscoucomitant of fee sugar plantatioUoShouldthe sugar succeed—and it may be said to have; already done so—the pother will snocsed also.: To Geneva and Hoi* lands the same remarks respecting local distillation apply, which we have just; made in reference to whisky. In ale and beer the market is quiet. This is not the season .of largest consumption; but stocks are full and the trade supplied. In tea we hear of no large transactions, although a fair amount of business, in trade iota continues to be done,, and in teas of from good medium to fine, present season’s, old teas remaining neglected. jSngar is in abeyance—the trade for the present , stocked, i Mauritius sugars are held for firmer E rices—yellow cystitis are, If anything, a' Bqade igher. Advices from Port Louis are not propitious. It is said by one party “ The great deficiency in the rainfall usual at this season continues to cause jnuoh anxiety, and threatens to have a most serious effect on the production of our next crop. The cane fields to the north of the island ore suffering most severely, fpom the ; unusual drought, and even in the most favoured localities the canes are stunted, from want of sufficient moisture.” Oilmen’s stores are in regular and fair demand, .prices ordinarily well maintained. We hope and believe that the time has gone by for these goods being offered at a sacrifice. Importers are too systematically advised to admit of the occurence of gluts, and the demand is so steady that deviations either way can abide rectification. At present, stocks are in various articles deficient. Candles, selling in Melbourne “ at very tall prices,” are a shade improved in this market, and continue to harden.l Currants are at present in good stock. Eleme and.Caporaisins ate scarce;. In hams and bacon, the supply is deficient; imported axe riot in the market; colonM is scarce: fowl "looal br Canterbury, not“oveF'fair or neaVy,‘ well cured, would , readily -letch- at present Irom Is Sd to Is 4d per lb. - Cheese is bare in stock, with none coming forward-, .Holders pould Wt PP®' sibly nhd a bettor optortohity of (piitting thair stocks;’ Prices may be 4ubtM;ht'froiri' 9d to 9?iJ In jgrilvOriised iron the demand continues brisk, and exceeds the supply. Ori referring to ship-

meats advised, we notice that, up to last mail, the quantity announced will fall far short of covering the present extraordinary consumption. In OOmont, the demand continues to increase, hat the'supply is at present limited. We have previously alluded to concrete houses coming into use. In even the town of Oamaru, famed for its beautiful and easilyworked stone, concrete buildings are coming extensively into favour, a number of large grain store* so constructed being now in course of boUding, which, we ore given to understand, are, on the ground of economy of cost, superior to the stone. It is the possession on the beach, quite at hand, of the shingle indispensable for their construction which renders this locality specially favourable for concrete obtaining a preference. In fencing wire. Nos. 9 and 10 are scarce, and inquired for j with certain numbers the market is well supplied. Quantities on the way are not in excess for the ordinary demand. But this ordinary demand may be exceeded. Besides ti. e increased call which fresh railway contracts may entail, the proposed extension of hundreds, and proclamation of land for settlement upon deferred payments, may create a large demand for this article Flour remains unchanged. Outs are easier: Quotations upon the coast, 2s 6d per bushel; in town, from 2s 6d to 3s, according to quality. A little more disposition to dispose of parcels landing at the wharves rather than place them in store is observable. "We notice shipments going forward to Melbourne from coast porta—the Young Dick, at Oamaru, and last week the Ciroe at Moeraki, which took nearly 2000 bags. Wheat is equally quiet, and offering at from 3s 9d to 4s Id; for prime Timaru not over 4s Oau be ge t. Barley is in brisk demand at from 5s 3d to 5s 9d, at which prices sales are being made. For bran and pollard the demand, local and for export, continues good at last quotations. _ . London. —Messrs Bussell, Bitohie, and Co., have placed at the disposal of the Otago Daily Times the following telegram from London, received on Saturday last May wool sales opened firm, at an average of old prices, and trade in the manufacturing districts keeps good.