COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

North Otago Times, Volume XI, Issue 347, 18 September 1868, Page 2

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Oamarit Times Office, Thursday Evening. The markets are without change. A meeting of the creditors of Messrs Royse, Mudie and Miller (the fiim alluded to in our last) took place this afternoon, at the Star and Gaiter Hotel. The liabilities weie stated at L10,132 39s Id, and the assets at L9922 2s 3d, leaving a deficit of L210 16s lOd ; this amount would, however, be increased by the sum of L1932 lls lOd bad debts included in. the assets, and a sum of L417 lls lOd, put down aa " doubtful" also tha depi eciation in value of shares in various companies, held by the firm, estimated at from L500 to L600, making the total deficit between L2643 and L2743, being in round figures a deficit of about 6s 8d in the pound. It was resolved that the estato of Messrs Royse, Mudie and Miller, exempting the private estato of Mr M. R. Miller, be handed over for realisation on behalf of the cieditois, to Messrs Webb and Locke, as assignees. The assignees to receive payment accoiding to the tariff of the Chamber of Commerce.

Wool — Tho following statistics are from the London "Times" :— Although tho imports of wool into the "United Kingdom havo very greatly extended dming the la<-t 13 yeais,— having amounted in 1853 to 119,396,449 lbs, and in 1867 to 233,703,104 lbs— tho exports have also consider ibly inci eased, having n'&en to 90,832,584 lbs last year, as compared with 11,725,369 lbs, in 1854, the tesult being that the excess of imports over exports did not exceed 142,870.600 lbs, as compared with 307,071,080 lbs in 1854. Smith Africa sent ua 7,221,448 lbs of wool m 18 .4, while hi 1867 the total had risen to 36,12(5,750 lbs. Australia is the quarter of tho world which most laigely contributed to the progress of our ■woo 1 wnpoits, having sent ua 47,076,010 lbs in 1854, and 133,108,176 lbs in 1867. South America forwarded 9,740,0 2 lbs in 1854, and 2,138,128 lbs in 1867. The Euiopean sources of our wool supply show no progress whatever, but, oa the coutiary, rathor a falling off.

The excess of imports available for home consumption attained its maximum last year, when it was 172,785,201 lbs ; in 1865 it was 129,761,817 lb* ; in 1864, 150,539,306 lbs: in 1803, 113,349,703 lbs ; in 1862, 123,8(56, 973 lbs; and in 1861, 92,795,737 lbs. Malting Barley.— One of the articles of export per Southern Cross, yestorday, was a parcel of 450 sacks of malfc, by our energetic member for Queensborough, Mr Bobert Walker, the well-known brewer of this city. We hear that Mr Walker has been a laige buyer of barley all the season, and has gone into malting on a large scale, for the purpose of supplying the other coloni.il markets with malt, in opposition to the English imported article. Our climate is very favorable for the giowfch of English barley, and also for malting. Should we at any time fall short of barley for malting purposes, the late importations from Lyttelton, New Zealand, show that we can supply ourselves from there. It is to be hoped that the speculation of Mr Walker will prove a successful one, not only for his own sake, but for the benefit of the colony at large, as it will give an impetus to agriculture and commerce. — Tasmanian Times.