Commercial Intelligence.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 38, 28 December 1863, Page 2

Commercial Intelligence.

SYDNEY MARKETS.—Friday, Dec. 12. TnE Mli.ii. —Flour (silk dressed), £15 per ton ; second quality, £13. Bran, Is. 6(1. "Wheat., ss. lid. to Gs. per bushel. Bisci'it.—Mr. Wilkie's quotations are, for cabin 205., and for navy 15a. per lOOlbs. Mr. Hamilton's : ship 155., cabin 20s. per lOOlbs. Biiead—kl. per 21b. loaf. Yeisf.taiilks.—Potatoes Ss. to 9s. per cwt. ; onions Kis. per cwt. Bakk—4s. i)d. to ss. Gd. per cwt. There has been scarcely any business doing in the share market this week, and the few transactions that have taken plaeo have only been to a limited amount. Hank shares ai*e without any alteration. In steam shares there have been a few pales at quotations. Insurance shares are not so much in request, but prices are unaltered. Coal shares are not so firm. Wallscnd Coal Company's shares have b>'('ii offered at n decline cm the price quoted, but no sales have yet been made. Tho following arc the prices at which sales have been etl'ccted :—Hank of New South Wales, iMB pet' share; City Bank, .So 7s. fid. per share; Australasian Steam Navigation Company, £2S 10s. per share; Illawarra Steam Navigation Company, .£4 10s. per share; Clarence and Richmond Kiver Steam Navigation Company, .CM 10s. per share; United Fire and Marine Insurance Company, 225. per share ; Pacific File and Marine Insurance Company, £1 lis. per share; Sydney Exchange Company, .£3 per share.

The all-engrossing topic of the week has been the proposed alterations in tho tariif. No scheme ever met with such universal condemnation on the part of the mercantile and trading community as this, and, should it become law, we are told that not only will our trade with the neighbouring colonies be destroyed, but that several of our merchants will leave the colony, or establish houses in Melbourne or Queensland, where they can carry on their export trade unfettered by such injurious and unfair taxes. Great inconvenience has of course been felt during the week by the collector of the ad valorem duties, and as consignees will not pass their entries until the matter is settled l>y the Assembly, the ships that have lately arrived from London have been unable to discharge their cargoes. Trade is thus unsettled, and those who had onlered goods to meet tho approaching festive season of the year are unable to realise the profit they might have gained, unless they pay the duties and remain out of their money for suine time to como, should they bo remitted. It appears that merchants are already giving instructions to stop imports from the neighbouring colonies; the cargoes of the steamers that have lately arrived from Melbourne and Queensland showing a considerable tailing oil' lis compared with the avenige cargccs received before our Treasurer's financial policy was announced.

The ml valorem duties have boon abandoned by (he Oovenunent, the duty on mm is to be increased to 10s. per gallon. On wines—the duty on champagne, and sp:irl:lin£ wines, and lioek, Fiiutrme, v. claret, and moselle, is to he increased to 10s. per gal.; and on all othcx wines, in wood and bottle, 1101 exceeding in strength 'Jo percent, of alcohol, Us. per gallon. The duty on ale and porter, in wood aud bottle to be increased from 3d. to tid. per gallon. On dried fruits nuts, inul almonds, there is to be ;i duty of 10s. per C'.vt. On oils of nil kinds mid turpentine, 3d. per gallon. Ou candles. Id. per lb. Confectionery and raisins, 2d. per lb. On ricu there is to be a duty of 'Jd. per ton. llops, 3d. per lb. -Malt, Gd. per bushel.

The duty on manufactured tobacco is to bo increased to 2s. (3d. per lb.; unmanufactured, Is. 3d. per lb. Cigars and suuff, /is. per lb. Coffee and chicory, 3d. per lb.

On carriages there is to bo a duty of .Co to £10 each. Furniture and musical instruments Is. Gd. per cubic foot measurement outside tho package, and oil leather and manufactures thereof, Bs. per cubic foot measurement outside the package. Tho total amount eitiinated to be realized by these duties is £213,000. The stamp duties, as already proposed, are oxpeeted to realise £00,000; and the postage on newspapers, £10,000. Tho total amount of tho new imjiosts is estimated at £278,000. —December 10.

The new Tariff lias caused some speculation in those articles which are likely to be affected by the proposed duties. The increased duty on tobacco of lid. per !b. is strongly objected in consequence of it Iving likely to throw the trade of the country districts into tho bands of Victoria, the difference in the duly 'vim; to .'.'of. per toil.

We umlerstoml tlmt there was some it>quiry~f~T rice to-day, and sales have been made at an ndvaii". of from £2 to £2 10s. per ton .—lbid, Dec. 1 Mr. W. Dean, held to-day a very important s:i]i> t sugars, groceries, A:c. The sale was wl-11 utt.-ndi j For sugars the competition was and uLcm' 2000 bags were placed, at an advance of t<, Vi 10s. per toil. —Ibid, Dec. IS. *" J