COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1873, 17 January 1870, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

AUCKLAND. New Zealand Hekaxd Office, Saturday afternoon. Customs Revenue.—Duties, £343 lie 6d ; light dues, £1 3s 6d; arms fees, 7s; port charges, 15s 6d.—Total, £345 17s 6d. C.Arthur and Son report the following prices realised at their Mart on Saturday : Ducha, Iβ lOd to 2e 4d each ;S iowls, Is 3d to 2s 10d; rabbits, Iβ Id to Is 5d s geese, 4a 3d; turkeys,

young, 2s 7d ; onions, lid to ljd per lb ; potatoes, 4s to 5s per cvrb.; Sydney cheese, 4d to 6kl per 1b ; Wnriou ditto, 7d per lb ; Waikato bncon, 8d per lb ; .butter, 8\ per lb ; rice, lid to l.Jd per lb ; sugar, 4id to 4Vd per lb ; flour,"£l3 to £14 per ton. Furniture sold at fair prices.

TAKA-WAKI. Retail Pjiices.—Butchers' men' , per lb., 4d to G\d; mutton, per lb. A \ 5f *• pork, per lb., Bel to 6cl. \}^ a f~P &e.: bread, 21b. If., otl; ft loolb 19s to 225; sharps Tβ; brn- 5s 14s; oalmcnl, per lb., 4t d to gd wLc]l , bushel, us to 6s 6d ; c< budid 5s fid lo 6s } maize, per busW fe cw 6d to 4s ;_straw, per t> 3s to g 3 £ d cha(r C £ % ,°?\ 7s to 11s per load.— Jicrald, Jan. J NELSON. M f jssvs. J«7. Edwards & Co. quote £16 per lon . for Rod and Hounscll's superfine Hour; bran, £6 per ton ; -pollard, £7 per ton ; sharps, £0 per ton ; tvlimit, per bushel, from 5s to 5s 6d ; barley, os 6d to Os ; oats, 5s to 5s 6d; potatoes, new, £8 per ton ; hay, per ton, £5 103 to £6 10s ; boor, per hhd., .•Cβ ; per dozen, 8s; bricks, per 1,000, £i; lime, per bushel, 3s 6cl; boards unci scantling—white pine, .per 100 iuct, 113; red pine, 18s; shingles —totara, per 1,000, 17s ; totara, 18s per 100 feet; kauri—9 by $, 14s; 9by 1, 15s; I\T. and G,, 16s 6d ; wide timber, 17s Gd to 25s ; shingles, 15 s.

Retail Provisions.—Beef, per 11) 4d to 8d; mutton, per lb 3d to 5d ; bread, per 21b. loaf, 4d.— lCxniniiwr, Jan. 1.

LYTTEIiTON. Considerable improvement has taken place in business, during the last few days; country orders have come forward freely, and altogether more animatoin has been noticeable than for some time past. The last 4th was tided orer better than had been anticipated, but an uneasy feeling still exists in consequence of the numerous wild rumours floating about. Credit has been much shaken, still tho bulk of the traders are meeting their engagements satisfactorily, and we feel quice convinced that confidence will be restored in a month or two. In tho grain market very little has been doing for some time past. The recent heavy rains have not done so much damage as was generally expected, in fact wo have it from the best authority that the actual damage is comparatively triilling. Li a few instances where the crops were unusually heavy some loss will result, but if we have fine weather for the next few weeks we shall have a splendid harvest. Tho unsettled weather has delayed shearing considerably, and some stations have not yet begun. Small parcels of old wheat are offering at 3s 9d to 4s, but some difficulty is experienced in obtaining purchasers. A few sales of new have been effected for subsequent delivery, but the price is not yet public. Flour is standing at £10 10a to £11, and although held heavily by the millers, there is no present signs of any further reduction. Oats find no demand, quotations being merely nominal at3a forold. New oats are selh'ng at 2s 6d. Barley also is offering, a few parcels of new have been quitted at 4s.

A steady trade Las been done in general merchandize, as stocks are gradually workingoff. Sugars are slightly firmer and a few sales hare been effected at a trifling advance. Crushed loaf is in fair request at £56 to £58; white crystals, £49 to £50; ration, £40 to £42. Teas are held heavily, and at W. H. Hargreaves' sale ou the 6th inst. very lon rates were obtained. Cornsacks continue languid at 1-1-3 to 1-ls 3d, but there is every probability of better prices being obtained when the export of grain commences, as there is no doubt that, our surplus will be far heavier than in any previous yeai , , and more bagging will of necessity be required. Woolpacks moring off in small lots nt 4s Gd. Fencing wire is improving somewhat, as stocks have beeu materially lessened. Galvanised iron is dull as several heavy lots are advortised for sale by public auction. Oilman's stores continue in good request. Fine salt is moving oft" readily at £o to £5 ss.— Press, Jan. 8.

OTAGO. The amount of business carried through today lias been unimportant, and there is qui'c an indisposition to transactions of moment. Generally, quotations are without change, and the markets not affected by last advices. At Messrs. M'Lnndress, Hepburn, and Co.'s rooms, the sugars ex Annie Brown were offered with little success, the well supplied state of the market rendering purchasers indifferent. Messrs. Driver, Maclean, and Co. report: — We held the first wool sale of the season at our warehouses, High-street, yesterday. There was a fair attendance of buyers and others interested in this staple. The catalogue comprised 655 bales, of which 128 were sold under the hammer, at prices ranging from 6£d to to 7Jd per lb for greasy, and 12id, to 13d. for cold water -washed, showing a slight improvement upon those realised at our opening sale of last season. The remainder was passed, partly from want of instructions, and partly on account of large portions of clips which were catalogued having been detained on the road by the late floods. This, with further large clip now coming forward, -will be offered at our next sale, on Wednesday, 12th inst. — Times, January 10.

SYDNEY. The import markets opened with great inactivity, which continued throughout tho day. This is only what may be expected at what may be termed tho dull season in commercial circles. The only change that has occurred is an advance in bulk ale. Holders of best brands now ask £fl 15s to £8 ; good second brands arc also held for higher rates. Breadstuffs move slowly at £12 to £13. Adelaide old wheat has been sold at 63 4d.

T.ic Statistical "Registrar for ISGS has been issued from (iio Government Printing Office, and enables 113 to give a brief comparative resume of the trade and commerce of tlio culoity during that your, ;is shown by returns from thi! Recistrnr-Gencriil's department. In 18U8, wo imported from tho United Kingdom goods valued at £2,CG0,130, und exported thence £4,186,960, leaving excess of exports £820,530. From British colonies we received to the value of d5t.,200,778 in return for which we ient goods valued nt £3,466,220, leaving a debit balance of £734,549. In ourtmdo with " British colonies," a considerable amount is represented by gold sent for coinage and transit to the homo markets. Victoria eent 130,099 ounces, valued at £536,952 ; and received direct in coin 7-1G,995 sovereigns. From New Zealand we got £630,284 worth of gold dust and returned only £204,000 in coin Queensland sent 150,735 ounces of gold, valued at £573,047, and received back only £10,510 in coin. Commercial relations witii foreign States are represented by imports valued at £1,190,169, exports £239,715. Taking the two years the account stands thus :—

Imports. 1867. 1868. United Kingdom £2,203,462 £2,660.430 British Colonies 3,525,986 4,200,778 Foreign States 870,356 1,190,109 Totals £0,599,804, £8,051,377 Exports. United Kingdom £3,111,108 £3,486,960 British Colonics 3,593,038 3,4f>6,229 Foreign states 176,569 239,715 Totals £6,880,715 £7,192 904 In the former year the imports were at tho rate of £15 Os Bd, and the exports at tbo rate of £15 13s 6d per head of population . lu IS6B, the imports wore at the rate of I £17 ss, and the exports at the rate of j £15 8s 3d per head. Apart from transactions ■with the colonies Jasfc year's account stands : Imports, £3,850,599; exports, £3,726,675. The.- largest items of export last year were I wool, £2,G93,105, of which £1,879,751 was > the produce of this colony ; gold, £2,153,621,

New So £1,895,929 was from the mines of .g9n<> c dth Wales; coal, 518,036 tons, value leaf*" ' M 1 ? tallow, £17fi,340 ; hides and .acr, £105,095 ; live stock, £47,943 ,- >tnn, &c,, £226,458 ; salt meat, £35,635 ; butter and cheese, £19,071 ; ! timber, £12,707. The shipping inwards numbered 2073, representing 724,193 tons, an increase of 205 vessels and 77,223 tons on 18G7. The value of gold received per escort during 1868 was £894,829, or about, £31,000 in excess of the receipts during the preceding year. The wheat crop in 1867 yielded 1,433,807 bushels ; in 18G8 the vield wa3 r,887,03S bushels. In 1868-9,412,537 gallons of wine were made, against 285,283 gallons for 1867-8. On December 3lat. 1868, our mone- . tary institutions held coin and bullion valued . £2,379,916, an increase of £598,698 during the year, while in the bank note circulation there was an increase of £54,366. The Savings Bank held £874,921 as against , £711,215 on deposit on 31st Deeombor, 1867. ; Amongst all our local industries there is ' nothing that pan vie with tho rapid progress ! of sugar-growing. Five years ago the colony ' produced 280 lbs., during the season 1867-8 it ■ had increased to 134,740 lbs., but during tho year ending 31st March last, no less than ' 3,261-,824 lbs-, or within a fraction of 1432 ' tons were produced. Taking tho value of this J at £35 per ton—a low estimate, if we consider } that it supplied the place of au article upon which freight would have to be paid from \ Sydney—-tlie sugar crop of last year re- ' presented tho sum of £50,120. These and ( other facts detailed in the official document from which wo have quoted amply testify the material progress of the colony. — Herald, Jan. 4. "•; Wheat is quoted at 5s for old Adelaide, 4s for colonial per bushel. Maixe is firm at 3s 4d. Cape barley, 2s to 2s 6d ; English barley, 2s Gd to 3s; bran, Is 2d — Umpire.

MELBOURNE. Business has been quiet. In breadstuffs trade sales of flour continue to be readily made at£ll 10s to £12. There have been no sales of wheat; Adelaido is quoted at 5s 3d to 5s 4d. Oats have been bought up somewhat largely at 3s 9d to 3s 10d. Speculative purchases of maize have been made to the extent of 6000 bags, at prices which have not transpired. Trade parcels arc quoted at from 3s 5d to 3s 6d. A parcel of Marrian's ale has found a buyer at £8. Whitbread's stout selling at £6 5s to £6 10s. In rice 14,500 bags Patna have changed bands ; the terms have not transpired. Tho R. H. Jones's cargo of Mauritius sugar will be offered in tho auction room tomorrow. The Martha Rideout has arrived from Puget Sound with a cargo of lumber. The last port at which she called was San Francisco. No later news, however, is to hand. — Arqut, December 31.