COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume X, Issue 2902, 17 May 1873, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

New Zkaland Zlkrauj Offlce. Friday evening. The week closes quiet, and there hus been no improvement in business to-day or yesterday ; on the whole, stocks of leading articles are well held for the advanced prices quoted in the Australian colonies. Thero is an outside demand for quicksilver at 4s. Blasting powder has been secured by two or three leading firms. Messrs. Brogden and Sons are shipping to Olago, GOO -barrels, ex Edinburgh Castle. Cement has been bought up at 19s Ctl. Rosin has changed hands at £1*1? 10s per ton. Candles arc held for lljd ; sugars are stiffening, and tho clearances for home consumption of Mauritius have been large. Teas are well held. Tobaecoes are nowhere. SalL is overstocked, but in first hands Bhould be held for bet ter prices, £-1 5s to £4 10s are the fair quotations. Oatmeal has risen in value, and may be quoted at £20 to £22 per ton.^ The East Lothian is on the berth for New York, laden by the owners, Messrs. R. Walker and Co. Sho hus already received a large parcel of kauri gum, and she will bo despatched hence in about ten days. Tho Hilton Castle, chartered by the New Zealand Freight Company (Limited), is very shortly expected here, and it is the intention of the Auckland Freight Association to lay hor on for London. Wo have been requested (o anuounce this fact.

Wo take the following interesting statemcnt from Messrs. Stables, Straker, and Co's circiil.il' for February :—Although the successive returns which we hare jjlaced before our clients during the past year will lmve fully prepared thein for a considerable increase iu the value of shipments to tho colonies, we must confess to a certain amount of admiration at, •ho extraordinary recuperativo energy displayed by the Australian trado during the past twelve months, evidenced by the aggregate figures for the year which we non submit. Those totals furnish yet another instance of the " leaps and bounds" (to use the cant phrase of the day) by which our commerce lias of late extended ; but whether they are of a character altogether to satisfy our friends within the trade is a question which we must leave themselves to solve. For comparative uurposes we subjoin tiie aggregate declared values exhibited during a series of yeurs, viz : £ £ 1572 —14,775,000 I ISG7— 9,473,100 | 1866—12,5 i 1,100 IS70 — 9,975,300 | 15C.5—12,693,300 1860- 13.422,000 I ISG4-11,501,700 1803—11,651,000 j This statement shews that the exports of the past year excced those of its predecessor by about forty per ccnt., and are also considerably above our return for 1569 (the highest lenown). A proportion of this increase is to be attributed to the rise in value of various articles of export, which may be assumed on the average at about 15 per cent-. ; but as these enhanced declared values commenced to tell with any great force upon our columns only towards the latter half ol the year, when shipments were at their highest, it is probable that a 10 per cent, addition on the year would fairly represent tho increased valuation as compared with increased quantities. Applying this correction to the figures for 1572 we are reduced almost identically to the totals for 1869; nor can we fail to notice that tho increase in the past yearlarge thjusli it undoubtedly be—does little more than balance the deficiency of the t.wo previous years. Jn reviewing the transactions of 1572, the fact which strikes us most forcibly lis tlie exient to which the past, six months has contributed to the general total:—iu June, I aggregate values stood at £5,550,000 only ; the following half-year added £9,220 000, or very nearly double that of the previous term. Whether these figures c?an be profitably maintained is a question which will be answered ufllrmatively or otherwise according to the opinions (perhaps wishes) of each individual shipper, That up to the present time shipment's, on the average, have not been excessive few will dispute, and though they have proved to be going forward freely of late, we are inclined to regard this fact, as only the natural result of legitimate forces acting upon a market hitherto unduly bared of stocks ; nor,

whilst the produce of the colonies maintuins iis present value do we see much cause for anxiety. We cannot, however, disguise from ourselves that export:- have now reached iigures unu-imlly high j tlmt a not inconsiderable amount of speculation has been rife in the colonies of late, in connection with and other enterprises ; that the prospects ot' the \vo>) market, to say the least, furbid the expectation of uny further increase in value; thai the present aspect of the coal question warrants the gravest apprehension as to its eirect upon the cost of manufactures; and la-tly that the trade of the country is progressing at a rate that may, in conjunction with external inlluenccs, stimulate the demand for money at any moment. Under these circumstances, though we have no present reason for doubting the average prosperity of the current year, We hold that fully sufficient ground exists for the exercise of vigilance and caution when planning operations which extend over so long a period as the Australian market requires. The aggregate declared values to the respective markets are a3 follows : — Melbourne, 1872, ±,6,313,400 ; increase upon 1871, £1,409,300. Sydney, 1872, £3,723.500 ; £1.074,500. Queen-land, 1872, £611,500 ; .£257,601) ; Adelaide, 1872, £1,515,600; £412,100. Swan Biver, 1872, £197,400 ; £104,200. New Zealand, 1872, £2,290,900; £847,300. Tasmania, .872, £123,700 ; decreaso, £37,000. The gross tonnage cleared during the year was 367,641 exclusive of ships lo9t in British waters (treated as no clearance), being an increase upon 1871 of 70,017 tons.

It. Arthur reports having realised the following prices at liis market-day sale :—Fowls, 11(1 to 3s s;i each ; ducks, 2s Id to 3a each ; turkey?, 3s 4d to la each; geese, 3s 6d each ; potatoes, 3s 3d to 5b per cwt.; onions, j(l to per lb. ; apples, 2£d to 3d por lb. ; oatmeal, 2.Jd per lb.; cheese, 2d to 4£d par lb.; bacon, to 10id per lb. ; butter, 3d to 6£d per lb. AUCKLAND CATTLE MARKET. Mb. Alfred Buckland's Weekly Repokt. —At the Haymarket, on Friday last, fodder was unsually plentiful, particularly oaten hay. Meadow hay maintained previous values— 3s 3d to 4s per cwt. ; but oaten hay was lower in price than usual, and ranged from 33 6d to 4s per cwt. Ilorses wero in average supply. No heavy draught offered. For agricultural horse stock of all doacriptions there was a fair enquiry. Unbroken colts brought from £18 10s to £25, and broken stock at iully late values. At Remuera, on Thursday, dairy cows at calving wero more plentiful than for some weeks, but maintained late prices, and brought from £9 to £11 2a 6d. Young cattle and calves were at higher values than of late fully 5s each. There were also better values given for grazing Block in freßh eondition, and of all kinds; but very poor cattle mere at low values. Fat cattle were in full supply : 143 head sold to the trade; prices obtained were irregular, but, on the whole, last week's advance was sustained ; prices ranged from 23s to 27s the 100 lbs. Sheep were in average supply; store slloep in fair enquiry ; merino ones, in low condition, brought from 7s 6d to 10b 3d ; half-bred wethers, in fresh condition, 16a 9d each. Fat sheep without alteration in price, about 3id the lb.; 458 head sold. Pigs" wero in less numbers than of late, and at fully late prices, depending in size and quality : from 3d to 4d the lb. Messes. H.ukteb and Nolan's Repobt.— Horses: Tho market has exhibited much more vitality dHring the present week, and although prices were scarcely so high as vendor, were led to expect, horses of a good

stamp changed hands at satisfactory prices, weeds being difficult to place. An average number were disposed of at the Durham Yards yesterday, at about late quotations. Cattle : There was an increased number submitted for sale, as compared with the previous week. Dairy cows were in good request, at from £6 10s to £10 10s. The number of stores yarded were not equal to requirements, but still thero was no perceptuble advance in price. The fat beasts disposed of at Hewmarket, consisting to a large extent of cows and steers insufficiently fai led, did not obtain proportionately such high figures as a few pins of top sorts, which realised au advance of fully 2a 6d per 1001b. Sheep were scarce, and in good demand. Pigs: Very few offered; an unsalaried inquiry remains.

AUCKLAND STOCK AND MININGREPORT.

(JtroTATioNS —May 16, 1573. I

Daniei B. Okchabd, Secretary.

Cusiuc.'is done. Closing prices. Buyers. Sellers. S. B. lusuranco .. — 3 ? s — £i. 'A. lusurance Co. .. — £55 — MINING. Caledonian .. .. £1G£, — — Central Italy .... — 7a Cure 203 , 21s Gd — 21s Cd Thames.. .. .. 75s — — Utago — 17s — Moanatairi .. .. — 35s — \ 11 Nations .. .. — 15s — Tokatca.. .. .. — 24s 25s Harbour View.. .. — — 17s Gd Van .. .. .. — — 3s Rvd Queer. .. .. 2s — —