COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume X, Issue 2905, 21 May 1873, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Naw Zealand Hkbald OSLoa. Tuesday evening. With the exception of the clearances for home consumption of the absolute necessaries of life, for instance tea and sugar, and also the luxuries, such as tobacco, brandy, and rum, very little is doing; therefore, the retailers aud storekeepers have at present the advantage. So fur as general business is concerned, little or nothing is changing hands between the importers and middle houses, as instanced this day by the sales at auction. The prices obtained by Messrs. B. Tonka and Co. were lilt le encouraging, corresponding with the very small lini'S disposed of in groceries. The wine aud spirit sale, as on some late occasions, was noorly met by buyers. There will be a produce sale to-morrow by Mr. G. W. Binney, upon which we shall report.

Messrs. E. and 11. Isaacs held a sale of boots and boot uppers. There was a fair atteiidance of buyers, and the biddings generally were spiriied, and prices fairly maintained on previous sales. A furniture sale to-day, at the residence of Mr. J. W. Allen, Cookstreet, was well attended. Keally good prices lor most articles were obtained.

Up-country orders have been of lato much on the decline. Meantime stocks of duty-paid imports, and those delivered into bond, are accumulating, ex Parsee and Edinburgh Castle ; aud the exports have been exceedingly limited.

'l'he delay in the arrival of the Suez mail, as also any announcement for the outgoing mail, is causing extreme dissatisfaction, and we ure now beginning to feel the want of a Culiforuiun mail service. At tho extreme north of New Zealand, without the California mail service, Auckland, with the exception of telegrums, is placed at a disadvantage in comparison with Otago and Canterbury, who now r. ccive iheir mails sometimes ten days before we do, and it is clear their merehauts can take advantage of home marked iu preference to us.

Kauri gum may bo considered steady at £17 for ordinary qualities, unsifted and unpicked. Picked varies in prices according to quality.

It is computed that the Auckland provincial mills yielded (1872) C0,000,C00 feet of kauri timber—equal to 8s per 100 feet super f.o.b.

ihe revenue collected at the Thames, for the ending May 17, was : Duties, £232 10s sd; arms fees, £12 17s.

AUCKLAND STOCK AND MINING REPORT.

Q dotations—May 20, 1873.

Daniel B. Obchabd, Secretary.

Business done cl ° s,n S P' ;c<!s - Buyers. Sellers. 51IXING. Moanatairl .. .. 393 Gd _ _ Bright smile .. .. 4Ss 48s 50s Cure 23s 3d, 23s Gd — _ Caledonian .. .. £15 fK.l Red Queen .. .. L Thames.. .. .. — 75 S liird-ln-Ifand .... — o 5 «reen Harp .. — 2s"9d 3s 3d