COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4460, 29 February 1876, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Nsw Zealand Herald Office, Monday evening. The Customs duties collected to-day amounted to £531 63 sd.

Messrs. Samuel Cochrane and Son sold, this day, at their rooms, the following freehold properties : —Lot 1, corner of Grey and Pitt-streets, with cottage thereon, for £190 ; lot 2, fronting Grey-street, with six-roomed cottage, .-6290; lot 6, with cottagss and shed, jBIGO; the adjoining allotments in Greystreet, and also the other properties in Newton and the North Shore were passed for private sale. Dunedtn, February 21.—The Otago Daily Times reports : —During the past week some little business has prevailed, caused by largo quantities of goods being received from the ships. Tho amount paid for Customs duties during six days had totted up to no less a sum than £13,713 18s 9d, out of which drapery receives credit for no less than £5135 Is 4d, or 36.GS per cent, of the whole. This per-centage is noticeable as being about the average proportionable value which these goods bear to the value of imports in toto. The amount of town business transacted was very limited—a listless feeling prevailing; but the quantity of exports—chiefly gone North—was very considerable. Brandy continues exceedingly quiet; very little enquiry; what there is, leading to no business. The tendency is downwards, and no higher quotations can be given for Hennessy than 8s 4id bulk, 303 case. Whiskey is dull; demand very light, although prices are as yet maintained ; colonial is not yet fully disposed of. The winter months will probably induce some liveliness. Geneva remains dull. For rum, which may be said to be out of season, there is no enquiry. Wines have somewhat improved, ports of good, fair quality, having pre-eminence in enquiry, although some sales are reported besides of the finer sherries. Imported ales have given some ring of business this week. A few sales have been effected of Younger's and Bass's at lis and lis 6d. There is enquiry also for Bass's No. 4 bulk, new brew, which commands £7 10s. In porter, there have been sales of Blood's, in bulk, at lis 6d. In tea, a good few minor sales, ex August and Nardoo, are reported ; but transactions which effect an impression upon stocks are apparently deferred to the beginning of the month, when some may be looked for. In sugar, the event of the week has been the sale by auction, at the 100 ms of Messrs. McLandress, Hepburn and Co., of the very fine cargo of the Queen of the South, imported by Messss. Cargills, Gibbs, and Co., and which consisted of 13,234 pockets. The following were the prices realised :— No. 3, 953 pockets finest white crystals, at £34; No. 17, 44S pockets fine white crystals, at £33 ; No. 4, 1741 pockets fine white erj'stals, at £32; No. 12, 175 pockets fine yellow crystals, £32; No. 13, 463 pockets fine yellow crystals, £31 10s; No. 10, 203 pockets good yellow crystals, £32 2s 6d; No. 9, 1192 pockets good yellow crystals, £31 10s. In hops, there are sales of Kents, 75 ? 5, at Is 9d. For corn sacks there is enquiry, and it is understood that 10s has been accepted. In galvanised iron, no movement has been resumed. Fencing wire keeps moving—the utmost that can be said. Cement continues to sell in moderate quantities, the price having settled apparently at 20s. In kerosene, Devoe's is saleable at Is 7d. In candles late telegrams from Melbourne have led to some business.

' "sto-sle*; February ing Herald of this date, rejrorts The Gin<ralese, from Mauritius, arrived'to-day) with 6215 bags sugar. Business m the import market continues m a rery dull state Ihe southerly wind is bringing up the Adelaide traders-with- a large quantity of breadstuffs. About 1700 tons wheat and flour arrived by the four vessels in to-day. As a quantity of this has been sold to arrive, and part is for transhipment, it has not affected quotations at present, but it must have a weakenin'' influence. 5s to os 3d is required for wheat, and £11 10s to £12 10s for small lots of Hour. In liquors, there is a steady trade demand for ale in bulk and glass : sales of the former on the spot and to arrive at £8 ' to £9 10s, according to brand. Fish is looking better for holders. There was a better disposition to operate in teas, and at auction Mr. Threlkeld quitted balances of new crop, exKamoa, at Is 9id to Is lid for fine congous ; ration sorts, ex Faugh-a-Ballagh, at £2 3s 6d to £2 163 3d per half chest. Also the balance of the Bethany's cargo of Mauritius sugars at £34 to £34 2s Gd for white crystals. Maize is suffering from a decreased demand for export, inferior samples selling as low as 3s 6d ; choice, 3s lOd to 4s ; oaten hay, £6 10s to £7 ; lucerne, £6 10s to £7 103; cheese, 6d to 9d; bacon, Gd to Sd; Warrnambool potatoes, £4 10s to £5. Melbourne, February 12. —Th e Melbourne Argus of the 12th inst. says:—ln the import market business continues to shew a quiet aspect, and beyond supplying ordinary trade wants, no new feature can be referred to. In breadstuffs there is no improvement, inquiries are unimportant, and sales very trifling indeed. Flour is moving in small lots at £11 ss. Wheat is not so brisk and scarcely so firm; 5s 4d is now a full quotation for prime qualities, and even at that buyers are very disinclined to operate. A parcel of medium quality was sold at 5s l£d. Oats present a most unsatisfactory aspect. Thereisno enquiry whateverprivatelyfor any description of feeding. Quotations range from 3s Id to 3s 4d. Sales of currants are reported at 3d in bond, while for duty paid od is realised, Patna rice is now being pushed off more freely, as it is fully anticipated that new will be arriving within the next three or four weeks. We continue to quote £1S to £18 10s in bond, for small lots, and we learn the quittance of about 50 tons in parcels at up to our quotations according to quantity. Brandies are very slow as a rule. La Grand Marque is moving off at 5s 4id to 5s 6d. Adelaide, February G.—Wheat is quiet at 4s Bd. London - , February 6.—Wheat is lower. Adelaide is quoted at 52s to 533 5 New Zealand, 48 to 525.

THE MARATHON. Kauri gum still coutinues to form a considerable item of export. Tlie barque Marathon cleared yesterday for New York with the following shipment:—33so cases kauri gum, 362 tons, £16,000.

THE WOOL TRADE. The following remarks, taken from Messrs. Griffiths and Co.'s Sydney circular, under date of 10th February, will interest our wool growers;— The wools which have come to hand since the date of our last report have been chiefly composed of inferior to average sorts, these descriptions being much neglected, even at reduced rates, and producers in most cases adhering to proportionately high reserves, only moderate transactions can be recorded, though the few good lots that were offered have sold freely at very fair rates. This should serve to convince those producers who have not yet found the necessity of properly classing their wools before sending them into the market, the advantages attendant on so doing. The most important transactions in the colonial wool markets wlll bu over \»y me emi v,c month, and the wools that will be offered after that will be chiefly composed of remnants and odd lots, so that we shall not look for any further active feature on our side until the next clip again comes into the market. We quote at present:—Greasy, inferior to average, 7d to Sd; average to good, Sd to lOd ; good to super, lOd to ll£d. Fleece, inferior to average, 14d to 15£ d; average to fair, 15£ to lSd; good to fiue, to 22d. Scoured, average to fair, loci to 17d; good to fine, lSd to 22d, Extra and superior lots always command very full rates. Our news from home and America still remains much the same, and we now look for the result of the February London scries, which will open in a few days, and can but hope that prices will maintain their present level, and that the state of trade in the manufacturing districts may at the same time shew improvement, until which time we can hardly expect more certainty or regularity in the different wool markets.

CALLS AND DIVIDENDS.

Tbe following are the current calls and dividend! payable iu the companies named below:— & s. d. Date.

Call— Colonial Bank of N.Z. 0 5 0 — Mar. 1 Dividend— Thames Gas .. .. 0 1 10£ — Mar. T