COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9243, 21 December 1888, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

« New Zealand Herald Office, Thursday evening. The Customs duties to-day amounted to £1114 10s 10d. The Christmas demand for consumptive goods has caused some little stir in trade for I the week, but there ,is no strong vitality about business generally, and except in fruit, candied goods, hams, liquids, and delicacies, suitable lor the time, quietness reigns. A considerable advance is reported in arrowroot. A parcel of limcjuice has been sold at a satisfactory price. This port is becoming recognised as a distributing centre for this article. Cable advice has been received of the departure of the Whampoa from Hongkong direct to this port. A fairly good business has been clone in fancy tea's. We learn that the extremely low prices ruling for common teas has attracted speculation in Australia and in Foochow, and prices have hardened fully a penny per lb. The supply of Derby tobacco is now unusually large. The favouritism of this brand continues unabated. Wholesale distributors to the coast complain about the exactness of the Northern Steam Company about time since the withdrawal of the Jubilee boat. While punctuality is to be commended, a hard-and-fast rule of to the minute for receipt of goods, especially in Christmas supplies, shows a want of consideration that, we understand, is again likely to make the Northern service unpopular. The butter market is drooping. Maize is worth 3s 4d on the wharf. Wheat: Southern, 5s Gd ; local, 4e o'd. Fowl wheat, 4s. Southern short plump oats, 4s Id; local, 3s 3d. New potatoes have a wide range of value, from £5 to £8 per ton, the former for Shepherd's in the local produce market, best dairy butter i 3 quoted at 6d per lb wholesale (dull of sale), and 8d per lb retail, while eggs at present command 10d per dozen wholesale, and Is per dozen retail. KAURI GUM MARKETS. This market is quiet. Supplies for the nineteen days of December are about 392 tons. We quote : — Poor ordinary, 28s to 293; fair ordinary, 29s to 30s ; best ordinary (free from swamp), 323 to 335; and East Coast, 42s to 435.

LIVE STOCK & PRODUCE MARKETS. AUCKLAND. Messrs. Hunter and Nolan's Weekly Report. —Grain, seed, horsefeed, Ac. : A good demand has existed for prime sample!) of oats and chaff, but prices have a downward tendency and exporters will not have faulty. We quote outs at 3s to 3s 0d ; maize, 4s -id per bushel ; bran, £.> 10s per ton ; oaten chaff, £2 to £3 ;\s per ton. Horses: A large number were again submitted by auction at the Durham Yards oil Friday last. Competition was weak, particular} for hacks and hunt-harness horses, purchasers holding hack for the Poverty Bay mob, on the road. There was no noteworthy alteration in prices realised. Wool, hides and skins : About the usual quantities were submitted by auction on Tuesday, at the Durham Yards, and there was a brisk sale. We quote ox hide!) from 3d to AM per lb ; tow, 2cl to 2}d ; calfskins, 3sd to 4jd per lb; sheepskins. 2s to 5s Cd each; lambskins. Is 4d to Is S<l ; pelts, tkl to lid each ; tallow, Us 6d to 10s per cwt. Cattle : The number brought forward was below the average, and there was a marked advance in values, particularly in fat stock. There was rather a small muster at the Newmarket Yards on Tuesday. Competition for all descriptions was brisk, ami there was an advance in the value of well fatted steers of fully £1 per head. Some averages for steers were £.0 ss, £(> Bs, £6 los, £0 13,*, £7 7s Gd ; cows, £3 Ills, £3 17s fid, £.4 7s (id, £5. Sheep : There was a Rood muster at Newmarket on Tuesday and an upward tendencey in the prie« of fat wethers. Kwes at the previous week's values. Wethers sold at from !>s (id to 17s 6d ; owes, 8s M to 12s M. Lambs : There was a largo muster, the best realised lls each, whilst inferior sold at from 4.1 to (is each. Pigs : There was a good muster at Newmarket on Tuesday. Good porkers sold well, but stores were relatively lower. Messrs. A. Buckland ami Sons' Weekly Report.— At the Jlaymarket on Friday horse stock were offered in full numbers, and the greater portion sold. Prices ruled low, useful horses ranging from £7 to £10; inferior from £2 and upwards. On Tuesday there was a large muster of hides, mostly cows. Prices for salted hides were lower about $d per lb ; green hides maintained their value, and brought '.!ls each. Tallow, 17s to 17s (id per cwt. Sheepskins plentiful; ranged up to 4s 8u each ; lambskins, Is M to Is Oα each. At the country cattle sales, held at Pokeno and Drury, there have been full musters of cattle, with a kindly demand for all stock brought forward, and an improvement in the price of dairy cows near their calving. At Remuera on Thursday not many dairy cattle were yarded, and those were dull of sale at late values. Fat cattle in full numbers were slightly better worth, but a few pens (about 40 stcors) were withdrawn. Prices ranged from 13s to 15s for steers; cows at 10s per 1001b. Sheep in full numbers were firm at last week's value*. Wethers in their wool, 13s to 15s 0d ; shorn wethers, 8s to Us 3d ; ewos, as 3d each. Lambs plentiful, and fairly maintained late values. They brought from 4s Gil to its each, Good pigs in full numbers kept their price throughout the sale. Messrs. O. W. Binsey and sons report that at the sale on Tuesday hides gold freely. Heavy ox, 4d to 4jd ; medium, 3Jd to 3}d ; liaht, 3d ; heavy cow, 2id ; medium and light, 2jd to 2Jd ; damaged and stags, Id to 14-i per lb; calf, 4d to 4jd. Sheepskins : Best longwool, 4s (Id to 4s 9d ; medium, 3s to 4s ; halfhreds, 3d to 4s (id ; salted pelts, 4(1 to iod; lambs, 6d to 2s : dry polte, Id to 3d each. Tallow, 17s to 20s per cwt. Bonos, 4s 3d per cwt. Wool: Sold privately, halfbred merino Bd to BJd, longwool tijd to 7d. Our next sale will take place early in January.

THE AUCKLAND MARKETS. [Corrected tq noon of Thursday.] FABM AND DAIRY PRODUCE. Wholesale. Retail. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. Batter, fresh, dairy, lboo — 00 00—08 l>0., Waikato " Anchor" brand .. ..10 — 00 00 — 13 Do., inferiorsalt .. .. 0 3 — 06 Milk, quart .. .. .. 0 3J— 0 4 Cheese, local, lb .. 0 4 — 0 4§ 05 — 07 Do., best factory „ 0 4$ —0 5 Etfgs, dozen .. .. 0 10 — 00 10 — 00 Lard, bladder, lb .. 0 5i— 0 6i 0 0 — 09 Hams and Bacon, Pro. 0 0 — 08 Do., bare .. .. 0 7J— 0 0 Cant. Bacon, new ..07 — 00 0 7i—0 8 Hams 0 74— 0 8i 0 8 — 10 Jams, caf.e 5doz .. 25 0—27 G Fowls, each .. ..06 — 10 10 — 20 Ducks, do .. 2 0 — 30 Geese, do .. 6 0 — 70 Turkeys, do .. C 0 —7 0 Feathers, lb ... ..16 — 19 FLOUR. £ s. £ s Flour, Auck.roller, ton 13 10 —13 15 _ Do., household .. 13 0—13 5 Do., Southern, roller 13 0—14 0 Do., Southern, stone 12 10 — 0 0 Bran, scarce .. .. 6 10 — 0 0 Sharps 4 10 — 0 0 Cabin Bread .. .. 15 0 — 0 0 Oatmeal 25s .. ..180 — 00 Oatmeal 7s .. .. 20 0 — 0 0 Pearl Barley .. .. 20 0 —22 0 _ IVent Porridge Meal, 71b bass .. ..00 —15 0 HAY AND CORN. Per cwt. Hay, ton .. ..30 — 40 50 — 60 Lucerne, do 6 O — 6 10 7 6 — 80 Oaten, do 20 — 3 0 40 — 50 Chaff, threshed .. 1 10 — 2 0 0 — 00 Oaten Chart .. ..20 — 215 Straw, load .. .. 0 18 — 110 ft 0 — 5 0 Clover, ton .. ..BO — 00 ._ Potatoes, local „. 0 0 — 8 0 _ s. d. s. d. Maize, bushel.. _ 3 4 — 0 0 0 0 — 00 Barley, feed .. „. 3 0 — 3 3 33 — 40 Do., malting .. _. 3 9 — 3 10 Oats, feed .. ..33 — 41 42 — 46 Oats, milling .. .. 40 — 40 00 — 00 Oats, seed, Tartarian 2 6 — 2!) 29 — 30 Do., dun. Southern .. 29 — 00 00 — 00 Do., black .. .. 26 — 27 00 — 00 Wheat, local milling 46 — 00 00 — 00 Wheat,Southern „ 56 — 00 00 — 00 Do., fowl .. ..40 — 00 46 — 00 GARDEN AND ORCHARD PRODUCE. Apples, case, imported 0 C — 8 0 Do., lb, local .. .. 0 2J— 0 4 0 3 — 06 Lemons, doz ... .. 10 — 13 13_X9 Oranges 08 — 07 10 — 13 Do., case .. ..60 — 70 Bananas, lb .. .. 0 1 — 0 2J 04 — 00 Cocoanuts, each .. .. 0 2 — 03 Do., sack .. .. 10 0 — 0 0 Onions, cwt .. „ H 0-0 0 00 — 00 Garlic 04 — 00 06—00 Celery, bundle .. .. 0 3 — 00 PRESERVED AND DRIED FRUITS. Dried Prunes, lb .. o 6j— 0 7 0 8 — 0 10 Preserved Ginger ..07 — 00 Shelled Nuts .. .. 09 —0 10 10 — 16 Barcelona do 0 6 — 0 0 Brazil do 06 — 09 00 — 10 Peannts .. .. 0 2 — 0 2J 00 — 00