COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9326, 1 April 1889, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

-e New Zealand Herald Office. Saturday evening. The Customs duties to-day amounted to £1286 16s Sd. The following are the Customs receipts forthe Week ending March 30, I&S9 —. .Duties .. £5,372 0 i . Boor duty 107 3 0 Li?ht rluss—Auckland .. &3 12 3 Onehunga .. 0 13 7 Forms and fees (H. and S. Act) '.J 13 0 Merchant. Shipping .. .. .0 13 0 I Other receipts 23 0 0 ' £5,650 13 2 ! Messrs. Wilson and Clayton's Weekly Ek- i PORT, fur the week ending; March 20 :—Sales : Six- | roomed house and freehold allotment, in Grafton , Road, for i-JHO; Leamington Itoad, Mount Eden, fire-roomed house and freehold allotment, £150. | LONDON* COMMERCIAL. From the New Zealand Shipping Co.'s circular of ' February "i, ve extract as follows :— Wool.— first series for the current year coined on 2ftth ultimo and closed fin the Llth List. It occupied 19 sitting, whilst the daily offerings I averaged 13,099 bale*, as compared vdth 12,252 bales in the corresponding series of 1833. Of 355,22) hales of araiLable arrivals the large total of 112,™/) hales was forwarded to the manufacturing districts I direct, whilst the quantity catalogued included KWO bales lield over from last year. Ii is estimated that 130,000 bales wero taken for foreign account, of j which about 0000 bales were for the United States, and that, say, 13,000 balew remained on hand for future disposal. ITiero was a largo attend- i anew of buyers, and competition was animated, hut there was a somewhat restricted demand on French account. The closing rates of the preceding series were, however, supported for i all descriptions, save medium and inferior merinos, more especially those iD.the grease, which ruled distinctly in buyers' favour. As the sales processed, the middle and lower classes of greasy merino, especially wuere lucking in fineness of hair, had to be quoted quite Jd per lb lower. Towards the close of the first week, however, a generally hotter feeling was apparent, and a hardening tendency for nearly all classes of staple was observable quite up to the end of the series. Good combing and clothing merinos, whether greasy or scoured, sold wall throughout at gradually hardening rates. The quantity of cross-bred offering was ordy small, and lound ready buyers, the liner grades at a slight advance on last sales' rates, and the coarser sorts at about par. Lambs' wool ruled in sellers' favour. Competition on American account proved of jcreat service in supporting the values of wool suited to the requirements of that market, even although the quantity actually purchased for the United States was by no mams abnormally largo. Tho market closes with a steady tone, and though tho supplies to be deals wish during the earlier part of the year are likely to be heavy, it is also true that an increased consumptive demand is being experienced in the manufacturing districts. The position an compared with the closing rates of tho tlfth series of 1888 may be set forth as follows :—Superior merino, greasy, Jd per lb advance; medium and inferior merino, greasy, par to Jd per lb decline; merino, scoured, id to Id per lb advance; fine crossbred, I<l to Id per lb advance; coarse cross-bred, about par; lambs, merino, Jd per lb advance; lambs, cross-bred, par. Corn.—The trade during the past month has been very quiet, and values of most descriptions of ■wheat have receded about Is per quarter. Supplies, both of home-grown and imported grain, have been ample, whilst buyers, many of whom hold stock purchased when' quotations were higher, have operated with much caution. The floating supply of breadstuffs to the United Kingdom is still nearly a million quarters larger than at the corresponding period last' year. Scleral New Zealand cargoes have arrived, hut in the absence of demand most of them have been withdrawn from sale. Of these tho " River Indus" was ordered to Ilayro, tho first Now Zealand cargo which has gone to a continental port since 1833. The present value of a cargo f.a.q. oil' coast with a good report is about 3t!s per 4801bs ci.f. Tallow.—For the four public sales held during the past four weeks 4052 casks of Australasian were offered, and 1239 sold under the hammer, 1033 of the latter quantity being placed at the auctions held on the 15th instant. At the first three sales there was an almost entire absence of demand, and the business of the month was practically confined to tho last auctions, when there was st decided improvement in the tone of the market, and buyers operated freely. Sellers also showed a willingness to accept the reduced rates offered by consumers, the result being a clearance of the catalogues at prices about on a par with the nominal quotations of the previous week. The prices roalised, however, marked a fall of about 6s to 7s per cwt. on those ruling a month previously. Leather.— is no improvement to record in this market during the past mouth. At public auctions on the Bth instant only 2005 sides found buyers out of a total offering of 6014 sides at about late rates, but the tendency was still to lower price'); Die biddings for the bought-in portion being generally Jd per lb. below last sales' values. Basils.-The past four weeks have witnessed no cessation in the demand for all kinds of sheep pelts, and the (33,324 skins brought • forward at public auctions on the Bth instant wero all cleared oithur at or immediately after tho sales at full to advanced prices. Tiio market, supported by limited supplies, closes firm. Salted Hides.At the earlier auctions the demand wits most inactive], and only 2667 hides wero sold out of a total offering of 11,220 hides at a decline of Jd per lb on heavy ox and from Jd to Jd per lb on llgUt ox, aud cow. Yesterday 15,187 hides we?Q gufc.

mitfexl to ttt!,! hammer, and WW hides sold. There ■was nt» Improvement In the demand, and a farther de-fe'* of [torn' id to id per lb had to be accepted for tEA p'jijion disposed of. CoiT'.C.— market lias been steady during the past foar wecko, hut with little bnsiuesa doing. At auction on the Sib Instant a mixed parcel of Sydney siin-drlod and kltn-dried was sold at £12 15s per ton. . Kauri Gum.-— has been one public auction since the date of our last issue, viz., on the. Slat ultimo, when 1334 cases wero disposed of under tho hammer, out of i\ total oQ'erinfc of 1030 cases, but at prices which, on average, exhibited a further decline of alxrnt 'is per cwt., and in the case of scraped gums frequently more, while brown and dark kinds being in very small supply, maintained recent values. " The demand since the close of tho sales lias- been of a limited character, but the small business transacted by private i treaty Is stated to bo at unchanged rates. We 1 qunto : Hue palo selected, £ii to £16 per cwt; clean, lmrd, goiMl to tine, chiefly amber, iM 8s to £5 10a ; good to fine, clean, hard, scraped, 70s to 82« ; hsvrd, three-parts scraped, fair to Hue, 55s to 6"s tkl; hard, half-scrape*!, fair to tine, *6.'i to 48s ; voujfh sorts, ordinary to good, 39s to 42.S Oil; black and brown hard scraped, 62s to 563 ; black and brown, half to three-quarter scraped, 41s to 40s; black and brown, coated, 20s to 27s 0d ; pickings, ordinary to fine, 2C» to £7« tki ; chips, low and ordinary to line and superior, ISs to OOs ; dust, low to fine, pale, chippy, 10h to 40s. Wo annex a comparative statement of stocka, landings and deliveries to 81st ultimo, and to a corresponding period in ISiW :— i 1839. 1888. Stocks on 3lst January ..1701 tons 612 tons Landed during January .. 001 ~-.. 237 „ Delivered during January .. 202 ~ 226 „ New Zba**ind llbmp.—The feature during the past four weeks has been the extensive business done on c.i. f. and " landed" terms, sales aggregating, say, 600 tons having been recorded at full price«. With stocks in limited compass business on the spot has been less important, only 050 bales having been brought forward at public auction, but for those very full rates wero obtained, medium to good Wclliugtoif realising from £37 10s to £39 v per ton, an! fair to good Auckland from £SS to £41 15s per ton. Wo quote :—Superior soft, bright b,emp, £41 to £42 per ton : good quality, well dressed, £39 to £40; medium, fair to good, 487 10s to £33; common, coarse and strawy, £32 to £33. , Fuozkn "M KAT%-Trade, as regards Homo moat during the past four weeks has been disappointing, and although* supplies have for the most part been moderate values havo tended to decline. Tho demand for frozen mutton has on the whole exhibited considerable improvement, and it was found practicable early in the month to advance valuos about Id per stone. The seasonably cold weather which prevailed until recently had a stimulating effect on the enquiry, while iti consequence of the scarcity of River Plate sheep, buyers of these were compelled to satisfy their requirements to a considerable extent with colonial sorts. Ijittorly, however, with increased supplies from tho Hirer Plate coincident with a change to a milder temperature, business luvs been less brisk and prices have boon barely maintained. A better feeling is tsuintfosted at tho clone and price.l have a firmer tendency. A fairly steady businea s has boom passing in the provinces at rates about on a par with those ruling in 1/indon. American beet has come forward irregularly, and during the present week supplies have beeu heavy, New Zealand forequarters have met an improved demand at advanced rates, but hindquarters have ruled quiet at about recent prices. The markot at the close is rather weaker owing to heavy supplies from America. Tho stock at present in London and the provinces is about 130,000 carouses. PRraKRVKO Mkats.—During tho post four weeks, this markot has exhibited ft tinner tone, and the demand both for mutton and beef haa increased— the former having advanced in prico about Jd per lb. There has also been an improvement in the enquiry for boiled rabbits, and values have an upward tendency. Butter,— There has been ft fair uuquiry for butter during tho past month, and prices for most descriptions have advanced. The parcels ox lonic (s), Seleiubria (s) and ilimutaka (a) wore received in good condition aud met a ready sale at from 102s to 110s per cwt. The market is again clear of colonial sorts. CnEEsK.— The market for American and Canadian sorts has bwu quiet, and values have receded from 2s to 3s per cwt. The shipment of 92 cases, ex lonic, has been partly disposed of at 60s per cwt. The t'ifeshiro (s) having on board some 4-90 packages, is now discharging, bat it is not yet available.