COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8824, 12 March 1892, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald Office, Friday evening. This Customs duties to-day amounted to *946 12a. Messrs. Samuel Vailo and Sons held a property sale this afternoon., A email farm of acres at Henderson with water frontage, and a new house of five rooms, sold for £160. Other properties for which bids nearly reached the reserve will probably be sold privately. The privileges 111 connection with the inaugural meeting of the Northern Athletic Club to Iks held in Potter's Paddock, 011 St. Patrick's Day, were offered for sale at miction to-day by Messrs. Wilson and Clayton, and were all bought in. Mr. Richard Arthur's Weekly Report. —The week has been a busy one. Potatoes [ have come to hand freely, the demand not equal to the supply. Prices do not improve —the clear-out lines, '2s to 2s (id per cwt. had to be taken. Known brands of good quality sell at i.'3 to £3 10a. Onions are in supply beyond demand ; the greater Quantity sold at id, a few brought gd. Fresh butter very scarce ; none of first-class sample to hand. Corned butter ! All to hand is cleared out at 3d to 8d per lb. There is an unsatisfied demand. Cheese of first quality moves off freely at 3Jd to 4d, second quality is slow of sale. No local cured bacon to hand; it is wantodi Poultry entered in fair quantity. Fowls sold at low prices. lliero were none firstclass. The demand was limited, Geese and ducks went low. No turkeys entered. Fruit: The supply of plums and damsons much less, but not a great improvement in prices. Several eases of peaches were to hand, which sold at lid to la (id per dozen. Apples and pears brought upon the whole a I little better prices. There have beeu seven sales by auction this week ; all have been well attended. Monday, at the residence of Mrs. 11. T. Rowe, Litchfield-street: Her household furniture and effects. Tuesday, at the residence of Mr. Rossnol, St. Lawrence Villa, Richmond Road : Piano, household furniture, and effects. The attendance was large, fair comnetion, good prices—piano sold at £'23 los. Wednesday, at the Mart The balance of a stock of ironmongery from the South. Thursday, at the Mart: A consignment of assorted enamelled ware, Thursday at the mart, general drapery, clothing, second-hand clothing, bedding, etc., a largo business was done at very satisfactory prices. Tuesday and Friday at the mart, poultry, produce, fruit, etc., a fair amount of business was done. The following are some of the lowest and highest prices at which sales have been effected :— Fowls, !>d to Is 9d ; chicks, Oil to 7d; ducks, Is to Is '2d ; geese, '2s 7d to '2s l)d; pigeons, (jd ; Holmrt Potatoes, "2s to 15s (id ; other kinds, Is 4d to '2s Gd; onions, Ad to ;3d ; picklcrs, |d to §d : rhubarb, Is to 2s ; cabbages, Is Id per doz., and Is Id to 2s per sack; red cabbage, Is per do/.. : marrows, Is 4d to Is 3d: pumpkins, 2s Gd ; peas, Is 4(1 per peck ; beans, '2d to 3d : beet, Gd ; fresh butter, seconds, 7<l, scarce; corned butter, 3d to Sd. scarce. No eggs entered, there was a demand for a large quantity. Cheese, 'id to 4d ; Canterbury bacon, O.Jd ; hams, S|d ; honey, 2Jd to 3d ; suction, '2s Od ; oats, '2s to 2s 3d ; maize, '2s ; bran, 4s; chaff, £3 H)s ; sharps, 4s; poaches, lid to Is Od per doz., and at 3\d to 3d per lb; pears, l|d to 2Jd ; apples, id to I Ad; plums, ijhl to 2Jd ; damsons, ljil to IJiI; walnuts, Sd to Oil ; quinces, id to l£dj grapes, hot house, 4id to s^l: out-door, I'id : watermelons, Oil; tomatoes, Jd to l£d; lemons, lUd to Is 4d.

Messrs. lis am and Arthur's Weekly Report.—Wo have held sales every day during the week of fruir, produce, pledges, building materials, fee. Produce : —Potatoes, During the early part of the week, were firm at previous quotations, but supplier since havo been so heavy that juices at auction, yesterday, were a shade easier. The bulk of the Wafkato consignments were not; quite ripe, and will not keep. Small lots of new local oats have been cleared at Is 9d to Is lOd. Maize : Buyers at Is 9d for inferior, and up to 'is for first-class. Onions: Supply has been much beyond requirements, prices are lower, £4 15s to £.3 for Southern, .VI to >jd small lots of local. ' Vegetables were in heavy supply, and cleared at fair rates, Dairy produce: Fresh butter, supply well maintained, prices without alteration. Keg butter found buyers at auction, and a considerable quantity was quitted. Cheese, supplies of which continue of medium quality, moves oil' on arrival. Eggs were very scarce, and buyers unsatisfied. Mams and bacon : A line of the former brought (Id, quality off; the demand is entirely confined to Southern factory cure. Honey rather dull of sale. Fruit: Supplies continue very satisfactory, and we think prices all round are better"; the quantity of inferior apples was considerably reduced, giving good quality a better chance of improved prices. The demand tor grapes, peaches, ami plUins was excellent. Poultry : Improved supplies yesterday, the demand was good, and bidding brisk. Yesterday's auction rates were as follow : —Potatoes, Hobart, £M ."is to £3 10s; 2nd quality, £2 us to £2 10s; magmim bonuin, £3 to £3 10s; onions, £4 1.3s to £."> and Ad to jjd per lb; oats, local. Is 91 to 1.-, lOd ; maize, Is Oil to 2s ; sharps. 4s ; bran, Is ; barley, 2s 9d ; cheese, .",Jd to 3'i'd; inferior, ljd to 2.} d; hams, 5d to Od; fresh butter. No. 1, 7id to IOJd ; No. 2, sid to 6id ; salt butter, No. 1, 7d to Bid : No. 2, sid to (Sid ; eggs, Is 2d to Is 4d ; honoy, 101 tins, 2/d~ to ."id ; bulk, 2.{d, 2Jd; apples, Scarlet Prince, l.fd to l§d ; Golden Russet, ifd to lid; Blenheim Orange, Jd to lid; Court Wick, Id to ljd; 'l'akapuna anil Boston Russet, Id to ljjd ; inferior ditto, jjd to :, J d ; cooking, free from moth, 2d to Id ; pears, special line prime dessert, 3.} d to 3M; Bcurre Diel, id to 3.1; cooking peary, Id to l§d; peaches, prime, 7-Jd to Is Nd per dozen, and lsd to .3VI per lb; tigs, lid to 2d; passion fruit, 2d to 2.[ per dozen ; hot house grapes, prime, 7id to !)Vl ; seconds, 4|d to ,3Ad; outdoor, 2d to 2'd; quinces, Jd to jfd ; special lot, 13d; watermelons, 5s to 9s Od per dozen ; rock ditto, Is 3d to us 3d ; plums. Cox's late, 2jd to 3d; Cape gooseberries, fid to I ; tomatoes, Id to 1 '(M and id to .('d ; lemons, 10Jd to Is 3d ; damsons, I .yd ; fowls, young, Is (!d to 2s Id; liens, Is to Is Id ; ducks, Is Id to lsud ; turkeys, 3s Id to 4s 2d.

Mr. Alexander Aitkkn's Market Report.—A good general business doing during the week, although values all rotiud show no material change. Supplies all round continue heavy, and fully up to requirements, excepting keg butter, which continues in demand beyond supply. A few small lines to hand found immediate sale at Sd to .Sid for prime parcels, and t>.i< 1 to 7il for good pastry lots ; rank parcels down to od ; fresh lias been in good supply and demand; extra prime up to lOd; good, 8s to SJil ; pastry, 7d to 7i'J. A consignment of half a ton ot prime factory butter from Taranaki in parch-ment-lined boxes to hand in fair condition, realised B<l. As the shipping season is about over considerable quantities of Taranaki butter might be expected to bo placed on this market. Eggs have been in demand beyond supply at Is Id to Is 4id per dozen. Honey continues rather scarce, with a fair inquiry for local consumption ; values are ,'!d to 3id for small tins and 2Ad to 3d for large tins, sections 3d to 3jj<f. Cheese: Supply and denfand continue about equal, and most consignments are being quitted privately at 3£d to 4d for prime whole cream, down to : J id for second and third class samples. lakers are wisely holding back for winter sale, when prices are likely to rule satisfactory. Bacon: A large quantity of the Southern cures appear to be oil' this season, consequently auction sales are regularly supplied with doubtful parcels of various brands, for which from 2d to 2d is the ruling rate for both bacon and hams, according to condition. Guaranteed lots, 7d for bacon, and Bid for hams ; local, none offering. Potatoes continue to come in freely, and values aTe unaltered, although the demand must bo considered satisfactory; samples generally very poor. Specially good samples, £3 10s to £3 15s; ordinary good lines, £'2 10s to £3 ; poor, 30s to 40s. Onions continue plentiful, demand has not been so brisk this week, although prospects are hotter for the next fortnight; id toffd has been the ruling rate ; garlic, totally unsaleable; vegetables are sold at good value; maize, moderate supply from the coast, and a fair quantity sold in retail lota at Is HJd to 2s; oats, a quantity on hand, short feed selling slowly at 2s ; fruit, both local and Island, has been put through in quantity at satisfactory prices. On L'tiesday 7">o bunches bananas ex s.s. Wninui realised from 2s 3d to 4s, or an average of 3s 4d per bunch, while damaged bunches realised from Is to 2s each. Peanuts: Stock has been cleared at IJd to 2d per lb. Cocoanuts : A large stock is held, and the demand is almost nil at present. Local fruit continues to oroadily improve in value, and Tuesday's supply commanded keener competition than usual. Best hothouse grapes, 8d to 9Ad; poor, od to 7id outdoor, 3d to Aid; plums, 2jd to 3.1 d : tigs, lAd to 2dlemons, Od to Is 5Ad per dozen, according to size; peaches, good, 7^'l to Is 4 Ad per dozen, and 2d to 3jd per lb ; quinces, Pd to Id per lb. Pears have been in greatest demand, and have averaged good prices. Beurre l)iel, choice, 2d to 3d ; Beurre Box 3d (in lines); De Capermont, 2.{d to 3d; Brown Beurre, id to 3d; Winter Nelis, Id to 3d ; cooking kinds. Id to 2d ; inferior lots, id to Jd. Apples : Special dessert l£d to 2Jd ; "choice clean cooking, gd to ljd ; poor lots, dessert and cooking, Id to 3d ; tomatoes. Id to ljd; passion fruit, li/il to 2Ad. Poultry plentiful, without change in values. First-class table fowls. Is 6u to '2a Id ; ordinary lots, Is 4d to. Is 6d; roosters in condition, 2s to 2s 8d ; ordinary good, Is Gd to Is lOd ; poor fowls, lOd to Is 4d; ducks. Is to Is lOd ; geese, 2s to 3s 3d ; turkeys, gobblers, up to 8s 3d each ; hens, 23 3d to 3s lOd;

_ . T ===S pigeons, 10cl to la Id; <J&ilkrieS, Is 6cL to 4s. Pigs were penned in numbers beyond demand. Best lots, 8a 6d to life ; bfdinary gbod lots, 63 to 8s ; other lots, 3a 3d to 5s each. '