Commercial News.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 230, 5 February 1876, Page 11

Commercial News.

The amount of Customs duties received at this port for the week ending February 3, 1876, was as follows ;

In imported goods a moderate amount of business is all that can be said of last week's trade, with neither large transactions or important variations in prices to report. In produce oats have rather a downward tendency, in consequence of the new crops in the South being now ready for shipment being large. Old oats are selling at 2s. 7d. to 2s. 9d. per bushel, for ordinary feeding sorts ; new oats are quoted at 2s. 9d., for a superior sample. Keg butter continues dull, and meets with little enquiry at 9M. Cheese is somewhat easier, although stocks on hand are still verv low and worth lOd. to IOA-d. per lb. Bacon and hams are in fair supply at Is. to Is. 2d. per lb. Flour is a shade firmer, although no advance has taken place, and quotations remain at £ll 10s. to £l2 for Canterbury and Oamaru mills. Mr. G. Thomas offered Mullins and Sons' property at the Hutt for sale by auction to-day, but the biddings being insufficient, it was bought in at £I2OO. THE AVELLINGTON MARKETS.

Building Materials. Timber, —Boards and Scantling, 100 ft., 9s. to 155.; lis. 6d. at mill; planed, tonguedand grooved, lis. 6<L to 12s. sd. Red pine palings, 12s. per 100 ; red pine timber, 16s. per 100 feet ; kauri timber, ISs. per 100 feet; red pine, tongue groved, 225. per 100 feet; totara posts, I*. 4d. each ; birch rails, Bd. each ; white pine shingles, 16s. to 18s. per 1000. Hobarton timber and fencing material. Shingles, £1 per 1000 ; palings, from 20s. to 255. per 100 ; rough spokes, 255. per 100 ; felloes, from 100 s. to 200 s. per 100 ; timber, 235. to 255. per 100 feet, superior; posts, £5 10s. per 100; rails, £4 3s. 4d. per 100. bone dust. Bone dust, No. 1. £8 to £lO ; bone dust, No. 2, £7 10s. to £8 10s.; bone dust, No. 3, £6 to £6 10s. Coal and Firewood Market. Coal.—Newcastle, £2 ss. per ton. Firewood.—2 foot rata, 365. to 40s per cord : 1 ot wood, 455. per cord ; 4 foot wood, 365. per cord ; <J foot wood, 365. per cord. CHRISTCHURCH. (From Saturday's Lyttelton Times ) Grain and Produce.—Harvest operations being In. full swing, the past week has been rather bare of transactions in the grain market. New oats have been sold at Is. 6d., which is now considered the standard j quotation. In wheat and barley no transactions have ; come under our notice. Dairy produce is inquired for, and deliveries are coming forward slowly. We \ quote butter at Bd. to BJd., and cheese 7d. to 7Jd. i Grass seed of good quality commands improved rates; 4s. for good clean samples, and 3s. 9d. for second quality. Millers' quotations are unaltered, and business generally is quiet. Stock and Stations.—During the week the weather has been very favorable for harvest operations, and no doubt much good work of this kind has been done throughout the province. Business in stock, as is usual at this season of the year, is very quiet, farmers having their attention directed to securing their crops, leaving their stock matters to stand over till the completion of harvest. In the southern portion of the province the stockowners have been making s movement to induce the Meat Preserving Company to open their works for boiling down, and it is likely a large number of sheep will be cleared off the runs in this way. It is rather surprising that the runholders at this end of the province had not taken a step in this direction, for it must be plain to every one that the surplus stock must be sold for a mere nominal price, unless they can be got rid of in a wholesale way, such as can only be done at a boiling-down establishment. On Wednesday, at the Canterbury saleyards, 3300 sheep, 150 cattle, and 35 pigs were offered for sale. For the last mentioned there was very brisk competition, and the prices reached were extremely high, but in sheep and cattle sales were effected with difficulty. In both cases several lines were withdrawn, although they were mostly sold privately afterwards. The best price for cross-bred fat sheep was 10s., and for merino Bs., in both cases very good. We quote mutton at lfd. per lb. on the average ; good merino selling at a shade over that figure, while medium quality does not go beyond IJd.; fat lambs of good quality are worth from Bs. to 95.; inferior, from Cs. to 7s. 6d. Best beef made 275. 6d. per lOOlbs. Store cattle, especially the younger sorts, went at high rates. MELBOURNE. (From the Argus of the 19th January.) In the import market business outside trie auction mart has been without animation, and complaints of dulness are very prevalent. Under the hammer a considerable amount of goods was disposed of, and for the Fiji sugar, the quality of which was highly appreciated by the trade, very extreme prices were realised. Breadstuff's continue to show a declining tendency ; the reduction in flour, however, is more marked than in wheat. Publicly, this forenoon, a sample of small parcels of flour, of two different brands, was disposed of at £l2 12s. 6d. to £l2 17s. 6d. Privately, sales were also made at £l2 17s. 6d., though for some brands £l2 12s. 6d. would likewise be taken. Notwithstanding this decline, buyers have not sufficient confidence to operate beyond immediate requirements, and only the most trifling lots are in consequence got rid of. Wheat can be.moved off more freely, as whatever is placed in the market is readily taken up at fair rates ; but as most of what comes to hand goes direct to the millers, the sales effected in the open market are still of little importance ; business is reported at ss. 5d., but to no great extent. Oats are only moved off with difficulty, and then only when holders evince any disposition to accept of ruling rates. AVe learn that about half the Alma's cargo has been run off in parcels at prices ranging, according to quality, at from 3s. 4d. to 3s. 6d. Maize has been more dealt in. About 1100 bags Fiji grown, somewhat out of condition, were cleared off publicly at ss. Id. to ss. 2d. Privately, about 1100 bags Shoalhaven maize were disposed of at ss. 4d. to ss. 4£d. Sugars are in very good request ; 2732 mats and pockets Fiji grown were disposed of publicly, when greyish counters realised £32 10s.; fine to finest yellow counters brought £3l to £3l 15s. Grainy low yellow counters £2B 15s. to £29 ss. Browns and soft low counters, £27 to £2B ss. Damaged Mauritius sorts were quitted at £27 15s. to £.34-. 10s. Teas are moving quietly for trade purposes. A few hundred half-chests have been disposed of pri vately at from Is. l£d. for common to Is. Bd. for fin medium congous. (From the Argus of Jan. 26.) In the import market to-day business has been extremely quiet, and outside the auction room little or no inquiry has been experienced for merchandise of any description, and the sales effected in consequence have been of no account whatever. Breadstuff's are without animation, and the feeling in flour is stili easier. Under the hammer a parcel was disposed of at £ll 10s.; but a good deal of irregularity exists,_ for while we have heard of sales having been effected since at £11155., we are also informed of a parcel having been disposed of at £ll 55., and there are still sellers at. the same price. Oats are without any demand, and no business can be reported ; the market will, however, be stimulated by the offer publicly, to-morrow forenoon, of several parcels of New Zealand. Maize is lower ; a shipment was sold by auction at ss. lid., but holders generally are unwilling to concede the reduction, and prefer storing for a better market. Sugars are in fair demand, and trade parcels of Mauritius are moving off at 30s. to 335. Publicly, 3008 mats Java were disposed of at £32 to £32 ss. for middling whites • and 1079 bags Mauritius were at the same time quitted at £29 ss. to £3O 10s. for low brewing crystals, £2B 15s. for low yellows, £24 15s. for middling rations, and £23 to £23 ss. for low rations. The cargo of the James Service, comprising 4649 bags, will be offered to-morrow. Candles are coming more into notice through the auction rooms. SGO boxes of the Apollo Company's new make of Victorian were submitted to competition this forenoon, and the whole was cleared off in one line at B,?d. Imported brands, damaged, realised 9Jd. to 9£d. A considerable parcel of sound was offered at same time, but the bidding not proving satisfactory, the entire parcel was withdrawn. There is no actual business to report privately, but inquiries are received from the other colonies for large parcels, which it is expected will lead to business. The low prices accepted at auction for standard brands of stout are having a considerable effect on the market. 1172 cases of O'Brien's dagger brand have been cleared cff at Bs. 2d.

£ s. d. & s. d. Spirits .. .. S75 18 2 ' Goods by wght 47 6 3 Cigars .. •24 7 6 Do. ad valorem 220 9 10 Tobacco.. .. 226 7 6 Other duties.. 15 0 Wine .. 95 0 10 Light dues, Beer 72,18 9 shipping, &c. 58 10 8 Tea .. 529 18 6 Sugar .. 8S 1 4 Total ..£2240 4 4

Wholesale Prices. Farm: and Dairy Produce s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. Butter, fs, lb 0 10 to 1 0 j Lard, lb 0 OtoO 5 Butter, sit, lb 0 S — 0 9 Bacon, Pro.. 0 11 —1 Cheese .. 0 0 — 0 11 Hams, Pro.. 1 0 — 1 Do.. Ct'bury. 0 10 — 0 11 McConnell's 1 0—1 2 Eggs, dozen 1 4 — 1 6 | Ct'bury hams 1 0 — 1 2 Retail Price. . Milk, quart.. 0 4to0 6 Fowls, pair.. G 0to7 0 Butter, fs., lb 1 2 — 0 0 Ducks, pair.. 7 0—8 0 Butter, salt.. 1 0 — 1 0 Geese, each.. 6 0—7 0 Cheese, Col.. 1 2 — 1 4 Turkeys, do. G 0—10 0 Eggs, dozen 1 9 — 2 0 Bacon, lb .. 0 0 — 1 4 Bard, lb .. 0 0 — 0 10 Ham, lb 0 0 — 1 6 Babbits, pair 2 G— 3 0 Potatoes, newO U—0 2 Cabbages, dz 2 6 — 3 0 Carrots 2 6 — 3 0 Turnips, doz 2 6 — 3 0 Potatoes 10 0 —12 0 A'd veg'bl, dz 2 0 — 2 6 i Bread, 3d. to 4d. 21b. loaf. Flour Market. Wholesale. & s. d. Superfine Flour, silk dressed, per ton £12 to 12 10 0 Fine Flour, ditto, household 11 0 0 Seconds, per ton 0 0 0 Sharps, per ton 8 0 0 Adelaide, per ton 15 0 0 Oamaru, ditto 12 10 0 Dunedin, ditto .. — 12 0 0 Canterbury, ditto 12 0 0 Bran, per bushel — 0 1 1

Hay and Corn Market. Wholesale. S. d. s. d. £, s. £, 8 Maize, Sydney 4 6 to 5 0 Hay, ton .. C 10 to 7 1© Do. Crushed 4 9 — 5 0 Oaten, ditto 0 0 — 5 10 Oats (South)..4 0 — 4 3 Lucerne, ditto 0 0 — G 10 Wheat (fowl) 4 0 — 4 31 Straw, ditto 210 — 3 © Potatoes .. 0 0 — 5 0 1 Chaff, ditto 7 0—00 Retail. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. <?. Maize .. 5 6 to 6 0 Peas .. 6 6 to 7 0 Oats, ditto .. 4 0 — 4 6 Do. crushed 73 — 76 Do. crushed 4 0 — 5 2 Lucerne, cwt. 0 0 — 6 C Bran, ditto 1 0 — 2 0| Oaten, ditto 5 10 — G 0 Wheat (fowl) 4 6 — 5 6 Straw, ditto 5 10 — 6 10 Hay, cwt. .. 5 1 L0—6 10 Chaff, ditto 7 0—80 Beans .. 6 0 — 7 0 O'Sheath's do. G 0—7 0 Do. crushed 7 3—7 6 Brocolo from 03 — 16 Seeds, Ryegrass, bsh. 7 0to8 0 Alsyke, lb. .. 1 2to0 © Do. Pov. B.,do.8 0—0 0 Cow grass, do...1 3—0 © Cocksfoot, do. 10 0—0 0 Rape, do. ..0 6—0 0 Wt. clover, lb. 1 2—0 0 Lucerne, do. ..1 6—0 © Red do., do... 1 0—0 0 | Timothy, do. ..1 0—0 0