COMMERCIAL NEWS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 761, 1 October 1886, Page 19

COMMERCIAL NEWS

The Customs duties collected at the port of Wellington for the week ending on Satur•day amounted to L 5078 8s Bd. Beer duty, Lll7 15s 9d. Messrs George Thomas and Co. report produce prices this week as follows : “ .The near approach of the new potato season is having some effect upon prices of old samples, and "holders of large parcels, being anxious to avoid serious losses, are quite overstocking all available markets ; the demand, at present, does not nearly absorb supplies, and prices are •ruling from L 3 per ton. Oats, though unaltered in prices, have a tendency to weaken, and, if we can accept the statements contained in southern reports, a decrease of from Id to 1-Jd per bushel on feeding sorts may shortly be anticipated; oaten chaff,, on the other hand, is somewhat scare, and in some growing districts stocks are quite exhausted, we quote L 4 15s as a fair market value. Flour is unchanged at Lll t0.L12. 10s ; bran and pollard has only retail inquiry at Lss 5s and L 5 10s per ton respectively. The market is still bare of fowl wheat; barley

is in request at 2s 9d per bushel and upwards ; feed beans at 3s lOd ; peas, 4s 9d to 5s ; onions, £l2 ; maize, 3s lOd to 4s ; and oatmeal, £l3, are unaltered. Stocks of salt butter are being cleared at almost any price, as farmers ; and merchants are recognising the futility of holding any longer, the season for last year’s potting being almost at end ; we quote from 3d to Sd, according to sample. The value of .fresh has decreased to 9d; cheese commands per lb readily, and bacon and hams have usual business at 7d and all round ; eggs are firm at 9J to lOd per doz. We note the arrival of usual shipments of Hobart apples, and, while cooking apples ruled at high rates — 9s to 10s per case —strange to say, there appeared to be not the slightest demand for eating sorts, which ruled as for same samples, at 3s 6d per case. Poultry is in good demand at following rates : —Fowls, 3s 6d ;. ducks, 4S ; turkeys, 9s; and geese, 7s per pair.” Messrs-Arthur Warburton and Go. report forthe week-: —Sales—Wellington Gas, Ll9’and L 9 10s ; South British Insurance,. 28s ; Colonial, 4s 3d; Union, 20s 6d ; United Alpine Gold Mining (20th), 26s 6d. Quotations — Banks —New Zealand,, buyers Ll 9 153, sellers L2O ; Colonial, buyers 41s, sellers 423 ; National, sellers 375. Insurance —New Zealand, sellers,. 67s ; South British, sellers 29s ; National, buyers 14s, sellers 14s 6d; Union, sellers 20s 6d Standard, buyers 10s ; Colonial, buyers 4s 3d, sellers 4s 6d ; Equitable, Is 2d ;. New Zealand Accident, buyers 3s 3d ; Accident Association, sellers 6d. Miscellaneous—-Loan and Mercantile, 82s 6d to 85s; Land Mortgage, 21s 6d; National Mortgage, 18s 6dq:New Zealand Shipping, 30s to 35s ; Union Steam, Ll2 ; Mosgiel Woollen, Sos;.Kaiapoi 90s; New Zealand Drug, 15s; Napier Gas, Ll 3; Wanganui Gas, Ll 3; Westport Coal, 10s; Wellington Trust and Loan, buyers Lb- 7s 6d; Equitable Building, L 6 10a; Northern Land and Loan,, sellers 45s ; Wellington Gas, sellers, Ll 9 and L 9 10s ; Manawatu Eailway, sellers, 19s ; Gear Meat, buyers 70s. Gold mines—Welcome, sellers 4os ; United Alpine, buyers 28s ; Keepjit-Dark, buyers 43s 6d ; Just in-Time, buyers os 6d. Messrs Arthur Warburton and Go. report the following returns of amalgam from the Beerton mines for the week : United Alpine, 3140 z; Keep-it-Dark, 3300 z; Fiery Cross, 3140 z, The returns from the Welcome and Just-in-Time not yet to-hand.. From the New Zealand Loan and. Mercantile Agency Company’s San Francisco mail circular, we take the following items : Wool. —This market has been very firm since the date of our last issue. On 3rd inst. it was announced that the sales of Elver Plate wool at Antwerp had opened on the previous day with brisk competition at an advance of 25 per cent as compared with the. ruling at the May auctions in that city. This brought the level of Antwerp values fully on to a par with the rates previously established in this market by private treaty. The latter maiked an average advance on merino descriptions of quite 5 per cent on the closing rates of the third series, whilst since that date transactions have been recorded at a rise of 10 per cent as compared with the last public sale quotations. There is some inquiry for fine crossbreds at a slight advance on late rates, but the coarser descriptions, though firm, are without quotable change in values. The Antwerp sales closed on 7th instant, the opening. advance having throughout been well maintained. Having regard to the present position of stocks, and the somewhat moderate supplies available in the immediate future, the prospects for the fourth series of sales, more especially with respect to merino staple, must be considered decidedly encouraging. Beports from the manufacturing districts, both here and on the Continent, continue to be of a satisfactory character. CORN Market. —Notwithstanding a continuance of somewhat unsettled weather during the past two weeks, this market has remained without animation, and no general improvement in prices can be recorded. Wheat cutting has commenced in some of the earlier districts, and the course of the trade during the next few weeks will very largely depend upon the suitability or otherwise of the weather for the in-gathering of the harvest in this country. The principal factor in producing the recent depression has been, the enormous arrivals of foreign flour, chiefly from the United States, For the week last ended the import into London amounted to no less than 83,000 sacks. There have been no transactions in Australian cargoes during the past fortnight, and the cargo of New Zealand wheat per Kingdom of Sweden, alluded to in. our last issue, was withdrawn for London, a bid of 31s 6d per 4Solbs c.i.f., having been refused. New Zealand wheat on the spot is comparatively scarce, and pending the appearance of samples of the new English crop, it commands comparatively full rates. Supplies on passage and shipping to the United Kingdom are now given at 1,901,000 quarters, as compared with 1,925,000 quarters a fortnight ago, and 2,132,500 quarters at the same time in 1885. The American “ visible supply ” is 36,752,874 bushels, as against 32,998,406 bushels two weeks ago, and 42,523,939 bushels at a corresponding period last year. Frozen Meats. —It is stated that New Zealand beef has been extremely slow q£ sale both in London and the provinces, even at a reducion on recent price. Rabbit Skins.— At the public auctions which took place on the 30th ultimo, 419 bales were brought forward, and 349 were disposed •ff under the hammer. Fair to good skins, which were in small supply, brought last sales •ates to an occasional advance, whilst ordinary and inferior descriptions sold irregularly, and in some instances marked a decline of 2d per lb. , New Zealand Hemp.— Both. Manila and Sisal have further advanced in value, the former description being now quoted at L3O 10s per ton, at which figure a considerable business has been transacted, whilst the latter closes firmly at L 23 5s at L 23 10s per ton. By private treaty some 300 to 400 bales of New Zealand have changed hands at fully recent rates, and the market closes steady at our quotations.

WELLINGTON MARKETS. Wholesale Prices. FARM AND DAIRY PRODUCE. £ s. d. £ s. d. Milk, quart - 0 0 4 to 0 0 5 Butter, fresh - 0 0 9 to 0 0 10 Salt butter - - 0 0 9 to 0 0 0 ■Cheese, Col. . 0 0 7 to 0 0 7 h Eggs, dozen - 0 0 9 to 0 0 10 Hard, lb. - 0 0 5.I, to 0 0 Bacon, lb. - - 0 0 6i to 0 0 V Ham, lb. - 0 0 71 to 0 0 8 Eowls, pair - 0 3 0 to 0 3 3 X>ucks, pair - 0 3 6 to 0 4 0 C-eese, each v - - 0 2 6 to 0 O 0 Turkeys, each - 0 4 0 to 0 4 6 Hay and Corn Market. £> s. d. £ s. d. Maize, Poverty Bay - 0 0 0 to 0 4 0 Oats, feed - - 0 2 8 to 0 10 Wheat do - - 0 3 9 to 0 4 3 Carrots - 2 5 0 to 2 10 0 Hay, ton - 4 0 0 to 4 10 0 Oaten, ton - - 4 15 0 to 5 0 0 Straw, ton - 3 0 0 to 3 10 0 Chaff, — - 0 0 0 to 0 0 0 Oaten hay - - 4 0 0 to 5 0 0 Wheat straw - 3 0 0 to 3 5 0 Onions per ewt - - 0 11 6 to 0 12 6 Potatoes - 3 10 0 to 3 15 0 Flour Market. Wholesale. £/ s. d. £ s. d. Sharps, per ton - - 6 10 0 to 7 0 0 Adelaide, per ton - 11 15 0 to 12 0 0 Bran, per ton - 6 0 0 to 6 10 0 Colonial Flour - 11 10 0 to 12 0 0 Oatmeal - 13 0 0 to 13 10 0 IPearl Barley - 19 0 0 to 0 0 0 Seeds. . £ s d. £ 8. d. Ryegrass, bushel - 0 6 0 to 0 6 6 ■Cocksfoot, lb. - 0 0 41 to 0 0 5v Wt. Clover, lb. - - 0 0 10 to 0 0 0 Red, do - 0 0 9 to 0 0 10 Alsyke, lb. - - 0 0 10 to 0 0 0 Cow Grass, lb. - - 0 0 7 to 0 0 9 Timothy, lb. - 0 0 6 to 0 0 0 Rape, lb. - 0 0 4 to 0 0 0 OLinseed, per cwt. - 0 16 0 to 0 0 0