COMMERCIAL NEWS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 838, 23 March 1888, Page 11

COMMERCIAL NEWS

The Customs duties collected at the port of Wellington for the week ending Saturday amounted to £2380 os 6d. Beer duty. £lO4 18s lid.

Geo. Thomas and Co. report produce prices as follow :—ln our market we have no alterations in last week’s quotations. There seems, however, to be a general impression that prices for all descriptions of grain and produce aro, this season, to be at their lowest limits ; and it is openly stated by those in a position to make the announcement, that the Australian markets will not operate to a great extent with NewZealand,in consequence of all wants being supplied by the local producing districts. Oatseoutinuetoruleat ls9dto2sper bushel; oatmeal, £9 ss; chaff, £3 to £4 ; roller flour, old, £9 15 s, new, £9 5s ; ditto stone process, 10s per ton reduction; fowls' wheat, 2s lOd to 3s; bran, £3; pollard ia briskly inquired for by dairy farmers for winter feed, and pricss have advanced to £3 10s per ton ; maize, 4s; feed barley, 2s lOd to 3s; prime potatoes, £3 ; fair samples ditto, £2 15s ; onions, £5 to £5 10s ; peas, 3s 9d ; garden seed peas, 6s ; beans, 3s lOd ; rye grass, 3s to 4s 6il per bushel; cocksfoot, 3id to per lb ; fresh butter, 6d to 6jd ; honey, 4d ; cheese, 4d to 4Jd; hams and bacon, ■ mand for fruit has brightened up a little, and sharper competition was manifested at Yesterday and to-day’s sales of Hobart and Sydney produce. We hope to see prices still further show an all round improvement during the coming week.

Messrs Arthur Wnrburton and Co. report for the week: Banka : New Zealand, sellers, £l2 10s, sales £l2 os ; Colonial, sales 435, buyers 43s ; National, 355, Insurance : New Zealand, 75s ; South British, 40s to 425; National, 17s 6d ; Union, sales 235, buyers 23s ; Standard, 13s 6d ; Colonial, sales 5s 2d. Miscellaneous : New Zealand Loan and Mercantile, 67s 6d to 70s; National Mortgage, 10a ; Land Mortgage, 21s; Union Steam, £ll ; Mosgiel Woollen,6Bs ; Kaiapoi, 60s; Drug, sellers ISs; Wanganui Gas, sellers £l2 ; Wellington Trust and Loan, £6 5s ; Equitable Building, £6 10s ; Wellington Building and Investment, sellers £5 15a; Wellington Gas, £l9, £9 10s, and 40s ; Gear Meat, buyers 60s, sellers 65s ; Manawatu Railway, 15s to 17s.

Messrs Edwards and Mcßeath report. There is very little alteration since last report. Servants of all classes are plentiful. Trade generally during the past month has been of a quiet nature, and of the hand-to-mouth order. The recent advances in the hardware trade have made buyers cautious, and heavy lines have moved off slowly. Builders’ ironmongery, however, has been more; brisk, as building operations are going on all over the city and suburbs. In no other part of the Colony has the building trade been so generally good as in Wellington, and the demand for houses continues in excess of the supply. In the city proper many buildings are being erected in brick, which has the effect of stimulating trade in brickmaking. The sales of properties in town and suburbs have realised very good prices, and money for good, safe investment is fairly plentiful.- Although- trade may be said to be quiet, yet Tt is on a sound basis/ There is a fair Remand for all ?}as‘«eg

of labor, and wages rule as high here aa in any part of the Colony. The harvest is now finished all over the Colony, an 4 , t^fl yi ®^ d is a good, fair average. There will be a considerable quantity of wheat of good quality for exnort. The cheese factories m various parts have this season stocked heavily of a thorough good quality of cheese, and some large exports will shortly be made to England. Sugars are still firm, with a slight upward tendency. New Zealand SugarCotnpany’s No; lis quoted at £27 5s ; No. £-6 5s ; and No. 3, £23 ss. .Kerosene has been very scarce until the arrival of the Mathilda Hennings from New York, on the 21st inst. Tinned salmon is scarce and dear, best brands fetching as high as 10s. In consequence there is a better demand for tinned Herrings. In publicans’ lines there is a fair demand for bottled stout, but English ales in bottles have been of slower sale. In spirits tbe principal run has been on good brands tof Scotch whisky. Rum is dull of sale. Port and sherry have a slow demand. Grocery lines all round are at moderate prices. The revenue of the Colony is improving, and at the end of the financial year there will be a good surplus ovor the Estim Freeman R. Jackson and Co.’s Johnsonville stock report'The yards held about the usual supply of beef, for which the bidding was brisker than of late, the quality being fair to good. The sheep pens contained a line of useful wethers from Wairarapa, bringing an advance upon _ recent rates. Shorn lambs (none in wool being offered) sold at improved rates. No pigs came forward. Beef-Beet bullocks from £5 10s to £5 153, averaging £5 12s 6d; and £5 7s 6d to £5 15s averaging £5 11s 2d ; light weights from £4 5s to £5 ss, averaging £4 1/s ; beef .made 13s to 14s the 1001 b. Sheep—Wethers, 8s 6d to 8s lid; ewes, wethers, mixed light weights, 6s 6d to 7s 4d ; shorn lambe, 5s to 5s Bd, averaging 5s 6d. Mr D T. Stuart reports for the week to date:-Bank of New Zealand £l2 2s 6d to £l2 5s ; Colonial, 43s to 43s 6d ; National, 355. Colonial Insurance, 5s 3d to 5s 9d ; National. 17s 3d to 17s 6d ; New Zealand, buyers. 71s ; Standard, 12s 3d to 13s exdiv ; South British, 42a ; Union, buyers, 23s 3d ; New Zealand Accident, 5s 6d to 6si ; Union Steam, £lO 10s to £lO 15s ex; National Mortgage, 9s to 9s 6d ; New Zealand Loan and Mercantile, sales 72s 6d, buyers 71s; Dru<* Company, 18s 3d to 18s 6d cum ; Land Mortgage, 20s to 20s 6d ; Equitable Building, buyers £6 7s 6d; Wellington Trust ana Loan, £6s 4s to £6 ss; Welling ton Building and Investment, sellers £5 15s; Wellington Gas (issue £o paid), £9 10s (£1 paid), 40s ; Manawatu Railway, sellers 17s 6d • Gear Meat, 65s ; Westport Coal, 34s 6d to 35s 6d. Gold Shares-Darks, 2/s fid to 28s 6d ; Alpines, 8s ; Pandora, 2s 9d ; No. 2 Darks, 6s to 6s 6d. Good quartz is reported to have been got in the Nil Desperandum mine.

MASTERTON STOCK SALES. (from our own correspondent. ) Messrs Lowes and lorns’ report of stock ■ale at their Renall-street yards on March 14 : —6140 sheep and 130 head of cattle were yarded. There was a slight advance in store wetherß and ewes upon last sale’s prices, while fat sheep of both sexes remain about stationary. The cattle yarded were mostly females, and the quality ruled inferior. The following rates were obtained :—Fat wethers, medium weights, 6s 6d to 6a lOd.; store wethers, 5s 3d to 6s 3d ; fat ewes, 4s to os Id; store do, fair crossbreds, 3s 10dto 4s 8d ; inferior do, from 2s 6d to 3s 6d ; old culls, Is 6d to 2s. A line of 450 old merino ewes were knocked down at Is; lambs, according to quality, from Is lid to 4s 3d. Breeding cows, 255, 30s, and 40s ; heifers, 20s to 25s ; young steers, 25s ; calves, 12s to 16s; dairy cows, from 40s for old, to 803 for frsßh conditioned young. Hacks, from £4 to £6. A few small pigs brought 53 and 6s. Aline of ferrets were unsaleable. The attendance was large, and the bidding showed a little more life for all lines of good f sheep; cattle are still a drug.

WANGANUI STOCK SALE. Wanganui, March 15.

At Jackson and Co.’s sale yesterday there was a good attendance, and fair competition for sheep. No cattle were brought forward, the present low prices deterring graziers from selling. Fat ewes (2-tooth) brought from 6s lOd to 7s 2d ; store ewes, 5s 3d to 6s ; Oroua Downs ewes, 7s 3d ; fat wethers, 7s to 7s 6d ; culls 3s. Altogether 5000 sheep and lambs were sold, and another thousand (Oroua Downs) remained in the yards, not reaching the reserve. There was a fair demand for rams, and some of Ritchie and Wilsons breeding brought as high as 575. Shorn lambs sold for 4s to 4s 4d and woody lambs at os. Pigs were In slight demand, and brought 9a 6d for stores, to 20s 6d for porkers, and 24s 6d to 26s 6d for bacon pigs.

STEVENS AND GORTON’S STOCK SALE.

[By Telegraph.] Awahuki, March 20. At our stock sale held to-day 5000-[sheep and 100 head of cattle were entered. ibe following prices were realisedFat cows, 37s 6d to £3 12s 6d; forward wethers 7s 3d to 7s 7d ; Lincoln ewes, 5a 3d to 7s 4d ; crossbred ewes, 4s to 5s 3d ; fat ewes, 5s 6d to 6s 2d ; young ewes, inferior, 4s 6d ; shorn lambs, 4s ; woolly do, 5s Id.

(PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Christchurch, March 18. Chrlstchuroh retail prices :—Butter, 6d to 8d; eggs, Is to Is 2d ; cheese, 4d to 7d; milk, 3d ; beef, 3d to 8d ; mutton, 2d to 5d ; pork, 6d to 7d ; ham, 6d to lOd > bacon, M to 9d. Wholesale produce prices—Wheat, prime milling (new), 2s 7d to 2s 9d ; medium (new), 2s 5d to 2s 6d ; oats milling (new), Is 8d • bright short feed, Is 6dto Is /d; barley, crime malting, 4s Id to 4s 4d ; medium, Is 0d to 3s 9d ; feed, 2a Id ; peas, blue Prussian, 3s to 3s 3d; potatoes, kidneys, £2 to £2 ss; onions, £3 10s butter, prime, 4d to 5d ; second quality, 2d to 3d ; cheese, small loaves, 3£d; other sizes, 2Jd to 3d ; hams and bacon, m cloth 6id to 7%d ; flour, firsts, £8 to £8 10s. Live stock prices—Cattle, fat, per 1001 b, 14s to-17a 6d; store cattle, three-year-old

steers, £3 18s to £4 18s Gd ; two.year-old heifers, £ll3s to £2 15s ; yearlings, 18s to 26s ; dairy cows in full profit, £4 15s to £6 103; fat sheep, l£d to 2d per lb ; fat lambs, good, 63 3d to Ss , store sheep and pigs, no alteration. Horses —Draughts : unbroken colts, to £l6 ; aged farm horses, £lO to £ls ; light unbroken colts, to £8 and £9 ; medium hacks, £lO to £l2.

WELLINGTON MARKETS,

Wholesale Prices FARM AND dairy produce £ s. d. £ 8. d Milk, quart - 0 0 4 to 0 0 0 Butter, fresh ib - - 0 0 Gfc to 0 0 7 h Salt butter - - 0 0 0 to 0 0 5 Cheese, Col. . 0 0 3 to 0 0 4 Eggs, dozen - 0 0 0 to 0 1 2 Lard, lb. - 0 0 4 to 0 0 5 Bacon, lb. - • 0 0 6 to 0 0 7 Ham, lb. - c 0 7 to 0 0 8 Fowls, pair - 0 3 3 to 0 3 6 Ducks, pair - 0 3 0 to 0 4 0 Geese, each *. o 2 6 to 0 '3 0 Turkeys, each 0 3 6 to 0 5 6 Hay and Corn Market. £ s. d. £ s. d Maize, Poverty Bay - 0 3 8 to 0 4 0 0 ts, feed - . 0 1 10 to 0 2 2 Wheat do - - . 0 3 G to 0 3 7 Carrots . 2 0 0 to 0 0 0 Hay, ton . 4 0 0 to 0 0 0 Oaten, ton 4 0 0 to 0 0 0 Straw, ton . S 0 0 to 3 10 0 Chaff,— - . 3 5 0 to 4 0 0 Oaten hay - - 4 0 0 to 0 0 0 Wheat straw - 3 0 0 to 0 0 0 Onions, per cvvt - - 0 5 0 to 0 G 0 Potatoes, per ton- - 2 10 0 to 2 15 0 Flour Market. £ s. £ s. d. Sharps, per ton • - 3 15 0 to 4 0 0 Bran per ton, . 3 0 0 to 3 5 0 Adelaide Flour, per ton 12 0 0 to 12 5 0 Colonial Flour • - 10 0 0 to 10 5 0 Oatmeal . 10 0 0 to 10 0 0 Pearl Barley - 15 0 0 to 16 0 0 Seeds. s d. £ H. d Ryegrass, bushel - 0 2 6 to 0 3 6 Cocksfoot, lb. - 0 0 3 to 0 0 4 Wt. Clover, lb. - . 0 0 10 to 0 0 0 Red, do - 0 0 8 to 0 0 9 Alsyke, lb. - - 0 0 10 to 0 0 C Cow Grass, lb. • ■ 0 0 7 to 0 0 9 Timothy, lb. . 0 0 6 t: 0 0 0 Rape fc. - 0 0 3 to 0 0 0 Linseed, per cwt. . 0 16 0 to 0 0 0