COMMERCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 870, 2 November 1888, Page 12

COMMERCIAL NEWS.

The Castoms duties collected at the port of Wellington for the week ending Saturday amounted to £5746 3s Sd. - Beer duty, £ll2 17s Bd. George Thomas and Co. report as follows : The market for ordinary lines of grain is quiet; the winter demand being over, business is confined. to strictly retail limits. Stocks of local onions are exhausted, and consumers are now dependent upon suppplies from Australia and America, prices ruling at 15s and 20s per cwt respectively.. Arrivals of new potatoes being light,quotations rose from 7s to 9s perowt, a brisk demand being experienced. Old potatoes are now somewhat slow in moving off ; only best descriptions find sale ; prices rule from 55s to 653 per ton. The first consignment of this season’s Wairarapa cheese, just to hand, was cleared readily at 5Jd per lb. We quote, at unaltered rate, roller flour £lO 10s, stone do £9 10s for sacks; bran, £3 15s • pollard, £4 ; short oat 3 2s 6d to 2s 7d, long* do 2s 5d to 2s 6d ; oatmeal, £ll 10s to £l2 ; feed barley, 2s lOd ; Cape barley, 3s 6d ; pearl barley, £l9 ; maize, 3s 6d ; fowls’ wheat, 3s to 3s 4d ; beans, 3s 3d ; field peas, 3s 3d ; split peas, £l4. Hams and bacon, 7d ; farmers’ cure, 5d ; honey, 4d to sd; fresh butter, 7d ; salt do, 7d ; eggs, 7£d to 8d : lard, in bladders, 5d ; fowls, 3s 6d ; ducks 4s to 4s 6d j turkeys, 7s per pair. Island oranges, 10s to 11s ; American apples, 20a per case ; rhubarb, 4s 6d per dozen j green peas, la 3d to Is 4d per peek. The usual shipment of Sydney fruits, to arrive next Saturday, should come to a bare market, and for the better descriptions satisfactory prices should be realised, . Messrs Arthur Warburton and Co. report for the week :—Banks : New Zealand, £9 2b 6d cum div (with right to new issue) ; National, buyers 35s ; Colonial, buyers -435, sellers 43s 6d. Insurance—New Zealand, 80s to 81s ; South British, sellers 42s ; .National, 18s 6d to 19s; Union, buyers 255, sellers 26s ; Standard, 14s 6d ; Colonial, 4s 6d • Accident, 7s 6d. Miscellaneous —Loan and’Mercantile. 80s to 82s ; Land Mortgage, sales 18s; National Mortgage, 11s ; New Zealand Shipping, buyers 20a ; Union Steam, £11; Gißborne Gas, sellers 23s ; Mosgiel Woollen, 753 cum div ; Kaiapoi, 55a ; Drug, 19s 6d to 20s; Westport Coal, buyers 51s ; Wellington Trust and Loan, £6 10s ; Equitable Building, £7 2s 6d ; Wellington Building and Investment, £6 5s ; Wellington Gas (20s paid), sellers 40s, (£5 paid), sellers £9 7s 6d ; Gear Meat, 82s 6d. Messrs Arthur Warburton and Co. report the following returns of amalgam from the Reefton mines for the Week Globe, 4040 z from 190 tons ; Keep-it-Dark, 9020 z from 185 tons ; Fiery Cross, 1440 z from 80 tons. Messrs Edwards and Mcßeath report: There is very little alteration in the demand for town, but country orders are still numerous. We have been very busy aU through the month with country orders, and We anticipate a continuance. . ■ • ' There is a more hopeful tone m business circles this month than' there has beeh for a long time. Not that any great increase of business has taken place, or that large sales have been reported, but buyers are more spirited, and more hopeful for coming 'Season. The outlook of the lambing and wool season is cheering, and baring mishaps in the shape of extraordinary weather, the returns from these two sources are likely to be very good. • Live stock in all parts of the Colony is looking well, and fetching fMr prices. The crope so far give promise bf turning out well. The season is much earlier than usual, owing to the very mild ’winter just past. There isra large area laid down in wheat, and should Home prices remain stiff our farmers will have no reason to complain of the* grain trade. The loDg spell of dry weather in Australia is almost

creating a panic. In whole districts there is no feed for sheep or cattle, and even if rains should come shortly the price of cattle and produce is bound to be higher. This will give an increased demand for New Zealand s overplus at remunerative rates. The past quarter, ending September, is about the dullest period of the year, and the Customs returns for that period were anxiously looked for to see what difference the increased, tariff had made. There was a perceptible decrease in Customs revenue from alcoholic liquors and tea, but some of this may be accounted for by the fact that there were unusually heavy clearances just before the tariff oame into force in these lines. The revenue from the ad valorem and miscellaneous duties show an increase of £35,000. The demand for properties for safe investment is on the increase both in town and country, and good business sites have changed hands lately at satisfactory rates. Groeery lines are without much change. The first shipment of new fruit, in the shape of currants, figs, and sultanas Is to hand in capital condition, at full rates. Kerosene is in larger supply, ex recent arrivals from New York, but the price is still firm. Cement is moving off a little more freely at full late rates. Galvanised iron is inquired for, and holders are firm. Sales are reported as low as £l9 10s. In several hardware lines holders are not pushing trade, as prices are expected to be, if anything, firmer. Cream of tartar has been scarce in the local market, and is held at firm rates. Speaking generally, the trade of the Colony is in a far better condition than it was six months ago. There is evidence of more confidence of the people in the future prosperity of the place. The presence of English and American buyers of our dairy produce will no doubt stimulate our farmers to greater energy to meet the demand for our products. The fruit crop, so far, promises to be a large one, and for the first time for several years there are signs of a favourable season for peacheß. Several firms are contemplating canning fruit this year on a larger scale than has hitherto been attempted in this Colony. The dispute between the coal miners and the mine owners in New South Wales is not settled at this date, and the effect has been advantageous to New Zealand. All our principal coal mines are fully manned, and work is carried on day and night. The output is larger now than ever before. The only difficulty has been in securing vessels to carry away the orders. In most of our local industries a good demand is reported. The Wellington Woollen Company’s mills are fully employed, and have orders now in hand to last up till Maroh next. With the exception of a disagreement with one firm of bootmakers in Auckland, the arrangements between employers and employes are of an amicable character. The timber industry is looking up ; there is an improved demand in Australia, and large shipments are now being made. Messrs Freeman 'R. Jackson and Co., Johnsouville, report : -The cattle entered tor the day’s sale were generally of indifferent quality, with the exception of one line of 18 head, which were fairly good. Some of the bullocks could only be classed as good forward stores. We again advise our numerous clients to forward well-fatted cattle only, as those of poor quality are unsatisfactory to buyers and sellers. Beef made 15s the 100. In sheep the feature of the sales was another line of superior wellfatted mutton wethers (shorn) of Mr Robertson, which made good rates. A number of light wethers were penned, and brought a shade over last sale’s prices. The lambs were not well fatted, but sold at full values. Pigs were well competed for, and maintained recent prices. Cattle—Bullocks, best line, from £6 2s 6d to £6 12s Gd, averaging £6 9s 5d ; other averages, £5 19s 4d, £5 13s, and £4 16s 9d ; veal oalves almost unsale, able. Sheep—Mr Robertson’s shorn wethers, 13s 6d to 14s Id ; others, 8s 4d to lls ; shorn small owes, 7s 4d ; ewes in wool, 13s; lambs, 6s lOd to 7s lid. Mr D. T. Stuart reports on the share market for week to date Banks -New Zealand, sales (new issue), £1 premium ; Colonial, 42s 6d to 43s 84 ; National, 36s to 375, Insurance Colonial, 4s 6d to 4s 9d; National, 19s 3d to 20s 6d, cum; New Zealand, sellers 80s ; Union, 25s 6d to 265. Financial —Loan and Mercantile, 77s 6d ; New Zealand Land Mortgage, 18s to 18s 6d ; Local Building Co’s, unchanged. Sundries— New Zealand Shipping, buyers 23s 6d ; New Zealand Drug, 19s 9d to 20s 3d; Gear Meat, buyers 81s; . Wellington Gas, sellers (issue £5 paid), £9 7s 6d, buyers (£1 paid) 40s. Gold shares—Globe, sales 26s 9d ; Darks, sellers 445, cum dividend; United Alpine, 19s 9d to 20s 3d.

MASTERTON STOCK SALE. (from our own correspondent.) October 25. Messrs Lowes and lorns report of their stock sale yesterday : —Cattle were well represented, and all sold at last sale’s quotations. Sheep were Bhort of entries ; all sold showing a slight decline in price. The following are the figures obtained : —Forward bullooks, 95a ; medium stores, 60s to 70s ; small steers, 35s to 455; yearlings, 28s ; calves, 13s to 17s ; store heifers, 28s to 38s ; dairy cows, 40s to 80s ; fat shorn wethers, Ss to 8s 6d ; fat ewes, 7s 9d ; small wethers, 7s ; ewes and lambs, poor, 6s 6d ; small pigs, 7s 6dto 9s 6d ; horses, £4 10s to £B.

WELLINGTON MARKETS. Wholesale Prices. * farm and dairy produce.

Milk, quart £ . 0 B. 0 d. 4 to £ 0 s. 0 d 0 Butter, fresh lb - 0 0 7 to 0 0 8 Salt butter - ■ 0 0 6 to 0 0 7 Cheese, Col. . 0 0 0 to 0 0 4h Eggs, dozen - 0 0 8 to 0 0 0 Lard, lb. - 0 0 4 to 0 0 5 Bacon, ' lb. « - 0 0 6 to 0 0 7 Ham, lb. ' • - d 0 7 to 0 0 8 Fowls, pair - 0 2 3 to 0 3 0 Ducks, pair - 0 2 9 to 0 3 6 JrSese, each . - 0 2 6 to 0 3 0 Turkeys, pair 0 7 0 to 0 8 0

Hay And Corn Market. £ s. d. £ 8. Maize, Poverty Bay - 0 3 3 to 0 3 6 'Jats, feed - 0 2 4 to 0 2 7 Wheat do - 0 2 9 to 0 3 3 Carrots 1 10 0 to 0 0 C Hay, ton 3 0 0 to 0 0 0 Oaten, ton 3 0 0 to 0 0 0 Straw, ton 2 10 0 to 3 0 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 ton - 6 10 0 to 7 0 0 Potatoes, per ton3 10 0 to 3 15 0 Flour Market. i £ 8. £ s. d Sharps, per ton • 4 0 0 to 0 0 0 Bran per ton, 3 10 0 to 0 0 0 Adelaide Flour, per ton 12 0 0 to 12 5 0 Colonial Flour - 9 5 0 • to 10 0 0 Oatmeal 11 0 0 to 11 5 0 Pearl Barley 15 0 0 to 16 0 0 Seeds. s. d. £ s. d Ryegrass, bushel 0 2 0 to 0 3 3 h Cocksfoot, lb. 0 0 3 to 0 0 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 0 0 0 Rape b. 0 0 3 to 0 0 0 Linseed, per cwt. 0 16 0 to 0 0 0