COMMERCIAL NEWS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 898, 17 May 1889, Page 13

COMMERCIAL NEWS

prices as follows:—Trade, for the opening of what may be termod a winter month, as far as produce is concerned, is very quiet) no speculative business being indulged in'. Wc quote—Roller flour) £ll 10s to£li 15s ; stone do, £lO to £lO 10a ; pollard, £5 15a ; bran, £4 15s to £5 ; wheatmeal, £ll ; whole fowls’ wheat, 3s 10d to 43 ; broken samples* 3s Gd to 3s 8d ; oats, 2s lid to 3s ; oaten sheaf chaff, £4 10s ; straw do, £3 ; oatmeal, £l4 10s to £ls ; feed barley, 3s ; maize, 4s ; beans, 43; peas, 3s 9d ; potatoes, £4; onions, nominally worth £l2; pearl barley, £l9 ; split peas, 14s Gd ; hams and bacon, Sd ; cheese, 4Jd to shd ; salt butter, 8d ; fresh do, 9d ; eggs, 2s per doz. No arrivals in quantity of fruit are to he reported. Apples and pears require to improve on pre. • sent rates before shippers see any inducement to touch the market. Apples rule from 5s 6d to 7s 6d ; pears, Si to Us; oranges, Island, 8s ; lomous, 12s ; waluuts, 7d ; chestnuts, lid per lb. Poultry continues dull at the old figures—fowls, 2s 6d ; ducks, 3s ; geese, 5s 6d ; turkeys, 6s 6d per pair. Mr F. H. Wood reports :—Tho usual fortnightly stock sale was held at the Taratahi yards on Thursday, considerably more stock being yarded than was advertised. The average quality of sheep was good, for although there wa3 no particularly heavy weights, there were at the same time no culls. The greater proportion of sheep were wethers, aud prices on the whole showed an . improvement on those realized at the last sale. Lambs brought from 4s 10d to 63 6d ; store wethers, 7s 10d to 8s , fat wethers, 8s 3d to 9s Id ; breeding ewes, 6s to 7s lOd ; fat owes, 8s ; store ewes, 3s 6d to sa. There were only a few cattle yaided, and they sold at low prices. Horses sold at from £0 to £8 ss. Messrs Arthur Warburfcon and Co. report on the share market for the week :—Bank of New Zealand, £8 to £S 2s ; Nafcioual, 37s ; Colonial, 42s Gd to 43s 6d. Insurance—New Zealand, 76s ; South - British, 40s to 41s ; National, IS3 6d to 19s ; Union, buyers 26s ; Standard, sellers 14s ; Colonial, 4s ; Accident, 7a 6.1. Miscellaneous —Loan and Mercantile, 68s ; Land Mortgage, sales 16s 6d; National Mortgage, l'2s to 12s 6d ; New Zealand Shipping, sellers 60s ; Mosgiel Woollen, 79a ; Kaiapoi Woollen, 60s cum div ; New Zea'and Drag, 20a ; Wanganui Gas, sellers £l2 10s cum div ; Wellington Trust and Loan, buyers £6 9s ; Equitable Building, £6 17s 6d ; Wellington Building and Investment, £6 ; Wellington Gas, £l7, £S 10s, and £2; Gear Meat, sales and buyers 81s. Messrs Arthur Warburton and Co. report the following returns of amalgam from the Reefton mines for the week :—Keep-it-Dark, SlOoz from 168 tons ; Globe, 2740 z from 190 tons. Messrs Edwards and Mcßeath report on thelabonr market:—Thereisaalighfc improvement since last report, mostly for country servants. Laery and to. report Bales for the past week:—Potatoes, 75s to SOi ; onions, £3 to £9 10s ; o.its, 3s ; pollaid, £5 10a to £5 15s; bran, 901 to 953; oaten Bheaf chaff, 80s to 90s ; straw chaff, 55s , oatmesl, £l4 10s ; mpize 3s 9d, nominal ; wheat, 4s to 4s 4d ; fowls' wheat, 3a Gd, nominal; malting barley, 3s 9d to 4s ; beans, 3s Id ; peas, 33 to 3s Gd ; pearl barley, £lB ; flour, £ll to £ll 10s; bacon, Dimock's cure, 7id ; hams, 9Jd ; outside cure hams and bacon, Id lower ; cheese, s£d to 5Jd for large size ; loaf cheese, 6d to 7d; fresh butter, JOd to lid ; suit butter, to 9d ; eggs, 2s ; turkeys, in demaud, 9s ; geese, 6s ; ducks, 3s 6d ; fowls, 2s 9d to 3s ; figs, 7s 3d ; dates, 5d ; in r erior sorts, 4d ; Barcelona nuts, 6d ; almond nuts, 9d; peanuts, to 3d; apples, 5s to 9a ; pears, 9s to 14s; oranges, 7s to 9s ; lemons, 203 to 245; quinces, ljd to 14d ; cooksfoot grass seed, to 3d ; ryo grass seed, 2s 6d to 3a 6d ; rape seed, 2d. Never since New Zealand has been colonised ha 3 the financial position of the Colony looked brighter than it docs at present. For the quarter ending March 31st tho exports doubled the imports, and were on a larger scale than the Colony ha 3 ever seen before. It is argued that because our imports were less than our exports, it shows that we have less spending money, but this theory is swept away by the fact that sale 3 of real estate are obtaining better prices than they have done for a long time, and there is a much better demand for property of all kinds for investment, not only by people from other colonies, but from our own colonists. The demand for Crown lands is on the increase, and it is roportod that in the Hawkes Bay district there is scarcely an aore of Crown land that has not been applied for. Although we havo as a Colony reached the highest return of exports, there is not much benefit yet felt by the wholesale traders. The demand for luxuries has not increased, and the demand for the necessaries of life has not advanced to any perceptible degree. The truth is, most lfkely, that the large and increasing difference of exchange in favour of the Colony is being principally reaped by the banks and loan companies. Tho long time of depression with low prices and small demand forced many of our sellers to obtain assistance from our monetary institutions. The present revival of trade, with its increased prices, enables them to pay off their indebtedness, and this is being done all over the Colony, so that by another season, should anything like the present demand continue for our products, and there Is not the slightest reason to doubt its continuance, our settlers will be in a better position than they have ever been before. With the prices now obtained for flax, mutton, wool, grain, and other products, our settlers are in a better position than settlers iu any part of the world. Thero seems a fixed determination all through the Colony to get tbe laud free from its incumberanco in the shape of mortgages. When once this is done, and the improved demand continues, our settlers will have reason to be proud of their Colony. There is a growing spirit to develop with more energy than has hitherto been shown our natural resources. New companies are being formed with home and foreign capital to work our coal, gold and other mineral wealth. New local industries of various

kinds are being started, and for the first time for several years the cry is heard in several quarters that labour is scarce. The news that the Midland Railway Com. pany intend starting work at an early date will revive the spirits of the people on the West Coast of the South Island, where trade has been slack for many month? past, and already there are improved signs of trade in that district. With regard to the grocery trade, there has been a stea °y advance in the prioe of sugars, and tho market continues very firm. Colman s starch is not heavily stocked. There is a short supply of salt, pending the arrival of: the s.s Centennial from Sydney. Dried fruit is dull of sale, and the supply is largs. The increased price of sugar is hardening the price of canned fruits and jam. Tinned fish is dull of sale. Soda crystals and whiting are short stocked, and in some districts prices are hardening. There is a fair trade demand for white leads and boiled and raw oils. In fencing wire and galvanised iron the demand is better and prices are firm. Messrs Freeman It. Jackson and Go. s Johnsonville, stock report -Cattle were yarded in average supply. The beef was good quality throughout, and demand brisk with prices firm at quotations. Vealera made a ready sale. Rather more than the usual number of sheep were penned. VVe must specially refer to those bringing top rates as an extra prime and heavy lot, and of a description seldom yarded. The ewes were a very well conditioned consignment. Beef made 13s the lOOlbs ; mutton, lfd for wether, and ljd for ewe; bullocks from £4 17s 6d to £6, averaging £5 7s 6d. bheep. Extra prime and heavy, I3s Id to 14s ; others, 11s 4d to 11s 5d ; ewes, 9s lOd to 10s. No pigs yarded. Mr D. T. Stuart reports on the share market for the week to date : New Zealand, £3 la to £8 2s ; golonial, 42s Gd to 43s 3d. Insurance—Colonial, sales 4s 3d; Few Zealand, sales 75s Gel ; Standard, 13s Gd tol4s ;Union, buyers 2Gs«Jd. Financial-National Mortgage, 12s to 12=iGd ; New Zealand Loan and Mercantile, 03s ; New Zealand and Rivor Plate Land Mortcage, buyers los 3d ; Equitable Building of Wellington (new issue, £1 paid), W el ' B ' 25s premium, old issue £7; T e J]j ng J oa Trust and Loan, £6 9s to £6 10s ; Wellington Building and Investment, sellers £6 2s bd ; Northern Land and Loan (in liquidation), sales 355. Sundries —New Zealand Shipping. 65s to 66s ; Union Steam, £ll 15s to £l2 5s ; Wanganui Gas, seders £l2, cum div • Wellington Woollen, sales 255, buyers 22s Gd • Gear Meat, 81s ; Manawatu Railway, buyers’los Gd, sellers 13s.’ Gold shares— Globe, sales (13th) 25a 4d ; Keep-it-Dark, Bales (9th) 375, sellers 39a ; Progress, oGs to 40s : Scotia, sales (13th) 63 3d.

WELLINGTON MARKETS. Wholesale Prices. FARM AND DAIRY FRODUOB. £ s. d. £ s. d Milk, quart . 0 0 4 to 0 0 0 Butter, fresh lb - - 0 0 9 to 0 0 10 Salt butter - - 0 0 8 to nominal Cheese, Col. . 0 0 4§ to 0 0 5J Eggs, dozen - 0 1 9 to 0 2 0 Lard, lb. - 0 0 5 to 0 0 6 Bacon, lb. * ■ - 0 0 6A to 0 0 7i Ham, lb. . 0 0 7j to 0 0 9 Fowls, pair , . 0 2 0 to 0 2 6 Ducks, pair . 0 3 0 to 0 3 6 Geese, each - 0 3 0 to 0 3 0 1? ircreys, pair 0 7 0 to 0 8 0 Hay and Corn Market. £ S. d. £ s d Maize, Poverty Bay - 0 4 0 to nominal Oats, feed - - 0 3 0 to 0 0 0 Wheat do • - 0 3 J 0 to 0 4 4 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 15 0 to 4 5 0 Oaten hay * „ 3 10 0 to 0 0 0IV heat straw . 2 0 0 to 0 0 0 Onions - S 0 0 to 9 0 0 Potatoes, per ton- - 4 0 0 to 4 0 0 Floor A1 uiket. £ s. d £ s. d Sharps, per ton - . 5 0 0 to 5 10 0 Bran per ton, . 4 15 0 to 5 0 0 Colonial Flour - 10 10 0 to 11 10 0 Oatmeal . 0 0 0 to 14 10 0 Pearl Barley - 15 0 0 to 16 0 0 Seeds. £ a d. £ s. d Ryegrass, bushel . 0 2 0 to 0 3 Cocksfoot, lb. - 0 0 22 to 0 0 3 Wt. Clover, 'b. • . 0 0 10 to 0 0 0 Red, do - 0 0 8 to OOP Alsylre, lb. - - 0 0 10 to 0 0 C Cow Crass, lb. - . 0 0 7 to 0 0 9 Timothy, lb. . 0 0 G t; 0 0 0 Rape, lb. - 0 0 21 to nominal Linseed, per cwt. - 0 14 0 to nominal Tho Customs duties colleoted at the port of Wellington for the week ending Saturday amAvuicd to £3995 6s lid. Beer duty, £115 5s 6d. Georgo Thomas and Co, report produce