Commercial.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 978, 28 November 1890, Page 32

Commercial.

Trade has improved during the week, and there has been a good demand for principal lines.

The lonic, which arrived last week, brought a large quantity of new currants for all ports. They are selling at froqi ojd to ojd, with good demand. Sultanas are moving off at from B|d to 9d. The supplies to arrive within the next few weeks will probably be the last this market will receive this'season. Advices from London state that they have advanced 15s a cwt owing to the shortness of the crop. Elemes are firmly held at 6Jd. Stocks are limited. There is a little enquiry for figs, which are selling at from 6s to 6s 6d. There is no alteration in sugars. Rice is going off fairly well at L 29 10s to L3O per ton. The last shipment of London Sperm candles has nearly all been disposed of, a quantity having been shipped to coastal ports. “ Business in the metal and hardware lines has been fairly good during the week. There is no alteration in prices. The latest advices from Home state that principally owing to the labour difficulties prices are steadily advancng. Large shipments of potatoes left by the Hauroto on Friday for Sydney, which has eased the market of a good deal of its surplus stock.

New potatoes are in fair demand. Prices have receded during the week.

Fowls’ wheat is scarce. Oats—Only hand to mouth sales can be effected, and prices remain at old rates. Feed barley is slow of sale. Fresh butter is selling more freely. Large sales of new cheese have been made during the week at satisfactory rates. Fair prices are still obtained for old cheese. Eggs remain at last rates. Poultry continues to find a ready sale. Hams and bacon are in good demand. Flax—No alteration since last week. Oatmeal Consumption very small, and prices show a slight decline. There are no onions in the market.

As usual at this time of the year the consumption of beans is very small, and prices are correspondingly low. _ Pollard, in the absence of fowls’ wheat, continues in fair demand for poultry feeding. Flour—Fair sales have been made during the week at satisfactory rates. The fruit market has been glutted with bananas, pines, and lemons, and prices for the two latter will barely cover freight and expenses. The first grapes of the season are expected by the Auckland boat on Monday. The t ukaki, which arrived from Sydney yesterday, brought a further shipment of oranges and lemons.

Laery and Co. report prices for the past week : —Old potatoes, 15s to 40s for good sorts ; new do, 9s to 12s for kidney ; oat 3, Is 9d to Is lid ; pollard, 70s ; bran, 60s ; chaff, 67s to 72s 6d ; oatmeal, L 9 10s; fowls’ wheat, 3s 3d; roller flour, Lll; stone flour, LlO 10s ; wheatmeal, LlO ; milling wheat, 3s 9d ; cheese, 3£d to 4d; eggs. BJd to 9d ; turkeys, 7s 6d ; geese, 6s ; ducks, 3s 9d ; fowls, 3s 6d per pair ; maize, 3s;. beans, 3s to 3s 3d; feed peas, 3s 6d; garden do, 7s 6d; bacon (Dimock’s cure) 6£d; hams, 8d; oranges, 10s ; onions, 10s to 11s for prime samples, scarce ; new dates, 5Jd; old do, 4d ; apples, cooking lls to 12s; Hobart eating, 11s to 14s ; Barcelona nuts, 6£d; almonds nuts, 9Jd; Brazil nuts, lOd; peanuts, 2Jd; lemons, 5s to 8s; cocksfoot grass seed, 3d to 4d ; honey. 3d to 4§d ; hops, Bd, nominal; cocoanut fibie, 2d; butter, dairy made, 5d to 6d ; factory made, 7d; salt butter. 6d to 7d ; rhubarb, 3s 6d to 5s ; green peas," 8d; cucumbers, 9a per dozen ; gooseberries, 3s half case.

In the labour market there is a good enquiry for domestic servants for hotels.

Messrs Truebridge and Reich report for week ending the 2lstLocal—Wellington Trust and Loan, L 6 12s 6d ; Wellington Building, L 6 5s ; Equitable Building, L 7 2s 6d to L 7 ss; Wellington and Manawatu Railway, 16s ; Gear M eat, Lsssto L 5 7s 6d; Wellington Gas, Ll 6 ; Meat Export, 90s ; Wellington Woollen, 40s. Banks—New Zealand, old L 5 2s 6d, new L 4; National. 36s 6d ; Colonial, 41s. Insurance New Zealand, 655; South British, 26s ; National, 16s; Union, 25s 6d; Standard, 13s 6d ; Colonial, 93 6d ; New Zealand Accident, 8s 6d. Miscellaneous—Loan and Mercantile, 54s ; New Zealand Shipping, ex 90s; New Zealand Drug, 193 ; River Plate, 14s.

Messrs Harcourt and Co. report for the week ending November 21Sale3 effected— Colonial Banks, 41s 6d; Union Insurance, 25s 9d; Loan and Mercantile, 53s Gd. Quotations—Bank of New Zealand, old L 5 2s, new L 4; Colonial Bank, 41s Cd; National Bank. 36s 6d. Insurance—National, 15s ; New Zealand, 65s ; South British, 26s ; Union, 25s 9d ; Standard, 13s 6d. Miscellaneous— New Zealand Shipping, 90s; New Zealand Loan and Mercantile, 53s 6d ; National Mortgage, 10s 6d; New Zealand and River Plate, 14s ; New Zealand Drug, 18s 6d; Mo?giel Woollen, 80s ; Kaiapoi Woollen, 10s; Wellington Woollen, 40s ; Equitable Building, L 7 2s Cd ; Wellington Trust and Loan, L 6 12s fid - V ellington Building and Investment, L 6 53 ; Wellington Gas, Ll 6 ; Wellington arid Manawatu Railway, 16s ; Gear Meat, L 5 53 ; Westport Coal, 50s; Meat Export, 90s. Mr A. W. Brown reports the following recent sales of property :—Kilbirnie, 66 x 100, Hamilton road, sold on behalf of Mr S. Scott for L 65 ; Otaki, 54 acres bush land to Messrs A. and 0. Collyer for L 162 ; Kilbirnie, Hamilton road, section 33 x 100, sold to Mr Heighton for L 3 5; Mangamahoe, vendor’s interest in deferred payment section to Messrs Jaquet Bros, for L 300; Otaki, 64J acres bush land to Mr T. G. Yates for L 193. Mr Brown states that owing to strike, and in view of elections, business in exchange of property is very limited. He reports money plentiful for investment on first-class securities at from 6 to 8 per cent. Mr Dransfield reports on the share market for the past week, fair business done :—Banks —New Zealand, old issue L 5 3s, new L 3 18s, with call of L 3 unpaid ; Colonial, sales 41s 6d ; National, buyers 35 s 6d. Insurance—Colonial, toQa 6d; Nationals, buyers 15s ex div; New Zealand, 63s to 645; Unions, 26s to 26s 6d. Financial—New Zealand Loan and Mercantile, 54s to _ 65s ; Land Mortgage, 12a ; Equitable Building of Wellington, buyers at VL ~ 3 >' Wellington Building, buyers at L 6 7s 6d ; Wellington Trust and Loan, buyers at L 6 15s; Wellington Woollens, 40s; Meat Export, L 4 10s; Gear Meat, buyers at L 5 7s bd.

Customs duties collected at the port of Wellington for the week ending Saturday amounted to L 6386 18s lOd. Beer duty, L 54

George Thomas and Co. report produce prices as fellows :-There is but little animat!olLm the leading lines of grain and breadstuffs, and we can only repeat last week’s quotations ; roller flour commands LlO to J .11 J?L b J ai T’, process L 9 to L 9 10s. >fuC.e wheat is in request at 3s 7d

to 3s 8d; broken samples, 3s to 3s 3d; bran, 60s; pollard, 70s; wheatmeai, L 1 0; prime short oats are worth Is 9d; Danish and Tartarians, Is 7d to Is 9d ; oatmeal, L 9 to L 9 10s • oaten sheaf chaff, 70s to 80s; straw do, 50s to 555; maize, 3s 9d to 3s lOd; beans, Ss 8d • peas, 3s 9d; feed barley, 2s 6d; pearl barley’ Ll 6; split peas, Ll 4 10a; cocksfoot grass seed! 3|d to 3|d; rye grass seed, 4s 6d to 4s lOd • clovers, 70s to 7£e; old potatoes of good quality are worth £2 10s per ton, while off sorts rule from 7s 6d to 20s; there are no onions m the market; wheaten straw, 70s; baled hay, L 4 10s; hams and bacon are in demand at 6fd to 7d for factory cure; Greytown cheese, honey, 4£d; eggs, 9i to lOd per dozen ; fresh butter, 6d to 7d; salt do, 6d, without any demand ; new potatoes have ruled from Id per lb to 8s 6d per cwt for round samples;.we, however, anticipate lower values for shipments now due; kidneys command lid per lb; green peas are worth 8d per peck; gooseberries, 4s per £-case; rhubarb, 4s per dozen ; strawberries. 8d to Is per quart, according to quality; cucumbers, 4s to 6s per dozen ; bananas, 2s 6d; pines, 10s case ; lemons. 3s ; oranges, 10s ; cocoanuts. 8s ; peanuis ; 2ld. Fowls are more plentiful, but still worth 3s 6d ; turkeys, 8s ; geese, 6s ; ducks, 4s per pair. Messrs Arthur Warburton and Co. report on the share market for the weekßanks New Zealand, old, sellers L 5 Is; new, sellers L 4, buyers L 3 15s; Colonial, buyers 41s, sellers 41s 6d; National, sellers 375". Insur-ance-New Zealand, 66s ; Union, 265; South British, 255; Standard, buyers 13s. Miscel-laneous-Loan and Mercantile, buyers 50a; Land Mortgage, buyers 13s, sellers 14s; National Mortgage, buyers 10s; Wanganui Gas, Ll2 ex div ; Kaiapoi Woollen, buyers 30s; Wellington Gas, Ll 6, L 8 and 325; Wellington Trust and Loan, L 6 12s 6d ; Equitable Building, L 7 ; Wellington Building, L 6 53 ; Railway, buyers 16s; Gear Meat, L 5 ss; Meat Export, sellers 90s (L 5 paid). Messrs Edwards and Mcßeath report wages for past week as follows There has been a good demand for domestic servants, hotels and private. Married couples, L7O to L9O; carpenters, 10s; bricklayers, 12s; blacksmiths, 9s to 10s; painters and glaziers, 9s ; plumbers and gas titters, 9a to 10s ; storemen, 42s to 60s; draymen,. 42s to 60s; coachmen, 30s to 35s ; grooms, 25s to 35s ; gardeners, 6s to 8s ; labour hands, 7s to 8s ; farm hands, 15s to 25s ; milkmen, 15s to 25s ; hotelmen, 20s to 40s; barmaids, 25s to 30s; waitresses, 15s to 20s; cooks, 25a to 40s; female do, 15s to 30s ; housemaids, 12s to 20s ; general servants, 10s to 14s-; nursegirls and boys, 7s to 15s.

Freeman R. Jackson and C »’s Johnsonville stock report :—Cattle yarded in fewer numbers. Young and small sorts more numerous than others, a good demand existed at late rates. A small number of sheep penned made no advance. Lambs in good demand. Pigs in fair,supply made recent prices. Cattle, L 4 17s 6d to L 6; wethers, 10s Id; ewes, 8s 4d to 10s lid; lambs, 8s; ox beef, 15s the lOOlbs; wether mutton, 2d per lb.