COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5670, 2 June 1879, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

AUCKLAND SHARE MARKET. (FROM OUR OWJT CORRESPONDENT.) AUCKLAND. Saturday. Mr. A. Saunders reports as follows:—Sellers: Hank of New Zealand, £lB 10s; Colonial. 42s : National, 60s; New Zealand Insurance, 625; South British, 5C.s: Union, 13s ; Loan and Mercantile. 99a ; Alburnia, 255; Moanatairi, 6Ss; Ktlranui Hill, 7s 6(1 ; Caledonia, 10s.

(per press agency.) AUCKLAND, Saturday. Mr. Binnoy reports Flour, £lO to £ll ; Adelaide flour, £l2 to £l3 ; oats, 3s ; oatmeal, £10; pearl barley, £2B; Canterbury potatoes, £5 10s to £6 ; local flour, £lO to £lO 5s ; cheese. Colonial, 7d; butter, gd to lOd; Hobarton jams, Cs per dozen ; maize, 4s to 4s 3d.

GOLDSBROUGH’S MONTHLY CIRCULAR. Mklloure, May 14. Wool.—As usual at this season of the year, the business doing In wool is comparatively trifling, and confined almost entirely to small odd lots and parcels of scoured. At the auction sales C4O bales have been catalogued, ami 544 bales sold ; the prices obtained being »b<*ut equal to those ruling last month—crossbred greasy realising Cd to Sd ; merino greasy, 7d to 10d; and average scoured, 12d to 17d per lb. These prices apply to small parcels only, no large lots of greasy having been offered. Wo learn by cablegram from London that the May gales opened <-n the Gth instant, at prices about equal to the closing rates of the February and March series, except as regards crossbreds, which are quoted firmer. In this 1 H'»ss of wool there was ample room for improves ' { . • • the quotations of the previous series are the i.uown for many years ; indeed, coarse wool appears to have been quite out of favor. Merino, on the other hand, though selling at reduced rates, has maintained a comparatively firm tone ; and notwithstanding the extreme depression of trade, our average to good flocks have commanded full competition. It is evident that our Australian merino flocks have acquired an exceptional value, owing to their

1 superior quality, and adaptation for special purposes. They are, In fact, unrivalled, the climate of Australia being so favorable for the development of the breed. Our flockmasters can always rely on a good market so long as they produce a superior article, and It only rests with themselves to cultivate and Improve their sheep by systematic classing and moderate stocking. The season over a large proportion of this colony, more especially the western district, is decidedly unfavorable, the dry weather having been of too long continuance. The rains which have fallen hare generally been partial and Insufficient, and feed ia scarce, consequently the prospects for lambing are not reassuring: in fact, the increase will evidently be far below the average, the frosts succeeding tho rains having prevented the gra-s growing. In the south-western district of Riverina the season is also very dry, but throughout the greater portion of Riverina, the weather has been most favorable, and a splendid lambing is confidently expected, feed and water being abundant, and the sheep in excellent order. Further north, from the Upper Darling, Barwon, Bogan, Castlereagh, Namol, Macqusrrie, Liverpool Plains, &c., the reports are generally roost satisfactory, the season being the finest known for years. The rates of freight to London are somewhat firmer, the ruling quotations per sailing vessels being fd per pound. Exchange continues at \ per cent, discount for drafts on London at sixty days’ sight, and £ per cent, for each thirty days additional. Tho following ships have cleared for London during the month with wool on board :—Sailing date April 24, Ben Nevis, from Melbourne to London. 1440 bales; April 27. Argonaut, from Melbourne to London, 907 bales; May 6, Duvon, from Melbourne to London, 020 bales; May 14. s.s. Chimborazo, from Melbourne to London via Suez Canal, 88 bales ; total, 3301 bales. Add previous clearances, 273,570 bales; total shipments, October 1,1878, to date, 276,931 bales ; total October 1, 1877, to corresponding date last year, 270.084 bales; Increase, 0247 bales. Prices Current. —(The following are nominal, no superior lots offering.)—Greasy, inferior, 5d to fid; ordinary to average, 7dto9d; good to superior, lOd to Is. Fleece, washed, inferior, Is to Is 2d ; ordinary to average, Is 2d to Is 4d; average to good, la 4d to Is 7d ; superior, Is 8d to 2s. Scoured, inferior, Is to Is 2d ; ordinary, Is 2d to Is 4d ; middling to good, Is 4d to Is 6d ; superior, Is 7cl to Is 9d. Sheepskins.—Our auctions have been well attended during the past month, and we have quitted an average supply at about similar rates to those lately ruling, all forward being taken by the fellmongers. Some of tho Riverina flocks now show a fair growth of staple, and first-class merino skins are fetching up to 8a 6d each. We quote; Dry station skins, 3d to 4jd per lb; superior do, 4idtossd per lb; dry skins, 2s fid to 3s 3d each ; superior merino butchers' skins up to 8» fid; average do, Is Oil to 2s 6d each; and crossbreds up to 2s 6d each. Hides.— I This market continues steady, and there is a good demand for ah descriptions at quotations—viz., wet salted. Victorian, 2d to 3d per lb; New Zealand, 3d to 3jd per lb; ox hides, 16s to 25seach ; cow hides, 2d to 2sd p*r lb. Calfskins are difficult to sell at about 2d per lb. Tallow.—The tone is decidedly weaker, owing to the unfavorable state of the London market, and the Increased rate of freight; and we may look for a lower range of prices, although our sales of the month fairly maintain late quotations. We have sold 899 casks and packages to the local manufacturers and shippers as follows:—Superior mutton (f.0.b.), £3O ss; mutton, ex store, £2B to £2B 17s fid ; best beef (f o.b ), £2B 5s ; beef, cx store, £2O to £27: mixed and Inferior, £2O to £27 per ton. The rate of freight to London is 35s per ton. , The following vessels have cleared during the month with tallow on board April 24, Ben Nevis, from Melbourne to London, 754 casks; May 0, Devon, from Melbourne to London, 814 casks ; total, 1668 casks. WOOL MARKET REPORT. Messrs. Murray. Roberts, and Co report, under date London, 10th April, 1879;—Since our last circular of the 27th March, describing the state of the market at tho close of the first series, there has been very little change in our staple, but during the last week a slight Inquiry has sprung up from the Home trade, and mainly from Bradford, where the depression in business seems at las' to have been arrested. For English wools and the coarser qualities of crossbreds there has been some inquiry, and prices are if anything rather harder. There has been also private inquiry for Cape wools, which during the last sales had reached a very low price, and altogether, although trade Is still very sluggish, there are symptoms apparently of the lowest points having been touched. We trust this may prove to be the case, and that during the next series not yet fixed, but commencing probably on the oth May, the Home trade may be able to purchase more freely. The following are the descriotions and quantifies of wools at present available for the incoming sales New Arrivals. H " New South Wales .. 41.490 bales 0.000 bales Victoria 84,803 „ 10,000 „ South Australia .. .. 20.224 „ 3,000 „ Western Australia .. 5 097 ~ Tasmania 3,042 ~ New Zealand .. .. 41,806 ~ 1,000 bales Cape of Good Hope .. 21,019 „ 7,000 „ Totals .. .. 224,800 bales 27.000 bales