COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 7342, 5 December 1884, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Times Office,

Thursday evening.

The state of trade is good, and consumption of commodities continues on the high scale of late months. We are pleased to note the hand-to-mouth character of trade, so indicative of dull times, is giving way to more extended transactions and better prices, so that a prospect is opening np of some margin between importers costs and market rates. _ Both in town and country there are indications of a good summer trade, and with the vance of the season should also come a considerable reduction in the cast of provisions, and so an Increase of buying power in other directions. The past month has not been marked by any insolvencies of consequence; trade Is considered sound, and engagements well met. All our markets continue in fair supply, with imports quite up to the usual average. Messrs Stables, Strnker, and Co.’s circular of the 2nd October, 1884, gives the values of shipments to the several New Zealand ports as follows Four weeks ended Previous Sept. 20,1884. four weeks. Auckland ... 52,100 ... 74,700 Canterbury ... 49,000 ... 41,.>00 Otago ... 90,600 ... 80,200 Wellington ... 66,900 ... 78,100 Ale and Stout—Bulk ale has not had_ much attention, and only trade lots are moving off. A fair demand exists for bottled ale, tbo rates ruling from 10s Cd to 11s 9d ; bottled stout has had good business, and agents for the favorite brands report shipments, to arrive, being cleared at full rates. Cement —This market is fairly stocked with a moderate demand ; we hear of a sale of 400 casks, ex ship, at 14s ; but quotations, ex store, are from 15s to 15s 6d. Candles —A moderate inquiry is experienced for candles without change in values; Price’s

London sperms continue in request at 9Jd to 9Ad ; Belmont’s, Bid to 10. pl ; Nationals, lOd to 10id; Battersea wax, 3.;d to lOd ; Hello (luted paraffines, lOd to lopl; 1 f 1 f ditto, Hid; De Roubaix, Jenar, and Odenkovens are slow of sale at 9|d: Brandon s, 9id ; Kitchen’s Wellington candles have been in demand at full rate#; other Isev/ Zealand brands have had the usual business at former quotations. Dried Pruits—Currants are in good supply with prices easier; good fruit is now quoted at 5d per cask and o£d per caae ; elemea and sultanas are fully stocked at t»jd to 6d for the former, and 7d to 7£ for the latter ; muscatels are quoted at Is 2d for new fruit, and Is for old; figs of good quality are scarce, but new fruit, to arrive, is quoted at 10s Gd per dozen ; Jordan almonds, firm at 2s 7d. Fish.—Tinned fish of all kinds has been dull of sale, and quotations weak ; salmon is in full supply, and at 7a Gd to 8s for well known brands ; outside brands, of which there is not much demand in the market, are in little request; lobsters are very slow of sale; oyatera have no inquiry; aardines are in limited request; Alberts, halves, are quoted from 9s 3d to 10s, and other descriptions 8s to 9s ; quarters, 4a 9d to 3s 9d; fresh herrings are worth Gs 3d to Gs Gd ; red, 32s ; kippered, 10s Gd to 11s; ling, sid to Gd. Metals.— Corrugated iron has been in good demand, and sale, from stock are reported at L2l to L2l 15s for beat brands; fencing wire is in full supply, with moderate demand; No. G may be quoted at Ll2 os; No. 7 Ll2 10s ; and No. 8 Ll2 15s ; barbed wire, L 32 to L 33 ; we hear of a sale to arrive at L3l. Wire nails are again in supply, and quoted at LlB 10s for an assorted parcel. Sheet lead, dull of sale at LIG 10s. Oilmen’s stores—There is but little to say under this heading, almost everything being well supplied and without improvement in value. Morton’s salad oil is quoted at JOs Gd for pints, and Gs for halves; castor oil, 8s Gd for pints and 5s 3d for half-pints. Van Houten’s cocoa, 3s lOd to 4s. Matches : Bell and Black’s (250’s), 17s ; plaids, 4s 3d. Mustard : Coleman’s D. 5. 1 1., Is Gd to Is 6J)d. Neave’s food, 10s to 10s Gd. Patent groats and barley, Bs. Pickles: Morton’s, 8s Gd to 8s 9d. Milk (Swiss), 8s Gd to 8s 9d. Sauces : Lea and Perrin’s, 12s Gd for half-pints; and 23s for pints; Mellor’s, 7s to 7s Gd ; Millar’s, Gs; Stephens’, 5s to 5s Gd. Starch : Coleman's, 4d ; Urlaudo Jones, 3|d. Oils—Kerosene is in fair supply, and quoted at Is 7d to Is 81 tor 130 test, and Is lid for 150; paint oils have had small attention, with prices weak, Is 4jd to Is 5d being quoted for boiled and 1s 3d to Is 4d for raw; colza oil is firmer, and sales are reported at 4s 9d; castor has had small business at 3s lOd to 4s, Salt Ihis market is fully supplied, and sales are reported at 75s for fine, and G2s Gd to 63s for coarse (Black Horae). Sugar—We are without any further supplies of Queensland or China sugars; the la.ter is quoted at L32to L 33 for first whites, with good business. Of Mauritius there is now very little in the market; good to fine whites are quoted at L 33 to L 34. The New Zealand SugarCompany’a quotations are unchanged. Spirits—The usual trade demand has been experienced without changes in values. Henessey’s l-star brandy is selling at 3Gs Gd to 37s in bond, but we hear of a parcel having changed hands at 3Gs, which requires confirming; 3 star is out of importers’hands. Tea A fair trade is reported, more particularly for the medium Sorts, without change in values. Wines—Tlie usual limited trade has been done in wines without anything special to report. Colonial Produce Laery and Campbell report that business has been steady during the last month. Oats have realised 3s 2d to 3s Gd, ex store. There is no milling wheat or malting barley offering. Chiokwheat may be quoted at 2s Gd to 3s, and barley at 2s Gd. No maize in the market through failure of last year’s crops. Peas are quoted at 3s Gd per bushel; old potatoes, 80s to 90s ; new do, L 9 to L 10; American onions, L3O; bran, L 4 13s; pollard, L 5; oatmeal, Ll 4 10s; Hour, guaranteed (Fleming and Gilkison’s), L 9 ; pearl barley, L2O per ton ; salt butter, Gdperlb, but little business doing; fresh do, 7d do ; cheese, 5d to 5.(d do; hams and bacon (in cloth), 9.J<l to lOd do ; eggs, lOd to lid ; fowls, 4s per pair; ducks, 4s Gd do ; turkeys, Gs each ; honey, L 45 to LSO per ton. The market is nearly bare of all kinds of fruit, owing partly to the action of the New Zealand Government prohibiting importations of fruit. It is a well-known fact that the moth has been in New Zealand apples for years, and why Australian grapes are prohibited from being landed here is not generally understood by the public. We trust the Government will take this matter into consideration, and allow the people to have a few grapes, at a reasonable price, as there is not sufficient quantity grown in New Zealand to supply wants. Messrs Charles Pownall and Co., scriveners, report: —The money market has been unchanged during the last month, the rate of interest remaining steady at 7 to 7J per cent. There has been a fair supply of money offering for mortgage investment and for moderately largo sums at the lower quotation, but /he negotiations completed have, notwithstanding, been limited, borrowers declining to accept the stringent terms generally demanded. These terms consist of the property offered being valued at a forced sale valuation, upon which at the utmost two-thirds of that amount will be advanced, or, on tho other hand, the property tax is taken as a basis, and half that amount is only granted on mortgage, however good the security offered. Mortgagees naturally decline to lock up valuable estates for some years, without power of redemption, at less than halt their true value, and hence the amount of business transacted has been confined to a few sources. More liberal arrangements arc readily accepted. The value of money in the Old Country continues plentiful, and, as New Zealand securities are fast coming into favor there, from the advantages of our climate and absence from that drought so fatal to Australia, we look for a full supply being forthcoming, and think that lower rates will probably rule in consequence.