FINANCE AND TRADE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4332, 16 April 1901, Page 6

FINANCE AND TRADE.

The Customs returns for yesterday amounted to £4068 12s 7d.

The Department cf Agriculture has uccived the following cablegram from the Agent-General, dated 13th April:—Butter, 100 s. market firm; cheese, -IT.-.. There is good demand for ohcese. New Zealand hemp, good fair 'Wellington. 4: fair current .Manila, £33. fhe market is dull. Stocks Ist April—New Zealand, 362 tom:, as against 206 hist year; Manila, 16,c0d hales, as against G 740, and heavy shipments of hemp ate expected from Manna. Cocksfoot seed. 17lb standard, 335; there is a better demand for cocksfoot seed. Mutton is a falling market. Average prices—Canterbury, -lid ; Dunedin, land, 3jd ; Australian, 2.;d ; River Plate. 3- The lamb market is good. Canterbury, Gjld; others sjd ; Australian, 4- Beef is firmer—Hinds, 3gd: fores, 31 d.

In a few days the Russian Steamship and Trading Company, which enjoys the •special favour of the Minister of Finance, will open a new connection between Odessa and the Persian Gulf. The steamer “Korsiloff” is now being loaded until 3000 poods of Russian products, especially sugar and petroleum, prior to making for the Persian harbours. A number of commercial travellers are to accompany the cargo, and they intend to pcr.sonaly push Russian trade in Persia. It is also intended to call at various ports-on the route, amongst other Djihutil, te. further Russian trade.

A telegram from Calcutta indicates that the tea trade is sorely exercised over the granting of higher wages to thccoolies, which speakers at a meeting have declared would .submerge many estates and cripple others. It seems doubtful, however, whether the tea planters will get their way. Pel-hops—-though we arc’not very hopeful—a more likely remedy for the bad condition of the trade, which seems to be mainly the result of over-production, would be general compliance with the. circular of the Indian and Ceylon associations urging proprietors to sign an agreement to reduce output. Meanwhile the planters have naked Lord Curzon to telegraph home that an extra duty upon tea in the coming Budget would ruin the industry. But is it not the consumer who always pays the tax?

Speaking at tlio distribution of prizes of the Agricultural Society in Paris, M. Dupuy, Minister of Agriculture, said that the depression in the corn trade was felt everywhere, and not specially in France. He, hoped for good results from tho now law regarding import certificates. The action of tho Senate must bo awaited with confidence. Referring to sugar, the Minister said the Government intended to send two representatives to the next sugar conference at Brussels: but he was already in a position to .state that the Government had no intention of seeking to raise additional revenue by modifying the sugar tax. It would endeavour, on the contrary, to encourage consumption by reducing tho present taxes.

Notwithstanding repeated assertions, nothing is! known in Frankfort of a definite solution being arrived at with regard to the continuation of the Frankfort Rothschild branch, and still less with regard to tho appointment cf a younger member of the family as successor. As to Baron Armand do Rothschild, son of the Baron Edmund, he is certainly not yet able to conduct such an important banking concern. It is said that the young Baron is to enter fer some time as volantaire at the bank of Messrs Warburg and Co., at Hamburg, in order to acquire some knowledge, of business methods. This,, of course, is in view of his finally assuming the directorship of tho Frankfort house, where, indeed, fresh blood is badly needled.

COMMERCIAL CABLES. PRESS ASSOCIATION. i LONDON, April 14. FROZEN MEAT. The following arc the official quota-, tions of the Frozen Meat Trade Association for mutton and lamb in lots of 100 carcases of fair average quality: MuO'.n. —New Zealand crossbred wethers and maiden ewes —Canterbury, -Jd lower, at 4 3-lGd per lb; Dunedin and Southland, -Jd lower, at 3-id; North Iland, Jd lower, at 3 11-10 d. River Plate crossbred or merino wethers—Heavy, 14-16 d lower at 2 9-lGd; light, id lower, at 3 3-16(1. ’’Lamb—Prime Canterbury, fd lower, at SJd : fair average (including Dunedin, Southland, Wellington and secondary Canterbury), Jd lower, at 5Jd. New Zealand beef—Pair average quality, 1801 b to 2201 b, ox-fores. 1-lGd higher, at 3 3-16 d; ox-hinds, gd lower, at old. WHEAT. The markets declined about 6d ;>or quarter owing to the operations of American “bears,” but are new recovering slightly. Cargoes are dull;' Victoria, Deccmbcr-February shipment, 29s fid per quarter; March shipment, 29s 3d per quarter. LEAD. The imports for March were 18,328 tons, including ,6034 tons from Australia. The exports totalled 3101 tons.