COMMERCIAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 95, 6 March 1862, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

Daily Times Office, Wednesday evening. The duty paid on imports to-day at tlie Custom house, amounted to £585 14s. 2d. Ojily one ounc of gold was entered for export. The following is a statement showing the stool;: o goods in bonded stores, on Feb. 2S : — Brandy... 13,750 galls. Tobacco 101.745 lbs. Whiskey ...12,230 „ Cigars 12,074J- „ Rum 0,985 „ Tea 74,575 „ Geneva.... 9,300 „ Coffee 86,421 „ Gin 1,969 „ Sugar 113,528 ~ Wine 13,170 „ Ale in bottle 662 galls Other spirits 63 ~ Ale in wood 3,892 ~ We extract from the Melbourne Herald of Feb 2O.'the following particulars : — Impokt Markets. —These markets continue devoir of animation, although holders of most descriptions o goods are firm. Sales mr AuoTioir. —Messrs. Fraser and Coher aold this day, at the Australian Wlmrf, the cargo o: log cedar, ex Vanquish, from Richmond River ; 245. per 100 feet was the sum realised. Messrs. Join Levy sold a small property yesterday, having S3 f«ei frontage to Little Lonsdale-street, with building) erected thereon, for ,£235. Messrs. Greij: and Murray held an extensive sale at the stores of Messrs. Jaine: Henty and Co., and sold 1350 cases and casks Byass's ale and porter, various shipments, all faults, dut) paid :—Porter, 6s Od to 9s 6'd per dozen ; ale, quarts, 3s 4s to 6s do ; do pints, 2s 6d to 2s lOd do ; Jeffrey's ale (in bond), not guaranteed, £3 10s per hogshead. They also ofiered a considerable parcel ot' wines, but only sold a small quantity.—Gozen's medium sherries (in bond), £36 5s per butt; Gonzale's double diamond do. £34 10s to £35 do ; Bustamento sherry, dutj paid, £41 to £41 10s do ; cinnamon, Is 5d per lb : Cochin ginger, faulty, 4;i|d to -l=|d per lb., &c, &c. Melbourne, Wednesday. Export entries were passed at the 'Jusloms this daj on 7,409 oz. 19 dwt. of gold, for shipment, per Latonn., or London ; and 1,050 oz. per Benares, It.M.S., foi Point do Galle. Total, 8,489 oz. 10 dwt. With reference to the London share market, we find the following in the Times of Nov. 23 : r .*. Tuesday Evening.—ln joint-stock banks there was .a rise in London Chartered of Australia. In miscellaneous descriptions of Victoria Dock stock and Australian Agricultural shares advanced, while a reduction took place in Electric Telegraph. Victoria Debentures loft oft'at 1044 to f. The Proposed Tax on Bank Notes. —The Genlong Advertiser has the following on this subject:— " The proposed, taxation of 1.-J per cent, on all bank notes issued m this colony is not .allowed to become law without a protest on the part of those primarilj concerned. An attempt to be heard by counsel ai the bar of the House having proved unsuccessful, petitions have been presented to the legislature, signed by representatives of the nine joint stock banking companies, urging, that instead of levying burdens on a people already paying £9 per head for eaeli male oi our population, the government expenditure may be kept within the three millions sterling already raised ; or, if more funds are actually necessary, that a stamp tax may "be substituted, a uniform rate of Id. beins charged on all contracts or transactions involving the payment or receipt of money. When it is remembered that the average note circulation is £1,650,000, that the proposed tax would, therefore, yield some £20,000 per annum, and that its collection" would be the easiest possible work, the reader will see the strong argument against ministerial surrender on this point. These are the main facts of a case which the commercial public seem now to regard -with much apathy ; but if these institutions deem it advisable tc raise the profits of trading to their previous level, by an enhancement of the rates of exchange and discount, the bank customers will find this is a matter in which they were really concerned. But of course there art limits beyond which the banks cannot go, and those limits have not unfrequently been touched.