COMMERCIAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4406, 3 April 1876, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

\ Daily Times Office, Saturday evening. JThe amount of revenue collected at the Customs was £724 13s 2d. vi

Tlie races and anniversary festivities which interfered with the course of business last week, have in this week proven that after all'they have been iof eoino benefit. Country storekeepers, combining business with pleasure, having had the one to satiety, have turned to the other, and before leaving town, made some tidy parcels. The month has closed, considering all things, rather benignly, arid finds accomplished an amount of transactions superior to the tottings-up of preceding months for some little while. There is just a 'glimpse of improvement, not very certain yet, in spirits. Brandy is in rather better estimation, although quotations have not improved, and Hennessy's remains at>Bos and Bs. For Otard's and others, in bulk, from 6s>6d to 6s 9d is quoted. Whisky remains dull, stocks large, but winter will probably absorb some considerable quantity, and importations are likely to be on a smaller :scale. For Geneva and other spirits, the demand is small and unrernuner&tive. Imported ales, that have been steadily improving, a little,: have changed hands freely for these; eight days past; only very outside brands remaining immovable. Bass's and Toungers are for the time the favourites. : The brands that have the entree of the market, a3 generally acceptable, are pretty .numerous.,. But, by turns one or several predominate in popular estimation over the others. Porter has been equally in demand, but is becoming scarce. Tea exhibits.a little more liveliness. The dulness complained of forsome little time has arisen, we are persuaded, more from the increased number of importers, than from overstocking, whica in truth there has not been; Since the" quantities in bond show less in all tlie packages this than last year at tlie same tinje. It;has been the increased competition'for the favours of! en stomer<£that! has not lessened; the. consumption, but dulled the trade. Both; town and country, to the furthest ports of the Colony, have been canvassed-keenly; this phase :of the tea market in Dunedin meaning lo all diminished profits, and to the; greater number besides, a loss in extra laboUr In effec'liJig sales.'' Iri sugar, the event of the week has been the sale by auction, by Messrs M'Landress, Hepburn, aud Co., of the cargo ex Sophie frojn Mauritius, imported by Messrs W. G. Turnbull and Co, and consisting of GlO7 mata of white and yellow crystals. The attendance was good, and 2401 mats were Bold af'remunerative'prices/ ' Thefollowiug will convey an idea of values, those who have not seeu the samples remembering that they are branded Constance A :— Finest white crystals,' £34105; fine yellow crystals, -from £30 tOa to £3i- - In dried fruits there la no change, thei c being for cunarits a fair enquiry at 4Jd; raisins, dull. In provisions there is-little to report. Hatois and bacon, imported move very slowly, neither Premise's flor Coey'e : being; in brisk enquiry, the price, no doubt, bringing them into unfair cumpetitish with the inferior Colonial product, which can be sold, however, at a much less price. In hops, Kent, there is not much demand — for '76's, Is lOd is ' the quotation. In galvanised iron there is Ino appearance of improvement whatever, the few sales that are ,«u*de. having no visible effect upon stocks, which are inimerise. In fencing wire, Nol 8 is in (slight enquiry. In timber there .is great complaint" of overstocking^ the yards being full to excess of Colonial, Scotch,' Baltic, and American, all nearly to the 'same extent.' ' Notwithstahdiijg thb, MegswCWHitelaw'and Co.1 have quitted'"considerable' quantities lately! They sold onthe Whai;f, a cargo of kauri,' exJesßie Niccoli at prices raugirigas follows :^ Sa>vn kauri, 14s 6d to 16s 6d per 100 ft.; T. and G. k»mi boardS/6 x 1,185.t0 I&s6d.do ; do dodo, 6x4, 15s do; kauri skirting, 16s to 20s. This sale was well attended, there was some spirite I competition, and the entire cargo, consisting of 58,000 feet, was disposed of. On! the -22nd, exHuon Belle, they sold Ked pine, 4 xg, 3x 2, and 8 x 2, at 10a; 8 x f, at 9s; 8 x 4, 8 x 3, b x 3, at 9s 6d. Ex Fanny, ihey sold also 8 x 1, r 4 x.lJ, i .at,los;! 3 x 2,10s 3d; 8 X |, 7 x 11, 0 x2,'4 x 2, 4 x 3, 5 x 2,6 x 3, at 9s 6d. Ini kerosene, Devoe'a brilliant is quoted at lsCd. Candleo remain as before, De Eoubaix'i. at IM, stocks befaig. reduced. • Corn sacks are in .lessened ciiqiiir>vquototiona varying very much.. If the-average from 9s 9d to 10s "3d be taken, viz., 10s, it will be about correct. The harvest U.now nearly over, and thrashing about completed/so that-little advance need ba expected. Flour continues firm at £11 for priiao qualities—the town trade being pretty brisk, and some export going on; but not what it is expected will shortly spring up. Wheat remains at last quotations —offering freely. Oats are quoted, prime milling at from Is 6d to Is 10d, feed at from Is 3d to Is Od.

Mesers Wright, Stkphknsok, and Co. report, for the weekending IstlApril, 1876,' as follows :—

Fat.Cattie.-r-There was'a- fair, supply of 110 he id, mostly of good quality. -. We sold- on account of';' the N.Z. and A.lj. Company and others 69 head, at from £9 to #1215s for bu looks, and £B'l2s (id to. £11 for cwf a -pricesequal jo 32s pejr. lOOlbs: for prime quality, and 27s for medium do.' f[at Calves.—-About 20 yarded, which sold readily at from 36s to 65s each. Eat Sheep.—lloo penned of all descriptions. We sold on account of the N.Z. and A.L. Company 650 croßs-breds at 15s to 15a 9d; also, 200 merinos, lnediufn quality, at 8s 6d. We quote prime mutton 2Jd perlb. BjatLambs.—.99penne^i which,brpught from 7a 6d to 9a each. '''" '"""'"* ''' '" Store Cattle.—We have no, transactions to report,

Sko,re Sheep.—There is a fair enquiry for young merino cheep. We quote cross-breds, 4 and O-tooth, 9s ;d& lambs, 6s,to 7s ;. merino wethers, 2, 4,, and 6tooih, 53 6d; do ewes, do, 7s Cd; do do full-mouthed, 3a. f At foresroine rates,we have sold 1000 cross-breds, 2000 merino wethers, and 2500 crosa-6red;iambs>' Pjire Bred Stock.—On Friday, 31st March, at Awa Moi Estate, we held the second annual sale of pure bred sheep and uhort-horned cattle, on account of the Hon. Mathew Holmes. There was a fair attendance of buyers, and the bidding for the cattle was somewhat brisk, but for Jfteisheep the ; competitlm was rather listless. We sole! five bull calves at from £34 to 56 guineas, 18 yearling heifers, at from 20 to 47 guineas, 11 Tieifere 2 years old^ at from 24 to 57 guineas; Leicester rams,ifrom £sto£7 163..each, The principal buyers were the NZ. acd A.L. Co.; Edward Mealove, Esa Windsor Park;G;,Qooiger,"Esq., Cromwell; W. Craigl, Esq., Otepopo ; WiUuua Fenwick. Esq., Nataereka; and Messrs Fleming and Hedley, Oamaru. Horees.— Heavy draaglitß are ratter dull of sale, but goad strong coachers are in fair request. At our yards on Saturday we sold a team of heavy drauf hts at from £3oto £50, and also quitted a lair number ol light houses. We quote first-class draughts at £60 to £60 ; medium do, £30 to £45; geod hicks and light harness horses £20 to £30; medium do, £14 to £18; light and inferior. £5 to £10. - ' ■ - Freehold Land.—A large muster of buyers attended at ihe a»ie of the Friston and Teanaraki eatates in the Walareka Va'lty, which we offered by auction at Oamaru on Thursday, 30th March, on account of the Messrs Lees. The greatest intereot was evinced iv the salt, on account of the superior quality of the land and its admirable situation, the competition being characterised by animation throughout. The properties had been sub-divided into 36 firms, varying in size, of which we quitted 27, embracing' an area of 1748 acres, at an average of £11 9s per acre. The remainder will bo again submitted to competition on a future day. Woo], —Cable telegrams report London wool sales having opened on 28th March: 8000 bales offered; biddings commenced with spirit, bat slight decline in prices at close. We did not hold our usual sale this week, but will offer several small dipa on Wednesday Grain.—Wheat is in fair demand, but no great eunntity of the new crop is yet forward. Prime samples are saleable at 4s Co per bushel, at which rate we have imde sides for forward delivery. For oats there is v, fair ctquiry, stocks in town being light. Feed miy be quoted at 3 s 9d, and milling at up to 2s per bushel. Barley is very dull of sale, wi'.li the exception of prime m&lttujf, which may be quoted at 5s per'bushel.

SHARE MARKET. Mr J. Reid Mackenzie reports sales and closing prices for the week ending Ist April, 1870, as follows:— ' ■

Sale3.-^New Zealand Insurance, ne# issue, 57s (70s paid up); South British'lnsurance, 56s (3& 4d paid up); Mosgiel W. F. Compahjr, 00* (70spaid up); Fiji Banking Company, 45j (50s paid up). Closing Prices.—New Zealand Insurance, old issue, £4 to £4 Is (£4 10s paid up) ; new issue, £2 15s to £2 17s (£3 10s paid up); South British Insurance, £2 Ids to £2 10? !(£1 13s 4d paid up); Standard Insurance, lls 9tl to 12a (12a paid up);. National In-surahce,-£l 4s Od to £1 i>s (10s paid up); Bank of New Zealand, old issue,' £17 5a to £17 10s (£lo'paid up); new issue, £17 to £17 Is (£lO paid up ; National Bank, £3 15s to £3 ICs, ex dividend (£3 10s paid. up) ; Colonial Bank, £1 133 to £1 Us (£2 paid up) ; Fiji Bank, £2 5s to £2 6s (£2 10s paid up); Otago and Southland Investment Co.; £1 4s to £1 4s 8d (£1 paid up); Forbury Park Company, £24 to £25 (£lO pjiid up); Mosgiel Woollen, Factory Company} £2 17b to £3 (£3 lOs'paid up);. Albion Brewing' Company, 0s to 0a Od (£1 paid up); Friendly Societies' Hall Company, £116s to £1 17s Od (£2 paid up) ; Walton Park' Company, 3s to 4s (10s paid up); Hokitika Gas Company, £6 8s to £0 8s Gd (20 per cent, dividend per annum) (West Coast), £8 to £8 ss; Wealth of Nations) £5 10s; Mount lilo Pastoral Association, £10 10s to £10 lls (£lO paid up); Shipping Company, £'i 10s to £3 18s (£5 paid up); Kanieri Race, 4s to 5a (£1 paid up). '■ Money.—interest upon freehold securities, 9 per cent.

Mr Bradbiiaw reports the following far week ending Saturday, lit April, viz.:— • ■

• Cash sales of Colonial Bank of New Zealand shares at £1 13s 4d and £113s 10d; National Insurance Co., £1 4s Od; Standard Insurance Co., 11s Od. Buyers of National Insurance Co. shares, £1 4s; Standard Insurance Co., lls Cd ; Bank of New Zealand (new issue), £17 2s 6d, (old issue) £17 10s. Sellers of Colonial Bank of New Zealand shares, £1 13a 6d; National Bank of New Zealand, £3155; National Insurance Co., £1 4s Od; Standard Insurance Co., 12s (id : Otago and Southland Investment Co., £16s; Sons of Fortune Gold Mining Co. (Arrow), £1 7s 6d (fully paid up); New Zealand Shipping Co., £4.