COMMERCIAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4658, 22 January 1877, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Daily Timea Office, Saturday evening. Tho amount of Cuatoms llevenue received to-day o> g .o1» entered lor consumption was aa followi :—

The past week has been quiet, but not more bo than usualin mail week. Spirits continue dull—very dull and dead—the one exception, the only Bpirit eliciting any attention, being brandy, which continues firm at last quotations. Hennwsy is quoted, for bulk, at from 103 to 10s Od; for case, 345. Holders are not pressing, even at these rates, inclined to sell only small parcels, and confident in their anticipation of much higher advances yet Wines ere exceedingly slow. Some enquiriei have been made lor sherries, and one firm have sold out their stock; but clarets alone can be reported as being to any extent in demand, ulthough that demand after all amounts to very little; as in all other kinds, clarets are dull. Ale and porter are almost equally lifeless. In tea some activity exists, small parcels being in steady demand for town trade, which rarely, however, make 3 large lines. But some prospect of more extensive business exists notwithstanding. In consequence of the exchange in China being unfaveurable for purchasers, cargoes have been del.yed andhousesin the Northern and other smaller markets of New Zealand, who had orders forward which they have been disappointed in receiving, are forced to resort to this market, some large lines being now in consequence in course of negotiation. Sugar is bn*k,. but the advances reached are still insufficient. It is sure to go higher—indeed, must do so. On Friday last, Messrs Whitelaw and Co. cold at the Otago BMid 83 pockets sea water damaged, ex Otago, at £32; 17 pockets sea water damaged, ex Alhambra, at £31 5s ; all faults, ex Lynx, 1105 pockets brewers' crystals, at from £30 53 to £30 103 ; yellow do, at from £32 11s to £32163; white do, at from £34 lls to £35; and 33 pockets various marks and qualities, at £34 Us. This sale elicited a good attendance. Dried fruit 3 are now, after the demand caused by the Christmas season, very quiet.1 They aro good siock, but slow. Quotations have not varied since the mail. In provisions there is no change. One firm has sold a large line of English ham* and bacon, but the general position of these in tht market has not improve.!. For tinned fish, there is good enquiry, but buyers still hang back, afraid of the advances asked. Woolpacks are now out of keason, the last wo heard of having gone into consumption at 3< 6d. In cornsacks, the same relative unfruitful position between buyers and seller:) contnue3 to exist, 10s is still asked, On Tuesday the 16th, Messrs Whitelaw and Co. sold by auction damaged cornisacks : -90 bales, at from 7a to 7a 4Jd ;37 bales at from 53 to 63 6<i. Galvanised iron continues to realise good prices. Cemoat is completely a drug. Kerosene is unchanged; Devoes quokdat3s. Flour is quoted by th-> millers at last week's prices, viz., £16 fur sacks, £15 )03. for small bags, but speculative sules have been made at a much less figure. In wheat, the tendency is downward. There is no old offering ; new is offering for forward delivery but sellers' and buyers.' ideas are s> wide apart that no business is being done. We are informed of 4s 6d having been offered .for. a parcel of Oamaru Tuscan; delivery within three weeks, but no reply has been received. Oats are on the decline; good old feed is offered at 2*; milling, say at from 2s Id to 2s 2d. Barley remains very dull, varying according to quality, at from 2s 3d to 4s 3d.

Messrs Wriqiit, Stefiiexson, and Co., report for the week ending 20th January, 1877, as follows :—

Fat Cattle.—A larger number than usual came forward. 250, chiefly medium quality, were yarded, of ■hhich about 40 were turned out unsold. Prices suffered a decline to the extent of fully 2s 6d per lOOlba. •We sold, on account of theHeriloy Estate, Messrs Wn>. Sawers, Robert Elliott, and Littlo Bros., 91 head. Bullocks brought from £815s to £12; cows, from £7 53 to £9—prices equal to 27s 6d per lOOlbs. for good quality, and 24s for medium do. We also. Bfl'^lWlcyi—k?a<l.&t. quotations. .....

Fat Sheep. -A full Bupply of 2500 came forward, yet thero was a slight advance on lato quotations. AYe Bold, on account of the Henley EBtate, 500 half-breds, fair quality, at 10s ; on account of Messrs J. and A. Sutherland, 800 cross-breds, medium quality, at 83; on account of James Allan, Esq., Taieri, 100 do ewea, good, at 9j 3d ; on account of James Shand, Esq., 100 do do, at &s; on account of John Keid, Esq., Meiton, 76 do do, at 9a. These figures are equivalent to 2Jd per Ib. Fat Lambs.—The very Urge number of 600 was penned. We sold 304. Best quality brought from 8a ad to 10a; medium do, 4s 6d to 7s Cd. Store Cattle.—ln consequence of fat cattle falling in price stores are not easy to place, except at a considerable reduction on late rates. We sold 54 head cow* and bullocks at £6 10s.

Store Sheep.—We have buyers for young c-oss-breds and merino ewes. We quote cross-bireds, 4 and 6-tOJtb, 7s to 8s; do, 2-tcoth, 6i ; merino ewes, 4 and 6-tooth, 63 6d to 7s Cd ;do do, full-mouthed, 33 At foregoing quotations we have sold 5000 merino ewes. Country Sales.—On Monday, 15th inst., we held a sale by auction at Tomahawk, on account of Mr Kobt. Moore, of the whole of his. dairy herd, crops, &c. Althongh the day was very wet, the attendance was fair. Dairy cows brought from £8 10s to £14 ; two-year old heifers, £7 to £8 ; horses, £15 to £20 ; growing oats, £1 per acre. On Tuesday we held a sale by auction at Kirklands, Wet Taieri, on account of Mrs Donald Grant. There was a lar^e attendance, and bidding was brisk. Short-horned cows brought from £23 to £30 ; ordinaiy do, £10 to £14; draught horses, £41 to £90; light harness do, £11 to £20 ; .store cat le, £6 to £G 10s ; growing oMa _ £.> 5a t 0 £3 5s p er acre _

Horse3.—Good draughts and strong light harness horses are in request, whilst light and weedy sorts are scarcely saleable. Ai our yards on .Saturday a considerable number came forward, and a fair proportion changed hands. We quote first-class draughts,;£so to £60 ; medium do, £35 to £45 ; light do, £23 to £30 ; geod ha:iks and light harness horse 3, £25 to £30 ; medium do, £14 to £20 ; light and inferior do, £3 to £10.

Wool.—We held our third wool sale for this season at our AVool Stores ou Thursday last, at which there wus a full attendance of buyers and others interested. Our catalogue was rather a small one, but the competition was good, and we succeeded in selling nearly every lot at prices about equal to last week's rates. Subjoined, we give brands and prices obtained. We shall hold our next wool sale on Thursday, 25th fast. Greasy half-brtd, JS, 6 bales, lOd ; do pieces, do, 2 biles, Sjd ; do merino, B, 34 baleo, SJd ; do, half-bred, do, G b*ies, 9Jd ; do merino pieces, do, 3 bales, 5d ; washed cross-bred, JA over Waiweia, 1 bag, 12d; greasy black and pieces, VVD, 2 bags, 3Jd ; do merino, S in trknglo over W, 1 bag, 9cl; do locks, do, 1 bag, 4Jd ; do locks and pieces, M over 2, 1 bag, 3jd ; do, crossbred pieces, do, 1 t>alo, cjd ; do locks. 'i'&JT, 1 fadge, 4Jd; washed locks, W Taylor over T, 1 bag, ltd; do locks and pieces, H, 2 bags, 7Jd; grea3y pieces, P&DG, 1 bale, s*d; do locks, WG, 3 bales, 6Ji; do half-bred, do, 1 bag, 9|d; do, rain*, do, 1 b3g, BJd ; do black, DD, 1 bag, BJd ; do, cross-bred, McX, 1 bale, 103 d; do half-bred, P&DG, 1 bale, lOd ; do merino, T, 1 bale, 9Jd; do cross-bred, T&JT, 1 bale and I fadge, lojd ; do merino, do, 2 bales, Ojd; washed cross-bred, T under W Taylor, 1 bale and 1 bag. loid; greasy cross-bred, WD, 3 bales, IOJd ; dodo, 2 under M, 5 bales. 9Jd ; do do, \V under a in triangle, 1 balo, lo|-d; do do, KB under AM, 2 bales, lOJd; do merino, WG, 4 bales,-. 9Jd; do J-bred C ba'es, half-bred 10 bales, 5, lOd ;do merino, do, 1 bale, 9gtl; do pieces, do, 1 bale, sJd;.do half-bred, D, 11 ba'es, 9}d; do merino 5 bale.?, merino and hal'-bredg 1 bale, do, BJd; do belly pieces, do, 1 ba'e, 6J-1 ; do locks, do, 1 bale, 3d; do, cross-bred 17 bale^, Leicester 3 bales, diamond formed of A's, inred.lld; do merino,do,l bag, 9d; slipe hal.'-Dred 2 bales, do merino 3 bales, 51 over anchor, 9d; greasy crossbred, Hillgrove, 35 b%les, lOJd; do merino, do, 7balea,oJd; do, pieces, do, 4 bales, 6 5-t'd; do locks, do, 1 bale, ojd; washed cross-bred, H, 4 bills*, lGd; greasy do, HC, 20 bales, 11 Jd; do pieces, do, 3 bales, 7Jd; do locks, do, 1 bale, sd; washed cross-bred. Mil, S bales, lOd. Sheepskins. -Thero was a full attendance of the trade at our weekly sale—competition being brisk, and prices equal lo those of last week. Pelts sold at 7d to 9d ; lambs, Is 2d to Is sd; station skins. Is 3d to it 8d each, and (jjd per lb. Grain.—Whext—The new crop ia being offered for forward delivery, but no transactions have yet taken place. Oats are in less enquiry, and prices rather weaker. We quote feed from 2s to 2<s 2d, and milling 2s 3d per bushel. Barley.—Malting, no enquiry. MilLng saleable at from 2s Cd to 3s per bushel.

Brandy ., V^hisky .. tobacco.. & s. d. £ •• a .. 58 6 2 Sugar.. .. 18 8 ,« .. 13 8 1 Drapery .. 12 .0 I ..21 0 0 Sundries i.' 170 ,2 :< Total .. .. , .. £292 19 1