COMMERCIAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9391, 2 April 1892, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Daily Times Office, Friday evening. CUSTOMS REVENUE. The amount of customs revenue received to-day on goods cleared for consumption was L 1728 4s Id. Wellington, April 1. The customs revenue for the colony for March amounted to L 145.941, against L 122.713 for March last year. Auckland contributed L 32.310, Wellington L29,!)20, Christchurch L22,81i4, Dunedin L 34 252 Tho beer duty was U5608; AucMand contributing L 1298, Wellington L 537, Christclmrch LIOSS, Dunedin LI2IG. The customs revenue for the year is 1/1,625,174. Tho estimate was L 1,515,000, giving a surplus of X.90,174. There is a deficit on the beer duty of Jj2232, the total revenue from which is L 57,709, against an estimate of L6O.COD. No returns are available yet of the other branches, but It Is thought stamps and territorial may bo slightly below the mark. Jt wag hoped that railways ",yould show a 'surplus' of some LIO.OOO, but a continuance of wet weather last in.on.th has interfered V'ith the flow of revenue. ■ ■ ... ♦ ■ OHEISTOHURCH CORN EXOEfAftGE. The following is the Com Exchango repp.vt (per 3?. Danham. secretary) for the weol{ ew\\ng SftdAprlUSflgiTho throshing machinos have boon Uapfe fully ftt work during tho last week, honce a graatov quan. tity of grain offerlne, Wheat still remains M pm1 last week's quotations hi prime, but we think ouv farmer friends are asking: a little too muoh {or off-colour samples. The English market has experienced another drop. Barley: Large quantity of small flinty grain offering at 2s 6d to 88, but really good malting is hard to get. We learn the Nelson and Blenheim crops have been bought Up, and most of It will go north. Oats : Nothing new to report. Potatoes: Some kidneys nnd Derwents have been shipped with satisfactory results, but prices here have not improved. Butter and cheese stagnant. Grass seeds dead. The following are the prices paid to farmers (f.0.b., packages extra):—Wheat: Prime Tuscan, 3s lid to 4s; pearl, 3s lOd to 3s lid; Hunter's, 3s 9d to 3s lOcl; faulty, 2s lid to 3s 3d. Oats: Milling, Is 9d ; feed, Is 4d to Is 7d ; seed Tartars. Is. Id. Beans, 2s lid ; still wanted. Peas, 2s lOd to 3s 3d, ; partridge wanted. Ryegrass: Farmers , Is 6d to 2s 3d; machine-dressed, 3s 3d. Cocksfoot : Bright heavy, 3.^1; discoloured, 2d to 2?d; Potatoes: 22s fid at couutry stations. Butter, 7d to 9d. Cheese, 3d to 4d. ■> SALE OF SHEEP. Messrs U'juoht, Stephkxson, and Co. report as follows:—At the Mount Royal .yards (kindly lent for the occasion by Mr John Douglas) we held a sale of Mr Edward Menlove's Goodwood flock of sheep to-day. Buyers were present from all parts of the Palmerston, Shag' Valley, Waikouaiti, and Peninsula districts, and the whole of the sheep offered—about 3000 three-quarter and seven-eighth-bred Lincolns—were sold at excellent prices as follows :—Six and eight-tooth ewes 13s to 15s ; four-tooth wethers, 13s 3d; lambs (not very well grown), 8s Od. » SALE OF PASTORAL LEASES. The following are the particulars of the sale of the pastoral leases at Invercargiil on Thursday : — Run 143, Birchwood, 6550 acres; upset, L 54 11s Bd—Jas. Gardner. Run 143 a, part Mount Linton, 3400 acres ; upset, L2S 63 Bd—Colonel Chalmers, L4l. Run 143u, part Mouut Linton, 3700 acres ; upset, L3O IBs Bd—Colonel Chalmers, L 45. Run 156 a, part Mount Linton, 5130 acres ; upset, L42lss—Colonel Chalmers, L 55. Run 173 a, part Red Cliff, 14,400 acres; upset, Ll2o—Hilder and Audrey. Run 173b, part Blackmount, 6800 acres; upset, L 56 13s 4d-A. R. Hare, L7l. Run 173 c, part Blackmouut, 15,775 acres; upset, Ll3l 9s 2d-A. R. Hare, Ll5O. Run 181, Castle Rock, 5974 acres; upset, L 49 15s Bd-T. L. Barnhill (for Hon. M. Holmes). Run 187 c, part Beaumont, 10,100 acres ; upset, LB4 3s 4d—Captain Stevens. Run ISSb, part Centre Hill, 10,800 acres; upset, L9O—F. Fulton. Run 1!)Sa, part Dunrobin, 8200 acres; upset, L 66 6s Bd—C. Basstian, sen., L 156. j Run 108 c, part Dunrobin, 2100 acres ; upset, Ll7 10s—C. Basstian, sen., L 43. Runs 191b and 302 a, part Five Rivers, 7200 acres ; upset, L6O—P. A. Vyner (for Ellis Bros.), Xjßl. ltun 191b, part Dome, 11,300 acres ', upset, L 94 3s 4d—H. S. Valentine (for New Zealand Agricultural Company). Run 191 c, part Dome, 10,300 acres ; upset, LSS ' 16s Bd-H. S. Valentine. Bun 302 c, part Eyre Creek, 9310 acres ; upset, L 77 11s Bd—H. S. Valentine. Run 176, Manapouri, 19,900 acres ; upset, L 47 Bs—T. L. Barnhill (for Hon. Mathew Holmes). Referring to the recent sale of small grazing runs at Oainaru, the North Otago Times says :— " Taking the price and the approximate carrying capacity of the land (the latter as set forth on the Government, maps), we find that the rental is equal to 3s Ski per sheep on No. 12, 3s sid on 5 and 10, 3s 3.id on 13, 2s (id on 7, and 2s 4jd on 8. The others are approximately, high. It is unnecessary to repeat that if a portion of each area can be cultivated the rent will be reasonable enough, but without this it will be impossible to make a profit out of ah investment where the rent is almost equal to the total value of the sheep depastured. The high rentals also carry with them increased obligations ; for unless the Government pan be induced to modify the conditions, the improvements to be put on the land must correspond with the rentals paid. We presume all these contingencies were taken into consideration by the bidders. -. We gshall be pleased to know that the buyers eventually become prosperous settlers. The sale disposes of all the available Crown lands in this district fit for closer settlement with" the exception of 12,500 acres of the Otekaike run, the lease of which falls in in 1893. This is a good piece of land, but the area is so small that it will but indifferently meet the evident demand for land."