SKENE'S LABOUR EXCHANGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1242, 18 September 1875, Page 11

SKENE'S LABOUR EXCHANGE.

Business has brightened up very much this week. The demand for good ploughmen, shepherds for mustering and for long engagements, married couples, &c, is very active. As far as appearances go, it would be well for parties wanting the above to be supplied in time. Although there are plenty people working about, very few are suitable for farm or station. Business houses are still quiet, so do not need extra hands as yet, but a decided improvement can he counted on by the Ist of October. Experienced female servants are very scarce— plenty offering, but they know so little of ordinary household duties. Wages:— Useful boys and girls. 5s to 15s per week ; house and hotel girls, £-20 to £52 : hotel servants— cooks, waiters, barmen, and grooms, 20s, 25a, 30s, and up to 60s per week • ploughmen and shepliards, £55 to £70 ; couples. £75 to £100 ; masons, carpenters, and brickla3'ers, lbs to 15s per day ; gardeners, 25s to 30s per week and foundday labourers, 8t to 10s per day ; mustering shepherds, no fixed rate as yet ; store and office hands, 35s to 70s per week.

Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co. report, for th& week ending 11th September, as follows :—

Fat Cattle.— The market was fully supplied with 140 head, which brought figures equal to last week's rates We sold 45 head at from £10 10s to £16 for bullocks, and £9 to £14 10s for cows, prices equal to 45s to 50s per lOOlbs for prime quality, and 35s for medium do. We also sold by auction at West Taieri on the 6t inst. 80 head of prime stall-fed cattle, on account of James Shand, Esq. There was a good attendance of buyers, but the bidding was deficient in spirit. The prices obtained were from £12 10s to £20 per head. Fat Calves.— Only a few were yarded, which fetched from 35s to 67s Cd each.

Fat Sheep.— There was a full market, 300 of all descriptions being penned. Our sales consisted of 525 half-breds and merinos, on account of John Douglas, Esq., Mount Royal, at ISs and 16s 9d respectively ; 400 cross-breds, on accouut of Mark Dale, Esq., at 17s ; 350 croos - breds, on account of Messrs M'Donald and Doring, at 19^ ; and 2JTO, on account of other vendors, at from 11s to 17s. We quote prime mutton 4d per lb. During the week we delivered to the trade 800, privately. Store Cattle. —We have numerous enquiries for grown cattle, for paddock fattening, but have no transaction to report. We wish to call the attention of graziers to our sale at Mosgiel an the 16th inst., when we shall offer by auction 130 head of really firstclass store bullocks and spayed cows. Store Sheep. —We have inquiries for 4 and 6-tooth cross-breds, but have no transactions to report. Horses —There is a better demand for both draught stock and strong light harness horses. Among- the sales at our yards on Saturday, was a team of heavy draught horses, which fetched £48 10s to £70 per head. We would direct the special attention of breeders and others to our sale on Saturday, 18th inst., when we shall offer, by auction, the pure Clydesdale draught lUllien President, and. the imported Norfolk trotting

B J* lhon Shales. We quote flrst-class draughts £63 la *70 ; medium do,* £46 to £50 ; light do, £25* to £85 } good hacks and light harness horses, £25 to £3&: medium do, £14 to £20 ; light and inferior, £5 to £10. Sheepskins.— At our weekly sale on Thursday, the &t tendance was good, and prices showed an advance of 3d to 6d per skin on last week's rates. We cata« logued a large number, which sold as follows:— But. chers green-skins— half-breds, 5s 7d to Cs 6d ; mennoes, 4s 7d to 5s Id ; station skins, 3s 9d to 5s Bd. Hides.— We catalogued 144 light and medium weights, which fetched from 14s 9d to 21s 9d each, op equal to 4d per lb. Grain.— There is a fair demand for wheat, without perceptible alteration in value. We sold 24,000 bushels prime quality, at 4s 6d to 4s 7d, which we quote as market rates. For oate, there is a fair en^ quiry for local consumption, at 2s 8d to 2slod perbushel. Bar'ey : little offering ; good malting worth 5s 6d to os 9d per bushel ; inferior, dull of sale.

Mr Henry Driver (on hehalf of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company) reports, for the week ending September 15th, 1875 :—

Fat Cattle.- A moderate supply of 100 head were yarded to-day, and fully late prices were realised' for all sold. About 20 head, however, were turned out ; being very ordinary quality, did not realise owners' reserves. We quote best bullocks at from £14 103 to £18 10s ; medium do, £10 10s to £13 ; or equal to 45a per lOOlbs for prime quality, and 35s for medium. We sold 25 head at yards, and have nlaced 75 privately.

Fat Calves.— Only a very few were penned, which sold at fully late prices. Fat Sheep. — Again we have to report an excessive supply of 3000 good quality sheep being penned. 2000 were sold, at 17s to lfla for half and three-quarter-breds, and 12s Od for good merinos. We quote best quality cross-breds at 4d to 4Jd. We have sold 500 a* above rates.

Store Cattle and Sheep. — We have no transactions to report, or alteration in quotations Wool. - Cablegrams to the 29th August advise wool steady, without recovering the decline in prices at the commencement of the sales. Foreign buyers operating largely.

Sheepskins were in short supply at the sales last Thursday, with brisk demand, prices recovering the. decline of the previous week. We sold green crossbreds at 5s \od to 6s 5d each ; merino 3, 4s 9d ; dry skins, cross-breds, 5s 3d ; station skins; short-wool merino, fifdperlb. Hides are a little better in demand. For well-, conditioned shipping parcels we obtained 4d per lb ; medium hides, 17s to 203 3d ; ordinary, 13s 9d ; yearlings, 7s 3d.

Urain.— Wheat is ready sale at 4s to 4s Cd for fair to good milling up to 4s 8d for very prime ; fowlß' feed, 4s. Oats are more inquired for this week, without leadinsr to much business : present quotations are with difficulty maintained— 2s 8d for good feed, 2s lOd milliner. .Barley is unaltered in value: for malting. 5s Cd to 6s ; inferior dull of sale.

Maclean Brothers report for the week ending 9th September, as follows :—

Fat Cattle.— As might have been anticipated, owing to the short supply last week, a tolerably full supply was brought forward yesterday, viz.. 140 head, but as several of the principal buyers had supplied them* selves privately, competition was less active than waa generally expected, and about 60 head were turned out unsold. Bullocks realsed from £10 to £18, and cows from £8 to £16, according to weight and quality. We quote prime beef at 45s per lOOlbs, medium at 355, At the yards we sold 35 head, and privately we have placed several small lots, in all about 50 head. Fat Sheep.— Contrary to expectation, the market yesterday was an exceedingly full one. some 3000 having been penned, nearly all go-ad to prime cross-breds, , Butchers, however, were well supplied ay private 3eliveries, and a slow market was experienced, only about 2000 having found buyers at from 14s 6d to 19a, or equal to, say 4d per lb fully. At the yards we sold 250, and privately we have delivered 500 during the week.

Store Cattle and Sheep.— ln both descriptions the business during the week ha? been very slight. Well, grown cattle were in request, as are also younjr sheep (merino and cross-bred), but the-e were few offering-, and for these such prices are asked as almost preclude buyers from operating. Horses.— Good sound draught stock are in fair demand. At the Commercial Sale Yards, on Saturday last, we Bold 20, on account of Mes&rs Brogden and Sons and other vendor-:, at from £35 to £55 each. Good hacks and cqachers ar<s aUo saleable, hut ordinary and inferior light, horses are offering plentifully, and saleable only at low prices. Wool.— We have no further advices from the home market. -In the local market some small parcels of scoured have changed hands at a satisfactory figure, " but beyond this there is no business doing. Sheepskins.— Our sale to-day was more spirited than we expected, and prices obtained were considerably better than last week's, the quality of the skins considered. Green cross-bred skins fetched from 5s 6d to 6s sd, and merinos from 4s 4d to 4s lOd ; dry station skins from Is to 4s 8 1, according to quality. | Hides continue slow of sale, and cannot be quoted at over 3Jd to 4d for w<-t salted per lb. Our sales to-day i were at from 14s 6d to 21s, according to weight and ! quality. Tallowt — A few casks inferior only were offered. Grain. — Wheat, prime milling quality, is readily saleable at 4s 6d to 4s Bd '; ordinary, 4s 3d to 4s 5d ; and we have placed several large lots at these quotations. Barley, of inferior and ordinary quality, is neglected, s>nd a very considerable quantity of this de. scription is held for higher rates. Prime malting, on the contrary, is wanted, and saleable at up to «s. For oats there is no demand for export, and transactions are consequently limited. Best feed commands 2s 8d ; ordinary, 2s 6d to 2s 7d. For milling there is very • little enquiry, but good samples may be quoted at 2a lOd.