SCENE'S LABOUR EXCHANGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1248, 30 October 1875, Page 11

SCENE'S LABOUR EXCHANGE.

It Is satisfactory to report that there is emplovinent freely offering now for all who are out of work" The seasonable weather has caused an increased demand from the country. Commercial life is wakening up, and %* !l! lk ° ll * ood °* several large jobs is a guarantee for the building: trade. Hotel servants are now fairly inquired for ; ordinary house domestics are getting veir scarce again ; sheep shearers are gradually raovin- ud country— most of the old hands know their sheds from year to year, and work on a regular system ; 20s per It ois the money mos*. likely to be current ; niusterfnsr shepherds are still much asked for— experienced men with dogs are not plentiful. Wages : House and hotel females, 2to to asi, and often higher for experienced hands ; plouyhmen, £52 to £60 ; shepherds, £65 to £/0-musterers on special terms ; country carpenters 12s and 13s ; day labour, Bs, 93,9 3 , and 10s ; bushmen *J™ ■ 10 s PPr? r da y» «* by piece work ; couples, £70 to £90 ; dairy hands and knockabouts, 15s to 20a per week; useful boys and girls, 6s to 10s per week : storemen and clerks, 30s to 60s per week

Messrs Wright, Stkphbnsoit, and Co. report, for the week ending 23rd October, as follows :—

Fat Cattle.- A moderate number came forward 92 head being yarded, mostly of prime quality. We sold 14 head «f cows at from £11 lo.s to £13, or equal to 42s 6d per 100>b3 for prime quality, and 34s for medium do. Fat Calves.— lo head came forward, and sold readOy at 30s to 50a each. J Fat sheep.— The number penned, 650, was scarcely adequate to the wants of the trade, and pricea advanced in consequence fully 2s per head. We emote prune mutton 4Jd per lb. We delivered to the trade 750 previously contracted for, and sold 350 privately at Store Cattle.— There is an active demand for grown cattle, but we have no transactions to report Stove Sheep.— The business doing in this class of stock is very limited, and is not likely to increase till after shearing. We sold 1300 merino ewes, fullmouthed, with cross-bred lambs at foot, at 9s 6d each and 300 4-toath merino rams, on account of the executors of the late W. A. Tolmie, Esq., at £3 3s each. Horses - Ihe demand for heavy draughts is a little more active, and strong coach or cab horses are in fair request. We quote first-class draughts at from £60 to £75 ; medium do, £40 to £55 ; light do, £-25 to £35 • good hacks and lisjht harness horses £25 to £30 • medium do £14 to £20 ; light and inferior, £5 to £7* Wool.— The telegrams received merely confirm advices already to hand of an average decline of from lidto2dperlb. The wool sales have been fixed for the 23rd November.

Sh.-epskins.-At our weekly sale we disposed of a considerable quantity at prices about c ual to last weeks rates. Butchers' green skins, half-breds, brought from 5s 7d to Cs Id ; merinos, 4s Id to 43 10d each. Station skins, Is 4d to 5s 3d each, and 7d to 3d

Hides are in fair demand, and meet with ready sale at prices about equal to 4d per lb. for well-conditioned lota. We sold at our weekly sale medium weights at from 16i to 18s 3d each ; calfskins at Is 9d each. . Grain.— We cannot report any change in market values. Wheat : Prime samples are worth 4s 6d to 4s 7d ; medium, 4s 3d to 4s 4d. Oats dull of sale • feed 2a 4d to 2s sd, up to 2s «d for milling. Barley • Prime malting, worth 2a 6d per buahel ; inferior, difficult to quit.

Mr Henry Driver (ou behalf of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Compauy) reports for the week ending October 27th, 1875 :— ' Fat Cattle.— ls2 hpad were yarded at the weekly sale, which, under ordinary circumstances.iwould not have been an over-gupply. $4 O f these, however be.

tag a shipment of very prime cattle from WangxmtL and sold without reserve, caused buyers to hold back somewhat in bidding for other lots. The shipment referred to averaged £14 per head. During the day best bullocks brought from £16 to £19 6s each ; fair to medium, £10 to £14, or equal to our former quotations of 45s per lOOlbs, for prime quality ; ordinary to medium, 32s 6d to 355. At the yards we so) 4 50 head and have placed 40 head privately, at market rates.

Fat Calves.— None forward. Good vealers continue in demand.

Fat Sheep.— 1500 penned, 1000 of which were taken by the trade, at 20s to 24s 6d each, or equal to 4M to 5d per lb. At the yards we sold 6000, and privately

Fat Lambs.— 50 were penned, and all sold. Be? small sized and of ordinary quality, only realised from 7s to ios. We have sold 1000 for forward delivery.

Store Cattle are still in good demand, and bulloeka nt for strazinsr, in fair condition, are worth £6 to £8 10a ; cows. £3 to £5. We have sold ISOhead, and hay» a very fine lot on the road from the South, for sale by auction at Mosgiel. - Store Sheep.— No transactions to report, but have for sale several superior lots for delivery after * W i )0 o~; P i r ?u? ve z mail, we'have priced catalogues up to the 2nd September, which we find fully confirm thS advices per cable, which we have receivedfrom time to tune during the progress of the sales, and were duly reprted. On close examination into the prices obtained for the various descriptions of Otago wools we notice the decline to be a geueral reduction in value totheextenfofloorl2Jper cent, on merino wool-cross-breds suffering to a greater extent— losing all the advance these wools obtained in May and June leaving them now about eqiul value with merinos in an equally clean condition. The general depression in commercial circles, caused by the heavy failures together with such a large stock— amounting to near 300,000 biles— to select from, enabled manufacturers and dealers to bring wool down to a point that would enable them to manufacture goods without loss— which h borne out by the fact that, after this was accomplished, prices hardened, and the sales closed firm at an advance of Id on combing" sorts. Sheepskins. -Our weekly salo was well attended by huyers, cross-breds (green) bringing 5s lOd to 6s 2d • mennoa, 4s 3d to 4s lOd. Dry skins— cross-breds. from 4s 9d to 5s 2d ; merinos, 2s 3d to 3s lOd. Hides are in good demand, without any alteration KTssto G IT 6d hideS ' 21S to 2IS MM '' lßtatar W<i

Tallow.— A few casks mixed sold at £29. Grain. -Wheat is unchanged in value or demand. 4a 6d for fair milling samples. Fowls' feed, 3s 7d to 3a lOd. Oats are still declining in value, growers press, ing them on the market. They cannot be quoted over 2s 4d for good feed. Barley. We sold fab? maltine- at 6s ; season over, brewers full in stock.

Maclean Brothers report for the week ending 2Ut October, as follows :—

Fat Cattle.— There was but a small supply forward for yesterday's market, viz., 85 head of good to prime quality, and in consequence all found buyers at fully last week's rates. Bullocks fetched from £10 to £19 ss, and cows £9 to £U 10«, or eiju.l to 42s 6dfop prime and 353 for ordinary quality per 100 lbs Attha yards we sold 25 head. ' •«*«»«.

Fat Sheep.— Unlike the markets of the past two m>ntbs, yesterday's was quite bare, only 650 prime sheep having been penned, resulting in an advance o* & to 3s per head upon previous week's quotations Best quality fetched from 23s to 23s 6d, or equal to 4Jd Store Cattle are without material alteration. Grown cattle continue in good request, at from £5 10s to £7 10s for bullocks and spayed cows. Mixed lots may be quoted at 70s to 80s. We would call attention to our sales at WestTaieri, on the 26th inst., of 100 head • and on 2nd November, of 300 head first-daw cattle, selected m Southknd by Tlwims Aysou, Esq. Pat Sheep.— We have no transactions to report. We have ssveral small lots of aged sheep for delivery in the wool, but buyers' enquiries are confined entirely to young stock. ' *

Rams.— We have to report the sale of 50 2-tooth merinos on account of Joh.i Watt. Esq., Kaihiku. and 56 on account of Peter A>son, Esq , of W*repa, at £3 10a each. We nave for said B everal choice lots of meuno, Linco n, and Leicester rams, from the best flocks in the Province. Wool.— Late-t advices from the home market, in referring to the close of the » ugust sales, report an average decline during the varies of t^d to 2.1 per ib. The arrivals for those salea were within a trifle of 300 000 bales, of which 100,000 bales were New Zealand wools Some 35,000 bales were Iwld over or withdrawn from sale, ami i20,d00 balo-s weie laken for export The next series will commence on 23id November * Sheepskins.- At our usiul weekly sale to-day, we offered a large number of skins, ail of which were disposed of at a blight reduction on last week's rates Greuu woss-breds, 5s 7d to (ft ; green meviuos 4a 3d to ii 8d ; dry skiiu, at from Is 6d to 4s 6d, a'ccordiiw to quality. • Hides are in improved d-mand both for local usa and export, and sound, well-salted, command 4d per 15 T°' dd * y we 80ld 150 mcd urn t0 heay y weights at

Tallow.— We sold several small parcels at 183 to 28s. according to qu*U?y «« «m» Grain.— Wheat continues firm at about 4s 6d vet bushel for prime quality, but transactions are extremaly limited ; inferior, for fowls' feed, is saleable at 3s 9d to 4s. Oats are in very weak demand and owing to considerable supplies coming forward salea a>e difficult to effect, even at a reduction of 2d 'to Sd per bushel. We quote good feed at 2s 4d to 2s 6d Barley— Only prime samples are saleable at about 5s ud ; inferior aud ordin try qualities are in large supnlv and quite neglected. Quotations nominal.

The following produce telegram has been received by the New Zraland Loan and Mercantile Agency Company (Limited), dated London, 14th October :— Tallow —Tallow is ready of sale. Public sales of Australian have comprised 3000 casks. Mutton, £51 per tonbeef, £49. Leather.— lr«de demand quiet. Mimosa Bark.— Arrivals heavy. Quotations for Melbourne ground, £13 per ton. Copper.— There is a fair supply of copper. Wallaroo is worth £93 per ton : Burra £90. Tin.— There is a good inquiry for tin. English ingot, f.0.b., is worth £89 per ton; flue Australian in warehouse, is worth £83. Wheat— Market quiet for wheat. Stocks heavy. Adelaide is worth 54s tjer 4961ba ; New Zealand, 625. '

MESSRS. GILLIES AND STREET'S WEEKLY STOCK AND SHARE LIST.

Company. Capital. 4> 4j w I Amount paid up. Last Sales. all « 3 Bants. New Zealand. National Colonial Fiji Bank of N. S. Wales Union Bank of Australia . . flank of Australasia .... Insurance. New Zealand. National Sth. British.. Standard Gold Mining, Shotoyer — Ordinary .. Paid up . . 5tar5...:.... Elizabeths „ Lucknowa . . Arrows Miscellaneous. N.Z. L. & M. A. Co. .. 1 new issue f N.Z. Trust & Loan Co. . . O. & 8. 1. Co. Para P. Co. . Dunedin Corporation 6 p.c. Deb... Mosgiei W. F. Co Guardian Newspaper C 0......... Daily Times and. Witness Co Bruce Coal C 0...: ... £ 600,000 2,000000 2,000000 250,000 1,000000 1,250000 1,200000 1,000000 1,000000 750,000 1,000000 14,000 16,000 12,000 6,400 7,800 9,000 1 £ 10 10 5 5 20 25 40 10 10 20 10 £1 £1 10 5 3 1 {£. s. d. 110 0 0 I 3 10 0 1 10 0 210 0 ;20 0 0 J25 0 ol 40 0 0 2 10 0 0 10 0 16 8 0 10 0 0 17 0 10 0 4 17 6 1 10 0 0 10 0 £ s. d. >17 15 0 I 3 10 0 114 0 I 2 12 0 151 0 0 Msl 0 0 1 67 10 0 12 2 6 •1 4 6 12 9 0 i 0 13 6 '0 2 6 4 0 0 i 210 0 • 2 15 0 0 8 0 83,p.a. |Pr ct. 15i 6 17Jt 16 I m 20* i 10 10 1,000000 (25 \ 5 210 0 10 0 3 10 0 2 0 0 }m 600,000 600,000 75,000 25 5 5 15 0 0 10 0 2 0 0 »7 0 0 >1 6 0 10 10 100 100 0 0 100 0 0 6 60,000 5 3 10 0 3 4 6 10 25,000 6 3 0 0 110 0 15,000 50 40 0 0 60 0 0 m 5,415 1 0 2 0 0 2 6 * On £1 lOs. Dunsdio, 2 .t Including boniUL ith October, 1876,