SKENE'S LABOUR EXCHANGE. November 14th, 1877

Otago Witness, Issue 1355, 17 November 1877, Page 11

SKENE'S LABOUR EXCHANGE. November 14th, 1877

Mr Skini reports : — The trouble at present is to get * sufficient number of suitable men and women to satisfy the demand. Work is plentiful ; but too many are quite unsuitable for it. We are quite inundated with new arrirals totally unfit to grapple with work. Shepherd* and trained ploughmen are rery scarce, and they are at once picked up. Couples are » little slow ; fortunately those with families are not rejected so much as they were. Men for bush, road, and rail are fairly employed. Shearers are fast converging on the different htitions. Female servants, in every department, are very short. People suitable for hotels are in better demand. The building trade 1* active— even the despondent ironworkers are brightening up. Wajes: hardeners, grooms, waiters, &c, 20a to 403 ; couples' £B5 to £85 ; musterers, 30s to 60s ; shepherds, £65 to £75 ; day labour, 7s, Ss, and 9s ; milkers, ISs to 25i • boys, 5s to 10a ; house girls, 10s, 12s, and 15i ; upper do, 204, 255. and 30* ; station cook«, 303 ; ploughmen £52, £55, £60, »nd £64 ; atoremen and cl«rks, 30s to COs.

Mr J. B. Bradshaw reports the following for week endiug Saturday, 10ta inst. :—: —

Sales.— Colonial Bank of New Zealand shares £2 9s 6d ; National Bank of New Zealand shares, £3 10s - National Insurance Co. shares, £1 12s 6d ; New Zealand Insurance Co. shares, £4 10s ; Standard Insurance Co. share 3, £1 2s 6d ; Union Insurance Co shares, 12s 6d.

Buyers.— Colonial Bank of New Zealand shares, £29* • National Bank of New Zealand shares, £8 10s ; Union Insurance Co. shares, 12s ; Standard Insurance Co shares, £1 2s 6d ; Now Zealand Insurance Co. shares" £4 10s ; Mo-giel Woollen Factory Co. shares, £3 8s • .New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency £2 10s piid up, £5 7s Od, £2 paid up, M lls Sellers.— Colonial Bank of Now Zealand shares £2 10s ; Bank New Zealand shares, at £22 10s • 'National Bank of New Zealand shares, £3 Us'- National Insurance Co. shares, £1 13s ; Union Insurance Co. share?, 12s Gd; Standard Insurance Co. shares £1 13s; JNew Zealand Shipping Co. shares, £3 15s* Union Steam Shipping Co. shares, £7; Cromwell Quartz Mininjr Co shares, £2 10s ; Albion Brewintr Co. share, ss.

Monoy.— Secured on freehold property, £7 and £3 per cent, per annum.

Messrs Whitelaw xm> Co. report sales of ih*res^ during tha past week ai follow* : — Insurance.— National, 33s od, cum dir. ; New Ze»ar.d, 953 ; South British, 755 ; Standard, 22t 6ii ; Union 12s 6'i. Banks. -Colonial, 49a 6d; New Zealand, £22 5s ex div. ; National, 71s ; Uuion Bank of Australasia* £60. Other Companies. —Albion Brewing, 4s 6d', Groymouth Coal, 45i ; Mo'jfiel Woollen Factory, 70» cum dir ; New Ze dand Shipping, 76< : Walton Park Coal, 13s Od.

Bii)urn.— Insurances: National, 33s ; Hew ZstUud, 95< ; Standard, 23s Od ; South British, 75t • Union Fire *ud Marine, 12s 6d. Banks :— Coloninl 49s ; Now Zealand, £22 ; National, 70s. Otkor Companies :— Albion Brewing, 4s «d ; Friendly Societies' Hall, 30s ; Greymouth Coal, 42s 64 ; KiviwuigaU Railway and Coal, £« 15s ; Mosf iol Woollen factory 70s; Mount Id* Pastoral Aisociatlon, £9; NowZeal»n Shipping,* 75s ; N«w Ze»lwd Loan »nd, Mercanl« _tj«»cy, 1053 old istue, 67i 6d nsw l»m« ; Otajo *nd Southland Investment, 26i ; Walton Park Coal, 12s 6d ; Welcome Gold Mining, Reefton, West Coast, 60s ; Keep-It- Dirk Quartz Mining, Reefton, West aa 21s ; Dunedin Waterworks Debentures,

Mr Henry Dkivbr (on behalf of theN.Z.L. and M.A Co.), reports for the week ending November 14th, 1877, as follows :—

Fat Cattle.— A large supply of 186 were yaided, a paeater portion ot which were fiom. moderaGo to medium quality, and at the latter end of the sales great difficulty was experienced in finding buyers, a few pens having to be turned out unsold. We quote

really prime quality at 303 per 3,001b ; medium to ordinary, 25s t» 27s 6d, At the yards we sold 40 head on account of Messrs Anderson and Carswell Fat Calves.— Only about 10 cams forward, and sold at fully up to late quotations.

Fat Sheep. —1665 were penned, chiefly cro=s-bredg shorn and m the fleece. Best cro*s-breds (in the wool) brought from 14s 6d tol7s6i; do (shorn), 8a 6d to lls— or equal to 3d per lb for former, and lid to l}d for latter. At the yards w>j sold 1100 cro3s-bred3 and merinos, on account cf Messrs Logan, Anderson Larswell, Jlaben, and M'Donald, at above Quotations.

Fat Lambs.— s47 were penned, most of which found buyers, although at considerably under last week's prices. We sold 280 at from 7s Cd" to lls 6d. Store Cattle — Continued dry weather is preventing ihe usual active demand at this season. However a f Air inquiry exist.? for bullocks at £6 to £7 103 •do cows, from &i 4s to £5 ss. Next week we shall offer two very superior lots— one at Palmerston, on the 20th • and the other ut Mo giel, op. the 23rd. ' Store Sheep.— We have no transactions to report, nor do we anticipate any business being done until after shearing. Wool.— The produce of the eiriy sheds is now arriving in town ; so far as we hive had iiu opportunity ox examining any lota to hand we find them in superior condition, both as regards length and soundness of staple. AYe have already good inquiries for the new clip, and we advise our constituents to send their lots to the auction sales without naming a price previously to private buyers, and thereby not lose the benefit of the competition of a number of new buyers which the comparative superiority of this season's clip in hew Zealand to the Australian, is already attracting to our coming wool sales, which promise to be largely attended by buyers. Sheepskins.— We had a large catalogue of skins on Monday, over 2000, which soid briskly at advanced rate*. We quote best cross-breds and merinos at 5s lOd each ; station skins, 6}d to 7id per lb ; lambs Is

Hides were in good competition at full rates We sold 300, mostly wet salted, from 3|d to 4W per lb • heavies, 21s to 23s ; mediums, 15s to 20s ; inferior, lbs to 13s each.

Tallow h dull. To make saleg we had to reduco We sold prime at £30 10s ; medium, £26 to <£23.

Grain continues without any improved demand excepting a little more inquiry for choice wheat for mixing which is not offering. Quotations are nominal, 6s to 6s Gd. Oats :no business doing. R"eed KSSSSSl 0 2s lld : mimn =' 3s t0 33 ld B " ley

Wright. Stephenson, and Co. report for the week ending 14th November, 1877, as follows

Fat Cattle.-There was a fnll supply.'for this week's market, 186 head being yarded, about one-half of which were little better than stores. Prices, however, showed asi ight improvement on last week's rates. We sold 70 head on account of Messrs Arthur Calder, Barry William Patrick, and George Wallace. Bullocks brought from £3 10i to £14 ; cows, £7 15s to £10. Prices equivalent to 32s 6d per lOOlbs. lor prime quality, and 25s for medium do. Privately, we have placed 30 head atequalto3o<perloolbs. Fat Calves.— ls yarded, which we sold at froaa 103 6d'o 36s each.

Fat Sheep.— lG6s were penned, a number considerably m excess of trade requirements, notwithstanding this all found buyers at a slight reduction on late quotations We sold a draft of B hom cross-breds (Ught weights) at from 8* 6d to 83 9d ; do, iv wool 133 3d. We quote best mutton in wool at 2H ncr lb • do. shorn, at ljd per lb. Fat Limbs.— A large number came forward 547 being penned, the greater part of which were of fair quality. We sold, on account of J. ft. Elder, Esq.. 100 lambs (sjood),-at from 10s to 10s fld : on account of. m b. Manson, 50 do (medium), at G< 9J ; on account of Mr James Hoss, 62 do (medium), 7s 6d to 83 9d. The; foregoing quotations may be taken as market value. , > s . t .?. r ?. ( !* t jfc'=^odemaHd for stores is not nearly so Dnsk a B ltmight have been expecred to ba at this season of the .year, owing-, to the long continued dry weather which is prevailing, and the consequent backwardness of the grass. We sold at Mosgiel, on Monday ust, 60 head two-year oW at from £3 to £5. On Friday, 16th instant, we shall offer at Crawford's Yards,- Palmerston, 100 hearl really good stores • also at same place on Monday, 19th instant, a draft of 150 liead superior bullocks ; and at Mosgiel on Tuesday, 20th.-pttant, 250 head well-brsd mixed stores We quote bullocks, 3 to 5 years old, at from £7 to £7 10s • d P> 2 years old, £5~ to '■£(s; cows (spayed), £4 10s to £5,

Horses.— There is a very good enquiry for heavy draughts and good coachers. At our yards on Saturday, afair proportion of all sort? changed hhnds. We quote first-class draughts at from £50 to £55 ; medium 1 £40 to £45 ; light, £27' to £35 ;" good hacks and li»ht harness horses,, £2s to £30; medium, £14 to *20 • light and inferior,' £3 to £10. ' Sheepskins —At our weekly sale on Monday we calalojrued and «old 1800 skins, consisting chiefly of station, skins. There was a full attendance of the trade, and spirited competition for every lot, prices obtained being f uliy. equal to last week's rates. Butchers' green skins, half-breds, brought from 4s 4d to 6s each - merinos, 4s 6d to 5s 7d ; lambs. Is 2d to Is 3d ; station slcms, up to 5s 9d. Hides continue in good request, and sell readily at from 4d to 4Jd per lb. We sold 96 at from 15s to 223 each — prices equal to above quotations. Tallow.— There is a fair demand far good lots at from £30 to £32 per, ton for prime mutton: medium £27 to £29 ; inferior, £24 to £26 per ton. We disposed of a few tons station tallow at above quotations. Grain.— Wheat continues depressed, and it i 3 impossible to force sales in the present dull state of the market, except at a very considerable reduction on late values. Oat* are dull of sale. .We qnote prime milling at 33 per buihel ; feed, 2s lOd to 2s lid. Barley is neglected, except for prime malting, of which there is none offering.

Messrs Maclean- Brothers report for the week ending 14th November aa follows : —

Fat Cattle.— A full supply of 180 head came forward for this day's market, a few only being prime the remainder ordinary to inferior quality. Prices were consequently lower, and for inferior the demand was very slack, and several pens were turned out unsold. We sold on account of Thomas Ayson, Esq., Mataura, 40 head at £9 to £11 15s for bullocks, and £6 12a 6d to £8 l-2s 6d for cows. On account of other vendors, 20 head of bullocks at £9 to £10 15s. We quote prime beef at 30s per 1001b, inferior and ordinary 25s to 27s 6d.

Fat Calves.— Only a few were panned, which sold a 25s to 459 each according to quality. Fat sheep —The market was again f nlly snpplied, 1700 hav.ng been penned, chiefly shorn sheep There was a fair demand, but vendors were not disposed to make further reductions ia prices, and hence a considerable number of sheep were turned out unsold. We sold on account of the Canterbury and Otago Association, 192 cross-brads, shorn, at 9s ; on account of the New Zealand and Australi in Land Company, 120 do do, at lls 3d to lls 6d, and turned out 300. Wo quota prime mut on, shorn, at l£d, and in wool, at barely 3d per lb. Fat Lamb 3. — An excessive supply of 54? lambs came forward. For best quality prices were well maintained, but ordinary and inferior were diflicult t> quit even at reduced rates, and about 150 were turned out. Pricej ranged from 6s 9d to 10s 9d each.

Store Cattle in forward condition meet with fair demand, but inferior de'scripiions arc not readily saleable at/quotations. AtWe3tTaierionl3thinst., wo Isold 'on account of Thomas Ayson.'Esci., 10 bullocks at £8, 11 do at £7, and 21 do at £.6 ; on account of Messrs Nichol Brothers, 21 head mixed at £3 to £4 ss ; on account oi J. Henderson, Esq., 41 head at £t to £6 5s ; on account of George Nichols, Esq , 17 head at £5 5s ; and sundry other lot 3.

Store Sheep. — No transactions to report. We have inquiries for young merino ewes from lirst-class flocks ; also for younjr merino and cross-bred wethers. Iv the absence of sales we cannot give quotations, but we expect thit prices will rule nearly about the level of last season's.

Country Sales.— We would direct attention to our nalo at B&lelutha on 23rd instant, whea wo shall offer about 150 head store cattle, 40 head fat ditto, sheep, hones, &c.

Wool.— We have nothing further to report since our notice of lost week. We have not yet received any of the nair clip, but are in daily expectation of arrivals.

Sheeptkins, Hides, and Tallow.— Our sale this week had to bo postponed, but prices are similar to those we quoted last week.

Grain. —The market continues very [dull, and prices for *11 descriptions are inclined to decline still further. Wheat : There is no demand, the milers being f uliy supplied ; prices may be quoted at 6s 6d Jfor good samples, and 5s 9dto 6s for ordinary ; fowl feed 8s to 3s 6d. Oats are inquired for at 2s lid for good feed, but 'as low as 2s 9d has been taken for ordinary samples for milling samples not more than 3s can be got. Barley, both for malting and feed purposes, is quite unsa.eable, and we have no transactions to re» port.