COMMERCIAL

Otago Witness, Issue 2059, 10 August 1893, Page 24

COMMERCIAL

The customs revenue for the colony for July was £138,395, against £121,743 last year and £118,243 last month. Auckland contributed £32,353, Wellington £25,462, Christchurch £21,115, Dunedin £37 885. The receipts so far are £18,081 below the estimate. 1 The beer duty for the colony for July was £4133, as against £4151 last mohth-and £3;5< last year. AuckUnd 'contributed £940, Wellington £494 Christchurch £676, Dunedin £1025. Ihe receipts are £1630 under the estimate to far. The Bruce Herald reports the sale of the Estates Company's property at South Tokomairiro, known asM'Lennan's farm,' at Lovell's Flat, for £1100. The net area is 629 acres. Messrs J. and J. Allison, of Southbridge, are the purchasers. A Wellington telegram says : — " The New Zealand Farmers' Dairy Union will shortly be registered in place of the Provincial Farmers' Cooperative Association, which it was first proposed to call xtl Two factories will be erected at ' Pal'merston and Featlftljston, and seven creameries at various, points in Wellington province. Mr H D. Roberts (of Wairarapa) is secretary, and Mr Birch' (manager of the Dairy Supply Company at Dunedin) has been appointed manager of the Palmeraton factory " The directors of the Westpoif Coal Company have declared an interim dividend at the rate of 7i per cent, per annum for the half-year ending The directors of the Leviathan Railway Tetminus Hotel Company, in their report for the three months ending 3lst July, congratulate shareholders on the succes"s which has attended the' company. Mrs Silk has retained the sole management free of charge. The income, including stock in hand, amounts to £1481 5s lid, and the expenditure to £1028 17s Bd, leaving a credit balance of £452 8.3 3,d. From this the directors recommend trie payment of a dividend of 20 per cent, par annum, absorbing £301 10s, and to carry forward £150 18s 3d. The dividend, if approved, will be payable on tho 2lst inst. - Messrs Henry S. Fitter and Co., in their circular dated June 23, give the following particulars of the ' meat market, which are interesting in connection with the recent meeting of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company : — " The unprecedented heat and drought still continue, especially in the Midland and Southern Counties of England. The grass m many places is simply scorchea up for the want of rain. Owing to the intensely hot nights, much of the west country meat has arrived on the market in a putrid condition.-and yet the heavy supplies continue. In many places on the Continent they are even in a wowe plight than here, for we are told that in some, of the interior villages fresh meat is being Bold at Id per lb. A very large amount of money has been lost in London, both by putrid meat and forced sales of frtsh meat. Many of the Dutch sheep have been sold at 2d and 2Jd per lb, and although the risk is to great in sending this hot weather, they still oontinua to arrive. Under .these circumstances (which are more disastrous to many English farmers than to our friends in- New Zealand) it can hardly be wondered at that the prices for New Zealand mutton and lamb h«ve y tbie year pro Yid

so disappointing, and so entirely upset our hopes and anticipations of a good trade during the present season. We should be glad if we could hold out hopes of a material improvement in the near futuie, but wd J are afraid, with present heavy stocks, it may be some weeks before we are able to report better of the trade Much, however, depends on the weather, and should we be fortunate enough to get a week's good rain, it would, no doubt, shorten the supply of homekilled very considerably. The only consolation we can at present offer to our New Zealand friends is that, although the present low prices must necessaiily mean a loss, they are considerably better off than the farmers here, who are forced to part with their store sheep and lambs, instead of keeping them on until the autumn. This must cause a shorter supply of home-killed meat during the winter and spring, and which should then prove a great assistance to the frozen mutton trade." The following is the number of bags of gram and produce received at the Dunedin railway stations during the week :—

tsar-rota- rroWheat. Oata. Bran. ley. toes. duce. Tl. Thursday ...351 1035 - - 101 240 1727 Friday ...200 630 - - 451 - 1281 Wednesday - 271 - - 60 380 711