COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 1027, 25 September 1868, Page 2

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

The ' Daily Times,' (Otago) of the 22nd inst. raports : — Business has opened to-day with a shade more of ' briskness, but transactions, though more numerous, hava been individually small, and in operations transpiring very little of interest has been observable. Markets are now affording more opportunity for speculative movements, and in one or two items there seems some disposition to inquiry ; however, generally, it is difficult to induce sales to any extent beyond current requirements, and material improvement will be dependent upon some spurt' in outside demand taking place. In breadstuff's little has been going Jorward. A fair sized parcel of wheat is reported as placed at 7s 3d. Flour has been dealt in to very small extent at prices showing no variation from last quotations. Oats continue to be purchased in the country districts at low prices, principally or shipment, but for delivery in town very little difference in rates can be detected. We note moderate sales of teas, sugars, and spirits at maintained prices, and of oilmen's stores at rates scarcely so good as last recorded. The • Oamaru Times ' of the 18th instant reports : — The markets are without change. A meeting of the creditors of Messrs Eoyse Mudie, and Miller (the firm alluded to in our last) took place this afternoon, at the Star and Garter Hotel. The liabilities were stated at £10,132 19s Id, and the assets at £9922 2s 3d, leaving a deficit of £210 16s lOd : this amount would, however, be increased by the sum of £1932 11s lOd.bad debts, included in the assets, and a nun of £447 11s 10d, put down as "doubt-, fuL" " The ' West Coast Times,' of the 14th, reports: — Flour remains at £27 for the best brands of Adelaide j Provincial at £22 10s to £24 according to quality. The market has been bo bare of Adelaide flour for some time that no downward change can be expected. In horse-feed, oats are Btxll firm at 4s 3d; chaff may be quoted at from £16 to £17 ; at auction sales, at ship's side, they have realised from £14 10s to £15, for cash delivery taken, but the price from store is not under our quotation. Bran is worth 2s to 2s 2d. Sales at auction are reported at Is 9d to Is lid. In produce, potatoes have not maintained the rise we noticed in our last report, and cannot now be quoted at xnore than £7 10s. Butter of really prime quality xb still exceedingly scarce, yet . high priceß would not be obtained for any parcel coming to hand. Such few kegs as are now offering in the market realise about Is 3d. We notice a sale at auction of a parcel of very good quality at Is Id ; provincial, Is 3d. In groceries, the Blight advance we noticed last week in sugaas, has as yet been maintained, no effect having been produced by late additions to stocks. There has not been much doing in teaa this week, bat prices hare not ■afiered any decline. In provisions, hamß and bacon are all but unsaleable, chiefly in oonse-

quenco of the present comparative moderate price of butcher's meat. In oilmen's stores, with the exception of kerosene, which maintains our previous quotations of 38* overy article is quite unreinunerative* tn spirits, the only feature of interest is the arrival of some considerable number of eases of JDKZ Geneva, which brand has for some time been entirely out of the market. But the price obtainable is not more than what was previously ruling for inferior brands, viz., 19s V.H. Palm Trets and other less esteemed brands are now quite unsaleable. Hennessey's bulk brandy is worth 8s 6d; C.V.P., 8s; Hennessys case brandy, 33s to 33s 6d. All other articles remain unchanged. . - The ' Lyttelton Times ' of the 19th reports : — Business continues to improve slowly, and will no doubt do so with the advancing spring, i Rather more than half the cargo of the Light Brigade has come to hand in perfect order ; we have not heard of a case of either damage or pillage yet. The eoods by her are generally meeting with a ready sale. The sugars per Severn were all sold by auction in Dunedin, except one line. Finest white brought £30 10s ; fine white, £38 to £38. Te&s are more inquired for, but no change has taken place in prices. Currants are saleable at. ! sd. Corn sacks and wool packs there is no sale i for. We have no/ change to report in the wheat | market. Oats are being shipped to Melbourne] in verp large quantities j the Swordfish took ! | about 10,000 bushe.ls ; the Fawn is now filling np, and will take about 15,000 bushels ; and the Laughing Water sails early next week with 20,000 bushels ; besides these shipments, the steamers take all they can find room for. The stock market remains without animation, arid we are unable to note any quotable transaction since last week. Business in grain and breadstuffs during the week does not offer much scope for remark. Wheat is still offered in small samples, but not of a very good quality, and 6s 3d is the highest quotation we have heard of. The 'Argus ' of the Bth September has the following commercial report : — Business in the import markets presents no Bigns of improvement, no transactions of any consequence having been reported throughout the day. In breadstuffs the demand for flour is strictly limited to the disposal of small lots for , trade purposes, at £17 10s ; for quantities £17 continues still to be asked, though we understand that for about a hundred tons (sold in two lines) 5s less was accepted. In feeding grains we note somewhat less doing. In oats very little inquiry has been experienced, and quotations remain at last week's closing rates of 3s 8d for New Zealand, and 3s lid to 4s for Tasmanian. A parcel of De Roubaix's candleß was placed at lOfd. Malt continues to improve in value, and a shipment of 1600 bushels, to land, was taken up at equal to 10s 9d. We hear of an invoice of 125 tons of bar and rod iron having changed hands on terms withheld. There is not much doing privately in sug«r ; rations have been sold at £26. The sound portion of the Arc-en-Ciel's cargo of Bourbon sugars will be offered for public sale to-morrow. New teas are getting more into favor, there being now much less difference between buyers and sellers than existed a Bhort time ago. A line of IPO half-chests was disposed of, ex Tekli, at 2s. Two lines of ordinary congous were also placed, ex Isabella Brown, at satisfactory figures. The unsold balance of the Mobile's cargo was under offer, and expected to be closed for ; but owing to the arrival of the Fromm, Coryphaeus, and Katarina Maria, with tea cargoes since Saturday, this transaction could not be carried through. Messrs Towns and Co.'s portion of the Ftomm's cargo will be offered by auction on Wednesday. Since the sale of a large line of JDKZ geneva, full strength and contents, there has been a considerable demand for twentybottle case shipments, as this description of package is getting very much into favor. POST OFFICE NOTICE. Mails will be despatched by Wellington Time. MAILS CLOSE FOE — Campbelltown — Daily, at 9 a.m. Biverton, Orepuki, Wallacetown, Waianiwa, and Flint's Bush —On Saturday, 2dth inst., at 10.15 a.m. Dunedin, Mataura, Long Bush, and Oteramika — —On Monday, 28th inst., at 7 p.m: The Northern Provinces, per s.s. Omeo, immediately on arrival. EDW. D. BUTTS, Chief Postmaster. Southland, 25th September, 1868.

: . Tnos Office, Thursday Evening. Tha following are the Customs Returns for — Wednesday, Sept. 23. "Wine, 17 gals ... ... £3 8 9 Sundries ' ... ... 5 8 4 £8 17 1 Thursday, Sept. 24. Tobacco, 1621bs ... £20 5 0 Coffee, 446 lbs ... ... 511 6 Sugar, 1120 lba 413 4 Sundries ...... 015 6 -- • £31 5 4