COMMERCIAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 3048, 10 November 1896, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

1 TIMARU MARKETS. ? The Canterbury Farmers’ Co-oper.ativ [ Association, limited, report as follows 1 Wheat—The market has not been s “ excited during the past week, buyers boim j afraid to touch this cereal at prices whicl are now asked by the holders, who ar | asking up to 4a 3d per bushel ex store . sacks 4£d. ’ Oats—There has been some consider able enquiry during the week at improve! : prices. Danish, Is 9Ad to Is lOd, f.o.b. * duns, up to 2s f.0.b., according to quality Barley—No sales are being made. Potatoes sacks in, for freshly picked. The Canterbury Farmers’ Co-operativi Association, Limited (per Mr J. Muudoll auctioneer), report on the horse and caith market at Tuttersall’s yards on Saturday I as follows :—Our entry consisted of 21 horses, 1 cow, implements, and harness There is an increasing demand for horses i suitable for farm work; the supply being short competition at auction is keen, and ! high prices the result. Present markol i values are; —Draughts, young, with trial i £22, £24, £26 10s, to £3O; do light and i aged, £6 10s, to £0 ; light harness sorts. £lO 10s, £l3, to £ls ; hackneys, £5 tc - £7 ; cows in profit, £4 7s Od. Haruese and sundries were easily sold at full mari ket values. MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL. London, November 5. Silver, 2s 9jd per oz. An Australian Meat Company has made a contract with the War Office to supply 240,0001 b of corned beef. The weekly returns of the Bank of England, published to-day, show the total reserve iu notes aud bullion to be £25,470,000, and the proportion of reserve to liabilities 51.96 per cent. Three mouths’ bills are discounted at 3 9-lGths per cent. Consols, 309]. New South Wales 4 per cents 318 » » » dj ~ ~ _ 106 )) » » d ~ ~ 100 J New Zealand ... 4 „ „ 110| „ ~ ••• dA ~ ~ 105-j- ---» ••• d „ „ 99 h Victorian ... 4 „ „ 111* » » dA „ „ 104 i South Australian 4 „ „ lIOA „ „ dj „ „ 108” Queensland ... 4 „ „ 110 J ,) ••• dj ~ ~ 105:[ Tasmanian ... 3i „ „ 107 A West. Australian 3£ „ „ 108 j Now Zealand frozen mutton,first quality, 3jd per lb; second quality,3£d; lamb,3Ad. Now Zealand hemp is unchanged. Wheat—New York number 2 rod winter, 77i cents. The English wheat market is firm with an upward tendency. The Continental is allowing an upward tendency ; while the American is advancing continuously, November 6. At the Bradford wool sales the market lias advanced, and there was much speculation. Merinos advanced [d. Crossbreds wore linn. Hemp-—Market steady. Forty bales of New Zealand sold at £ls 15s. Australian hares, 2s (id ; rabbits, 81(1. The market is slow, being still glutted. The Oceania’s consignment of butter was the best received this season, but the market is fiat and it sold at 108 s, a few boxes of finest bringing 112 s. Danish butter, 110 s in Coponliagan ; 116 s in London. Silver, 2s 5 15-lGd per oz.

Pickpockets wore busy at the Agri. cultural .Show at Carterton. At least a dozen thefts wore reported.

POLITICAL. Christchurch, Nov. G. The Ballance Liberal Association support Messrs Collins, M.H.R., Cullen and Captain Marciel for the Christchurch seat. The Liberal League support Messrs W. W. Collins, C. Lewis, and J. A. H. Marciel. Dunedin, Nov. 6. Mr W. W. Collins M.H.R., addressed a packed meeting at the Princess Theatre to-night in reply to the Rev. L. M. Isitc. At the close it was proposed that in the opinion of this meeting prohibition is an unwarrantable interference with the individual and collective liberty of the people, and opposed to the social, moral, and political interests of the country, and altogether unjustifiable in a temperate and self-respecting community.- The morion was carried by a majority of about two-thirds of those voting. Wellington, Nov. 6. The Government are still unable to fix a positive date for the elections, and nothing is likely to be done till the rolls are printed. Parliament will then be formally dissolved and the writs issued. There is a prevailing impression that the elections will taka place either on December 2nd or 9th, because those days fall on the Wednesday half-holiday, but under the amended Electoral Act the polling day is a general half-holiday, and it does not follow that either of these dates will be chosen. Sir Robert Stout addressed a crowded meeting of the electors at the Opera House, Wellington, on Tuesday night, his speech being for the most part a review of the work of last session, and a criticism of the administration and policy of the Government. At the outset he said that the census recently taken showed that the population of the colony had increased 12J per cent during the last five years, but he considered that the outlook was not so cheering as the mere mention of this increase might lead people to imagine. For instance, trade and exchange had not increased during that period. On the contrary, the returns showed that the volume of trade and exchange had decreased by £1,000,000 in that time. The public debt had increased; taxation, particularly through the Customs, hud vastly increased, and the borrowing proposals carried last session were of such a dangerous character that it behoved electors to awake to the seriousness of the position of the finances of the colony. By carrying these borrowing proposals the Government had entirely abandoned the main plank of the Liberal platform as laid down by Mr Ballance in 1891. Sir Robert claimed that the present occupants of Ministerial offices had been profligate in their finance; had parted with every one of the tenets of true Liberalism, and had curtailed in many ways the privileges of Parliament; so much so, that unless some decent realisation of Ministerial power took place it would be impossible to carry on the government of the country. He strongly condemned what he termed the glaring misuse of public money for political and party ends, instancing the unfair way in which the Government advertisements were distributed among the newspapers; according to their color, in fact. There had been corruption in every part of the administration of the Government. He complained of the refusal of the Government to furnish the returns asked for by members of the House, and said that in no colony in Australasia had political corruption been so rampant as under the present administration. In the coming campaign the electors should insist on purity of administration, for without that democracy could never succeed. He spoke of the necessity for the abolition of the extreme party system which now existed, and advocated an elective executive as being likely to secure a freer Parliament and freer legislation. One question the electors would have to decide was whether this Parliament was to have a free Parliament or whether it was tc have a Parliament dominated by one man. Political reform and Parliameutary reform were absolutely necessary if New Zealand was to have a true democracy. Unless there was a change in the administration of the colony ho saw nothing but serious times aud grave disaster ahead; and he asked the electors throughout the colony to seriously consider the position.—-A vote of thanks aud continued confidence was proposed, amid considerable uproar; aud was declared to be carried. Very few hands were held up against the motion, but a very largo number of those present refrained from voting. The meeting, which broke up with “ cheers for the Government and for Stout” was of a rowdy character throughout.