COMMERCIAL.

Western Star, Issue 13, 7 February 1874, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

The Westeen Stae Office, Biveeton, Friday.

The following are the market quotations for produce : —Wheat, 3s. 6d. to 45.; oats, 2s. 9d. to Bb. ; barley, malting, 45.; inferior. Is. 6d.; butter, fresh, 9d. per ft.; eggs, lOd. per doz.; chaff, £5 per ton; hay, £3 to £3 10s. do.; potatoes, old, nominal; new, none in market. The following is the amount of Customs duties collected at the 'port of Eiverton for the week ending 6th February: —Tobacco, £8 7s. 6d.; sugar, £l2 Os. 7d.; goods by weight, 19s. 5d.; ad valorem, £4B 9s. 2d.; total, £69 16s. Bd. Bates of wages in the Western District: — Ploughmen, £7O to £BS per aunum ; farm labourers, £55 to £65 do.; harvest bauds, £2 10s. to £3 per week; carpenters, 12s. to 16s. per day; bricklayers, 12s. to 13s. do.; sawmill hands, 10s. to 15s. do.; labourers, 10s. to 11s. do.; female domestics, £4O to £6O per annum.

DUNEDIN

Messrs. Weight, Stephenson, and Co. report for the week ending 31st January, as follows :

Fat Cattle. —The number yarded was only 80 head ; but, the trade having been overstocked the previous week, about half had to be turned out unsold. We quote prime beef 20a. per 1001 b.; medium do., 17s. 6d. Fat Sheep.— l,2oo were penned, a number beyond the requirements of the trade. We sold 870 merino wethers, middling to good quality, at 7s. 6d. to Bs. 3d. ; and 100 cross-breds at from ils. to 12s. We also sold privately 600 merino wethers at 2id per ft.; and 500 cross-breds at 2Jd. per ft. We qoute cross-breds 2id. per ft. ; merinos, 2d. to 2Jd. Fat Lambs. —The market was glutted with 400 head. The trade took about 200, the remaider being sold to graziers. We placed 300 at from 7s. 3d. to 10s. each. Store Cattle. —No transactions. Stoee Sheep. —There is a good demand for young merino ewes and wethers, and for crossbreds. We sdld 1,500 full-mouthed owes et 3s. 9d. Wo have also to report having sold 100 merino rams, all ages, at £2 each, and 20 Cotswold rams (imported from Melbourne) at a (satisfactory price. We quote merino ewes, 2,4, and 6 tooth, 75.; do., full-mouthed, 3s. 9d. to 55.; cross-breds, 2,4, and 6 tooth, Bs.; do. ewes, 10s. to 12s. Houses. —Draught mares of a heavy stamp are in request. Other sorts are less in demand. Wc sold 16 heavy draught horses, ex Omeo, from Melbourne, at from £26 to £55 ; and a draft of good upstanding coaching colts at from £l2los. to £2l 10s. We quote first-class draughts, £55 to £63; medium do., £3O to £35; good hacks and lignt-harness horses, £2O to £3O ; medium do., £l2 to £ls ; light and inferior, £3 to £6. Sheepskins. —At our sale on Thursday we cold a quantity, chiefly station skins and pelts. The prices obtained, which were fully _ equal to those of last sale, are as follows Station skins, 2s. 6d. to ss. lOd. each; pelts, 6d. to Is. 6d. each; lambskins, Is. 3d. to Is. 7d. each. Hides. —We sold several small lots of medium and light-weights at 17s. 6d. for for former, and 15s. 6d. for latte*. , . . ~ Chain.— Wheat is in fair demand, and saleable at 4s. Sd. for good samples, and 4s. to 4s. 3d. for inferior. Oats are in better demand. Feed and milling may be quoted at 3s. lOd. and 4s. per bushel repectively.

Commercial Telegrams.

Dunedin, Friday. —Fresh butter, Is. to Is. Id.; in lumps lid., salt lid.; cheese, lOd. to Is.; eggs, Is. 4d.; colonial hams, Is. to Is. 2d.; English, Is. Bd.; side rolled bacon, lOd. to Is. Maclean reports wheat quotations without change. Prime sameples, 4s. 6d. to 4s. 9d.; inferior, 4s. to 4s. 3d. Christchurch, Friday.—Latge sales of wheat for forward delivery by farmers at 4s. 6d.; oats are being held back for 35.; barley, 4s. to 4s. 3d., fair supply; butter and cheese, sd. to 6d. Wellington, Friday.—The wholesale market price for butter is lOd.; cbeese, Bd.; eggs. Is. Bd. per dozen; potatoes, 6d. per lb.; flour, £l3 10s.; oats, 45.; wheat, ss. 3d. ■