COMMERCIAL. RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.

Western Star, Issue 31, 13 June 1874, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.

Tub Webtebn Stab Offick, Ritbbtojt, Friday. The following are the market quotations for produce :—-Wheat, 45.. to 4s. Su.; oats, new, 3s. Bd. to 3s. 6d.; barley, malting, 3s. 6d. to 4s. ; inferior, is. 6rL; butter, fresh, Is. 4d. per Tb,; eggs, Is. Sd. pc? dos.; chaff, it per ton; hay, £3 to £8 10s. no.; potatoes, new, £4 do. The following is the amount of Customs duties collected at the port of Riverton for the -week ending 12th June -.—Tobacco, £8; spirit®, £O6 18s. 6d. 5 tea, £l4 35.; sugar, £34 Bs. lid.; goods by ■weight, £5 16®. Bd.; ad valorem, £l2lßs. od. j other dutieu, £4 13s. Total, £176 19s. £d. Rates of wagea in the 'Western' District; — Ploughmen, £7O to £BS per annum j farm labourers, £55 to £65 do.; harvest hand®, £2 10®. per week and found 5 carpenters, 12s. to 15®. per day; bricklayers, 12®. to 13*. do.; sawmill hand®, Bs. to 13b. do.; labourers, 10®. to 11s. do.; female domestic®, £4O idi £6O per annum.

The following are the Southland Railway Trafdc Returns for the month ending May 31et, 1874: Corresponding

. Dumsum.-' Messrs. Wright, Stcphenso®, rind Co. isjporb for the week ending 6th May, us follown: Fat’ Cattle. —The market waa usaia over supplied frith ISO head, consisting chiefiv of fair to good quality. We sold, on account of Meows. Sawera, Miller, and others, 60 head, at from £G 10s. to £S 10s. for bullock#, and from £3 ss. to £7 6s. for coirs, which prices are equivalent to 235. per 1001 b. for good quality, and 18s. for medium do. We also sold privately 23 head cows and heifers at £5 10s., being equal, to 20e. per 1001 b. fc Fat Sheep—The supply keeps equal to the demand, preventing any further rise in the price. 1-120 were penned, tvhich We sold as follows ; 400 half-breds, at from 13«. to 14s. 3d. j 450 merino wethers, prime, at 10s. 6d. ; 570 cull wethers, at 2s. lOd. We quote prime quality ; do merinos, 2id,

Store Cattle. —We have buyers, but only few are offering, _ _ Store Sheep.—Transitions un. limited. Wo have enquiries for good hnL-bred wethero and ewes, few of which ard being offered. Country Saleo. —On Thursday, 4th instant, we held our monthly sale at Palmerston. The attendance was good, and a considerable amount of lots changed hands. We sold 36 head fat cattle at from £5 15s. to £6 55.; dairy cows, at from £5 10s, to £7 10s.; store bullocks, at £3 17s. 3d. On Friday, at Smyler’s Peak Farm, Pleasant Talley, by order of Mr. Adam Oliver, wc- held a sale by auction of the whole of his stock and farming implements. With a numerous attendance and lively competition, all the lots sold at good rates. Dairy cows fetched £3 15s. to £7; half-bred ewes, ids.; merino do., 4s. lOd.; lambs, ss. ; draught horses, £25 to £43 ; farming implements, at satisfactory prices. Station and Freehold Properties.—We have to report having sold, on account of Messrs. Maitland Bro., the Hiland Estate, consisting Of about 17,000 acres freehold (mostly agricultural land) at £3 per acre. The stock, consisting of 13,000 half-bred sheep, horses, and working plant, are to be taken at a valuation. The purchaser is Adam Begg, Esq., Anderson’s Bay. Horses.—The demand continues good for both heavy draughts and good upstanding light harness horses. On Saturday at our yards, we sold the balance of Mr. John Trestail’s' shipment of draught horses, ex Otago, from Melbourne, at from £23 to £53. We quote first-class draughts, £6O to £7O ; medium do., £35 to £4O ; good hacks and light harness horses, £32 to £26 ; medium do., £l4 to £l7 ; light and inferior, £3 to £7. Wool. —By the Tararua, from Melbourne, the. following cable telegram was received, under date London, May 23rd:—“At Bradford it is announced that the competition at the wool sales was animated. The prices show an upward tendency.” Sheepskins.—There was a full attendance of buyers at our weekly sale, with a good competition for the various lots offered. Wo sold butchers’ green skins, merinos, 2s. to 2s. 4d.; half-breds, 3s. Id. to 3s. 2d. for ordinary, and ss. for one lot very superior ; lambs, 2s. lid.; dry station skins. 2s. Bd. each.

Hides were well competed for, light fetching 15s. 6d. to 165., and medium weights up to 18s. 9d each.

ggGrain.—We have no change to report. Good samples of wheat are saleable at 4s. 9d., and medium at 4s. 6d. per bushel. Oats are in request at 4s. Id. ta 4s. 2d., for feed, up to 4s. 4d , for choice milling samples. Barley.—Good coloured malting is worth from ss. to 5s 6d per bushel.

Paeseagcvt. Bo. Cash received, , Month in 1873. Bo. Cash recer’d Invercargill SS9S 3235 7 8 1C67 £152 17 6 Bluff ... S84 77 $ 8 $32 81 13 6 Winton ... 398 90 19 6 $20 46 8 6 Woodlands 414 61 12 0 Goods Tonnage. Tonnage. Invercargill 9470 £867 10 1 o ■vfl o HB 00 S 2 Bluff ... 111 S& 9 0 149 62 17 O Winton ... 699 184 8 7 SS3 01 3 8 Woodland* $88 n 2 a £1388 <3 a £858 S 0