COMMERCIAL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1796, 10 January 1884, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Wailcato Tuna Office, Wednesday. i,ABOun uKi'oitr. Messrs R. M. Hiuguton an» Co., 177 Queen -street, Auckland, report as follows : The past week being partly taken up with the holidays, little business can bo accounted for, although some few engagement have taken place.— From the over supply of men-servants, there are more than meet the requirements. Women seivants as usual are in great demand.— Engagements. Married couples €73 and all found. Farm hands. £20. Station hands, £10 to £52 and found. C4oneral Servants and housemaids, £8 to £15. Cooks and housekeeper*, £15 to £20. Gentlemen's Servants, £20. Ladies' companions £12, and other engagement-, at current wages. — We have waiting for employment, Farm hands, Cooks, Labourers, Bricklayers, Grooms, Gardeners, Housekeepers, Married Couples, Hotclmen, Storemen, Station hands.

NEW ZEALAND WOOL MUIKKT. We extract the following from the N. Z Loan and Mercantile Company circulai dated Ohribtchurch, January 3rd :— Wool.— The final series of Colonial sales in London having been em tailed, the auctions closed on Htn December at the level of the previous sales, except for long stapled Merino greasy, washed, and scoured, which displayed an advance of kl to Id per lb. The market for coai be ciosbbreds was firmer. The date for opening the February soi ies is not yet deteimined, but it will be either the 12fch or 19th of tli.it month, when arrivals will probably h.ive reached neaily 400,000 bales. This is a larger quantity than has ever befoie been available for the fiibt series, and as several thousand bales of New Zealand new clip will be included in the catalogues, they will possess more than ort'inaiy nileiestto this community. TJUNKDIN'. — A slight improvement in the weather has permitted shearing opeiations to progress more lapidly, consequently deliveries into store and for .shipment are on a, larger scale. On Friday, 21st December, we held our opening sale of the season, when G42 bales and 72 bags weie catalogued, of which we sold 3(>2 bales and 70 bags. The balance was passed in, vendois' reserves not being reached. There was a large attendance of local buyeis and otheis interested in the staple. Competition was fairly brisk, but prices although up to oni expectations weie in favour of buyci.s, as some wools siiffeied a decline of Id to 2d per lb. on last year's iates ; this decline was most noticeable in longwonK, but in a moie or less degiee, accoidmg to quality, thioughout the catalogue, (xieasy crossbred, medium, brought o;d to Bd. ; ditto light, B',dto ( >jd. Half-bied medium, 7 \d to S',d ; "ditto light, 8 ( d to i)\d. Meimo, medium, 7W to .Ski. ; ditto, fight, B,'d to fijjil. ; scomud Menno, Is 2kl to ]s 7}; ditto half-bred, lid to Is -Id. We purpose heldiug ouv second sale about the Bth January, wht 4 n we -lull offer so\eral medium si/cd clips of choice wools. Auckiaxd. — .Since last iepoit s.iles have been held weekly, with an .uoiage quittance of 2">o to .300 bvles. Puces niled at fiom .")U1 to liUHoi gieasy, and 8d to BUI foi washed wonl-,, at the opening -ales, ,uul although thjso Kites woi c sustained at the bales this weok, wo .uiticipato we.ikei values in the next senes, .as buyeis were not so eagei, and competition was inoio languid than Usual. The next sale w ill be the l.ii gest of the season, as the weather has been bad and has detuned pioduceib from caily slie.iiing and conxeyance to mat ket^