COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 123, 3 September 1875, Page 5

COMMERCIAL.

Mb. Skeene reports for the week ending Sept. 3 : — There is very little life in the labor market. A few new chums are dropping in from Home, and adding to the numbers of unemployed ; but it is no use growling, as a little patience will bridge over the interval until the good weather comes, when all industrious hands will get employe. . Farmers have got well ahead of their work. Seed "time is on if we had " March Dust." It, is earnestly to be hoped that settlers will do their utmost to encourage married ploughmen, by giving them cottages, &c, so that they may be " forearmed" at harvest, and not lose the cream of their crops, through shortness of reapers. Indoor and the building trades are wonderfully active for the season. Wages — Plotighmen and shepherds, ,£55 to ,£65 j couples, =£70 to ,£00 ; day laborers, Bs, 9s, 10s ; carpenters, masons, and bricklayers, 10s. to los per day ; females, .£26 to ,£52 per year ; store hands, 65s to 70s per week; dairy and ordinary farm people, 15s to 20s. Mr. JTeneY' Drives, on behalf of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Ooinpany, reports as follows for tho week ending September 1:—1 :—:—: — Tut Cattle — 60 head only were yarded at the weekly salas^bufc a few pens of which were of prime quality. These brought prices con-, siderably in advance of laro quotations, one or two pens' of very prime ' cows realising close upon 50s. per 1001 b. We do not expect, however, that these high jates can be considered as fully established, as a good supply next week would cause a decliue to about late quotations. At; 1 the yards we sold 35 head, and have placed 60 head for private delivery. Fat Calves. — None wei c forward. Good veulers much wanted. Fat Sheep. — 2,000 were penned, consisting chiefly of good quality ! cross-breds, bub as the trade was fully supplied by private deliveries, ifc was very difficult to obtain late prices. About 1,200, however, were j Bold ah from Ins to 20s for cross-breds, and 12s to 13s for merinos, or i equal to 4d per lb. We sold 300 at yards and COO privately. Store Cattle and Sheep. — We have no alteration to note in this description of stock, as few or no lots of importance are offering, and we have no transactions to report. Wool. — Uur London cablegram, dated ]9th August, states:— I « Wool soles opened at an average decline of Id to lid on lust sale's i prices. The principal decline has been on superior and medium. j washed, New South Wales and Queensland. Up to date 300,000 j bales have arrived, and 16,000 have been sent to the manufacturing districts direct. Trade in the manufacturing districts uuchauged." This decline was not anticipated, and our advices, so iar; do not show ( Now Zealand wools to have participated to any extent. So large a | quantity having arrived in time for these series of sales, has no doubt had some effect upon the opening prices, coupled with tht» heavy failures already announced, amounting in the aggregate to over £20,000,000 sterling. We arc, notwithstanding, inclined to expect a j more healthy tone after it is seen what ainouut of withdrawals are j made as the sales progress. The quanticy a'ready to hand does not increase the known quantity remaining of last year's clip, bat tho whole, within about 50,000 bales, being put on the market, has weakened it. Sheepskins. — Our weekly sale last Thursday was well attended by buyers, every lot being taken at full prices. Green cross-breds from 5s 9d to 6s 5d 5 Leicesters, 7s ; meriuos 4s 7d. Dry skins, croas-breds, 5s Id ; merh.os, 3s 8d to 4s. Hides mot a ready sale at the late reduction in prices. Inferior, 15s to 16d ; hie lium, 18s to 19s 5 heavies, 2ls to 22^ 9d. Grain. — There is a steady local demand for wheat, which does nob acpear 60 be influenced in auy way by distant markets. We quote \ good milling, 4s 4d to 4s 6d ; extra, is 7d : inferior, 4s to 4s 2d. Oui 1 cablegrams advise Australian wheat Ikm at 56s to 575, and likely to be maintained, from the inferior quality of the new crop in Great Britain. Oats are in less demand th s week. Melbourne market offers no inducement to shippers. Our quotations of 2s 8d to 2s 9d for feed are with difficulty maintained. Barley lor malting purposes inquired io\ at 6s 6cl to 6s 5 milling, «is 3d to ii 4u\