COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 216, 15 June 1877, Page 12

COMMERCIAL.

Mr. Henry Drivbb (on behalf of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company) reports for the week ending June 13, as follows : — Fat Cattle. — 208 head were yarded, which, with the exception of a few pens, were of medium quality only. Best pens of bullocks brought from £10 10s. to £15 155. ; do cows, £6 to £9 10s. — or equal to 30s. per 1001 b. for prime quality, and 255. to 275. 6d. for medium. Fat Calves. — Nineteen were penned, which readily sold at 255. to 755. Fat Sheep. — The market was slightly over-supplied with 2934, but they were all sold at a small reduction on last week's quota* tions. Best cross-breds brought from 11s. to 145.; medium do., 7s. to 10s. — or scarcely equal to 2 id. perlb.; merinos, 4s. 6d. to 7s. 6d. Store Cattle and Sheep. — We have no important transactions to report. Grain. — Wheat is in good demand ; choice milling, 75. ; good, 6s. 6d. to 6s. 9d. ; inferior, ss. to ss. 6d., according to quality j fowls' feed, 4s. 6d. Oats are in great demand. We sold at auction 700 bags of feed at 3s. 6d. to 3s. 6Jd., and 500 bags milling at 3s. 7-J-d- There are very few coming forward, farmers expecting still higher rates, owing to the deficiency of the yield of this crop. Barley: Malting is a little more inquired for, and could finer samples be offered, a large business could be done ; but "brewers will nob hold heavy stocks of the discoloured parcels offering. We havesold at 3s. 6d. to 4s. for fair samples. Feed barley has participated in the advance of oats. At our sale yesterday, 300 bags sold at 3s. Id. to 3s. 2d. Wool. — The latest cablegram to hand reports more animation at the wool sales, greasy combing having recovered the opening fall, bringing prices to a par with closing rates of March series. Washed fleece and cross-breds were Id. lower than those rates. There is a more hopeful tone in the market since the May sales commenced, removing the fear that the heavy withdrawals lately reported would seriously affect the August and September series, when the bulk of the New Zealand would be offered. We sold a few bales of greasy fleece at our usual Monday auction, which sold, at rather high values. We quote fair average greasy fleece at 9d. per lb. Sheepskins. — We had a full supply of 2,500 skins, which were briskly competed for at a slight advance on last week's ratesgreen butchers' bringing 3s. to 3s. 6d. ; merinoes, 2s. sd. to 2s. 7d. \. dry cross-breds, 2s. lOd. to 3s. 4d. Hides. — Supply short, demand not brisk ; prices are a little easier this week. We sold heavies at 21s. to 235. ; medium, 16s. to 19s. 6d. ; light and inferior, 7s. to 125. ; slightly over 4d. per lb. for good-conditioned hides. Tallow continues in brisk demand; mixed inferior, 295. 6d. to 31s. 6d. for medium quality; shipping lots are saleable up to £3s. Mr. Skene reports for the week ending June 13, 1877 : — There are few complaints in the labour market at present. Labourers for pick and shovel work are in good demand. Farm, people, single and married, are at once secured. Men on long engagements are best off in the winter months ; they do not feel the broken time like day men. Carpenters, masons, bricklayers, plasterers, &c, only need good weather to let them get at their work. Plasterers are much wanted; gardeners are fully employed. Male hotel servants are rather quiet. Shepherds are quite neglected. Female servants, in every department, are very short of the demand Enquiry is slight for town- bred people, such as shopmen and clerks. Upon the whole, the prospects of good hard -working men, suited for the colony, are encouraging. The useless ■weeds, introduced by the immigration bungling, are gradually disappearing. Wages — Couples, £60, £70, and £80; day labour, 75., Bs., 95., and 10s.; ploughmen, £52 to £60; dairy hands, 155., 205., and 255.; carpenters, 10s. to 125.; cooks, boots, waiters, grooms, &c, 155., 205., 305., and 405. ; house girls, 10s. to 205. : hotel girls, 125., to 308. ; storemen and clerks, 30s. to 605. ; boys and girls, 6s. to 10s., &c, &c. Mr. A. Mercer reports as follows for the week ending June 13, 1877, retail prices only : — Fresh butter, in -\ and lib prints, Is 6d to Is 7d per lb; fresh butter, in lumps. Is 4d; powdered and salt butter, Is 4d. Fresh butter is pretty plentiful — but butter of the best quality is scarce. Salt butter in keg is very plentiful, and little or no sale at any quotation. Cheese, best quality, lOd to Is ; English cheese Is 4d, no demand ; side and rolled bacon, lOd to Is; Colonial hams, Is to Is 2d ; English hams, no demand, Is 4d. Eggs, although not plentiful, are falling in price — 2s 6d to 2s 9d per doz. Mr. J. Fleming reports (wholesale prices) for the week ending June 13th, 1877, as follows :— Oats (feed), per bushel, 3s ; milling, 3s 3d. Wheat (chicks), 3s 9d to 4s. Barley, malting, 4s to 4s 6d; feed, 2s 6d to 3s. Pollard, scarce. Bran, £4 ss, bags included. Flour, large bags, £18 ; small, £18 10s. Oatmeal, £18. Potatoes, £3 15s per ton. Hay, £4 per ton. Chaff, £4 10s per ton. Straw, £2 per ton. Mr. J. Vezey reports for the week ending June 13th, 1877, retail : — Roast beef, 5d to 8d per lb ; boiling do, 4d to 5d per lb ; stewing do, 4d to 6d per lb ; steak, 6d to 9d per lb ; mutton, 2d to 5d per lb ; veal, 4d to 8d per lb ; pork, 6d to 8d per lb ; lamb, scarce, 2s to 3s 6d per quarter.