COMMERCIAL.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 277, 1 May 1875, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

The Customs revenue collected yesterday was as follows: £ a. d.

Exports continue on a large scale, but business with the farmers is very limited, Prime milling wheat realises from 3s 2d up to 3s 3d, with a steady trade demand. The millers are excessively busy with orders, and consequently have advanced flour 10s per ton. Melbourne advices for oats are not encouraging, and if no improvement takes place in that market lower rates must ere long 1 be accepted here. Barley is very quiet, and no enquiry whatever exists, as the maltsters are apparently amply supplied. Rye grass also is neglected, the season for export being nearly over. Butter is quiet, at Is 2d to Is 3d, supplies from Melbourne having arrived in both Dunedin and the West Coast. Cheese meets a very excellent demand at Bd. Potatoes are coming forward freely, and as the season advances a fair business will no doubt be done. A fair business has been transacted in the import market during the past week, and if we make the usual allowance for being the last in the month, it compares very favorably with the preceding ones. The ship Warwick arrived on the 27th inst from Napier, We note this vessel is placed on the berth for London, and will load up quickly for that port with wheat, &c. The W. W. Smith cleared for London yia Auckland on the 24th inst, takingwheat, wool, &c. Sugars have received a fair amount of attention from the trade. Parcels of 300 to 400 pockets have been disposed of at (he following rates:—White crystals, £34 10s to £36 ; yellows, £33 15s to £3l; yellow counters, £311.15. Teas have been placed in trade parcels at Is fid to 2s Id 1.8., according to quality. Bottled Ales and Stout —Several lines of the former have been cleared at lis to lis (id, Tennant's and Jeffrey's commanding the lion's share of attention. Stouts meet with good sale in small parcels at lis (id to 12a. Hennessy's bulk brandy has been quitted at 9s 3d for good-sized parcels; case firm, at 30s. - Tobaccos have not received much attention ; prices are firm at our last quotations. We hear of the disposal of 60 qrcasks Champion's vinegar, to arrive, at 2s 6d; the market is bare of this line. Cement is in fair demand, at 22s to 22s 6d per barrel. Stocks in cornsacks are considerably reduced, 12s 6d is the price now quoted for parcels. Standard iron is rather low in stock; sales have been made at £lO to £l6 10s. Mr 11. E. Alport reports moderate supplies of sheep and cattle at the Addington Saleyards on Wednesday last. Sales were made as follows: Prime half-bred fat Down wethers, 13s 6d ; do do do Leicesters, 12s; good quality merino wethers, 9s 6d to 9s 9d; full-mouthed store merino wethers, 2s 7d to 3s; do do ewes, 2s 5d to 2s 9d. 32 low-condi-tioned store cows and heifers averaged £5 14s per head ; 66 do do steers and heifers, eighteen months to three-year-old, averaged £5 16s Cd per head; 33 well-conditioned steers and. heifers, eighteen months to two-year-old, £3 17s 6d to £4 ss; fat steers and heifers, £9 15s to £l4 15s ; dairy cows and springing heifers, £9 to £l4. Prime quality mutton, per lb; good to prime beef, 32s 6d to 37s 6d per lOOlbs. One pen extra prime quality beef nearly reached 40s per lOOlbs: but they were extraordinarily good, and cannot be quoted as market value. Me&srs H.JMatson and Co report on the live stock market as follows:—At the Canterbury sale yards on Wednesday last 224 head of cattle, and 5194 sheep came to hand. There was a large attendance of purchasers, and sales were satisfactory. In cattle we sold 78 head for various owners at full prices, and quote prime beef at 35s per 100 lbs with good demand. In sheep we yarded and sold 3664 or all descriptions for Messrs G. F. Nixon, G. Holmes, H. Madison, and others, "at for fat cross-bred down wethers, 13s to 13s 6d; cross-bred ewes, fat at 12s , 12s 3d to 12s Gd per head; station ewes, culls mS 2s I sd, 2s 7d to 2s 9d, to 3s per head; do wnAiers, vej?y inferior, at 2s 7d to 3s per head; 3D cross-bred i«Wes at 3s per head; these were wry inferior. y S/emand still continues &r-c~ttsi3S-br** a"fcd sound -healthy lambs, but very' few are courting to hand The great scarcity of this class of stock is much felt by buyers, who are unwilling to purchase other descriptions. In long-woolled rams we have sold the Botterill Leicesters to Mr J. Gngg, of Longhead at satisfactory figure; also McLean Leicesters, and other descriptions at fair rates. ENGLISH COMMERCIAL. WOOL Messrs Miles and Co, report on March 9th : The first series of public sales of colonial wools for the year commenced on the 23rd ult. The arrivals consisted of— Bales.

colonial and of this quantity about 14,003 bales, 2000 Australian and 12,000 Cape, were forwarded direct tc Yorkshire and the Continent. There was a large attendance of buyers from all quartern on the opening night, with a spirited competition on the part of our home traders, at a reduction on Australian wool of about Id per lb for washed, and for greasy ; but on New Zealand, Which was in limited supply, the decline was not so marked. Since the opening a better tone has prevailed in the market and prices have somewhat hardened, and as it has been determined to close the sales on the 25ih instant, prior to the Easter Holidays, we think that rates will strengthen towards the close. The prospects for the next sales look more encouraging than they did, and although we cannot hope for any improvement, nor do not anticipate any serious decline. WHEAT AND FLOUR. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company reports : During the period which has elapsed since the issue of our No. 03 Circular for the San Francisco mail of 9th February, there has been a general want of animation in the demand for wheat and flour, both in our market and tnose of the Provinces. Importations have been on a very moderate scale, and stocks in granary are decreasing, but as a change of wind will bring in a considerable fleet of wheat vessels, buyers are holding back. English deliveries of wheat continue liberal, but not excessive, averaging 55,526 quarters weekly for the month of February. The supply at the principal points of accumulation in the United States on 13th February, was 12,386,667 bushels of wheat against 11,400,954 at corresponding date last year. Shipments coming eastward from the interior were increasing, though moderate. The total quantity of wheat known to be on passage to the United Kingdom is 1,019,000 quarters, exclusive of what may be on the way from the Baltic and near Continental ports. Severe weather during the past fortnighthas somewhat interfered with the sowing of spring corn, but as far as can at present be ascertained, no injury has been done to the young 1 wheat plant. In the absence of Adelaide wheat we quote as follows : New Zealand wheat... 45s to 48s per 4961b5. A ustralian flour .. 2hb to 30s per 2801bs. New Zealand 20s to 29s „ Messrs Miles and Co report:— The same low prices still continue for wheat, and as the surplus supplies from most parts are likely to be very large, we cannot hope for higher rates for a longtime to come. Stocks have been very low latelv, owing to the prevalence of easterly winds, which have kept off most of the grain-laden vessels (about sixty-seven in number), bnt millers have preferred to await their arrival rather than give auv advance in prices. Australian wheat is worth 48s to 50s per 480 lbs, and New Zealand 46s to 48>; Australian flour 30s to 33s per 280 lbs. and New Zealand 26s to 295. TALLOM' AND HIDES. Messrs Miles and Co report:— The tallow market has remained depressed, with a limited demand for Australian, and prices have a"-ain declined. The present value of good to line New Zealand mutton being 40s to 41s, and beef tallow 39s to 40s. Hides have not been in much request lately, and no material change in value has taken place, the tendencv, however, being in favor of buyers. We quote fair quality, both heavy and light weights, 6d to per lb. NEW ZEALAND HEMP. The N. Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Company reports: A large falling oft" in the consumption of this fibre has taken place since the heavy decline in the \alue of Manilla hemp to £29, buyers preferring tense the latter almost exclusively, to the neglect of the New Zealand production. As there is no prospect of improvement in Manilla hemp, but on the contrary, every appearance of a further reduction in price, holders- of New Zealand have been rather anxious to realise, and a further concession has been accepted. On the 17th February 129 bales were brought forward, and sold at £lB 10s to £l9 per ton; and on 3rd instant 612 bales were catalogued, of which SUO were reported as sold at and after the auctions at easier prices, the quotations realised showing a further decline of about 20s per ton. We annex usual comparative statement of the stocks, landings, and deliveries to 28th ultimo, and to corresponding date in 1874: 1874. 1875.

Arrivals, nil. Shipments advised ninct la it San Francisco mail, 80 bales,

PRESERVED MEATS. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company reports : We are glad to report a continued fair demand for the leading descriptions of preserved meats. Boiled beef sells readily at our last quotations. 2lb tins of boiled mutton are also in request, and an advance of Ojd per lb has been established thereon, but 4 and 61b tins, being much in excess of requirements, have been more difficult of sale, and to effect clearances a decline of o£d per lb has been submitted to. For miscellaneous meats and soups there is still an absence of enquiry, and as they are in very plentiful supply, no doubt lower prices will have to be accepted in order to induce transactions to any extent. Subjoined are present market prices:— Boiled Mutton—6lb tins, 4f dto 4gd per lb. Boiled Mutton —41b tins, do do Boiled Mutton—2lb tins, s|d to 6d do Boiled Beef— Old to 6£d per lb. Boiled Beef— Id to ?£d per lb. Arrivals for the four weeks ending 4th February, 15.933 cases (of which thirty were from Monte Video). By the mails delivered since 9th February, advices have been received of the shipment of 7028 cases. Messrs Miles and Co report:— There is no improvement to note in the state of the market for meat, and 301 cases corned beef, &c, and 282 cases boiled mutton were offered at public sale to-day by Messrs Culverwell, Brooks, and Co, but there were no bids. C's and 4's of mutton are in poor request at present with large stocks, and prices vary from 4|d to 5d per lb. 2's of mutton are enquired for, and bring 6d per lb. Beef is also in demand at6|d per lb for 4's and 6's. AMERICAN COMMERCIAL. The San Francisco correspondent of the " New Zealand Herald" reports on March 30th:— Barley—Market inactive. Prices firm, at: Feed, Idol 45c; brewing. Idol 55c. Oats—Dull, at Idol 55c; choice feed, Idol 80c. Wheat - Shipping at Idol 60c and Idol 65c. Demand light. There is a slight advance in Liverpool, now quoted at 9s 2d to 9s 6d. Flour—Extras, 4dol 45c; superfine, sdol 15c.

Tea 36 10 0 Mustard .. 3 18 10 Tobacco 29 0 0 Spirits 85 11 3 Spirits of wine 14 14 0 Sugar 411 6 10 B. Beer 13 13 9 Wine,. ,, ., ,, ., !J5 IT 0 man 1

N. S. Wales and Queensland Victoria South Australia Western Australia Tasmania New Zealand Cape of Good Hope Total .. ... 18,893 ... 100,333 ... 40,944 337 410 ... 4,657 ... 47,831 .. 213,445

Tons. Tons. Stock on 28th February 2108 .. .. 2008 Landed January, February .. 482 ... 151 Delivered do 240 ... 118 Landed during February ... nil ... 48 Delivered do 137 .. 78