COMMERCIAL.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 396, 18 September 1875, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

The past week has been particularly dull in the grain market, and in the total absence of transactions ot any importance we can only repeat last quotations. Potatoes are getting lower gradually, but steadily, there being now no margin left for export, as the northern markets are largely supplied with Warnamhool imports. Butter is receding rapidly, and buyers do only a hand to mouth trade; cheese remains firm at last week’s price; haras and bacon are in fair demand. Buyers’ quotations are —prime milling wheat, 3s 9d to 3s ltd ; do oats, 2s 6d ; feed oats, 2s 4d: flour, £9 10s in sacks; £9 17s 6d in tOOlb bags ; £lO 5s in 501 b bags ; bran, £4 10s; sharps, £5 10s; potatoes, £3 12s 6d ; butter, lOld to lid ; cheese, BJd ; hams and bacon, bare, Hid; cloth. Is. Business in the import market has been extremely! dull during the week, and we have scarcely any transaction to record beyond the usual trade sales. Trade sales have been numerous in sugars at our last rates: stocks are very low in Mauritius sugars; the first cargo of the new crop is expected here by the end of this month, which will come to a very good market. The s.s. Easty is bringing down a small lot of Colonial Company’s sugar, but a large portion of this goes into consumption at once, as the orders were booked here from several storekeepers to keep them iu stocks until arr;val of cargo from Mauritius. Teas have been moving off in large trade parcels at Is 5d to 2s i.b.; the old crop (1874-5) has been pushed off in large parcels at very low rates. We understand there Is another cargo of new season’s tea expected here by the end of Oc ober. We have not much to report in spirits : Henncssy’s bulk brandy is placed in parcels at 8s 6d; Martell’s dark, 8s 6d ; good second brands find ready purchasers at 6s 9d to 7s 3d i.b. Sales have been effected In rum (castle brand) at 3s 10s to 4s for 10 0.p.; West India commands good sale at 4s to 4s 5d for 10 to 20 o.p. The usual trade sales have been made in tobaccos at our last rates. There has been very little doing in bottled ale and stout: Bass’s East India pale ale (in hhds) meets with very good sale at £9 10s to £lO. Candles sell freely at lid to Hid. American salmon is offering (to clear the shipment) at 9s 6d d.p. We have no large sales of galvanised iron or cement to report this week. We notice large shipments bought to arrive, and now landing ex White Rose, Marmion, &c, are going intp consumption at once. On Tuesday the cargo of Scotch flooring and lining ex Marmion was offered by public auction, but the whole lot was passed in, as the bids did not reach auctioneer’s limits. | |Messrs H. Matson and Co. report on the live stock market as follows At the market yards on Wednesday 206 Jiead of cattle and 4fP9 sheep came forward for the week. Our entries in cattle comprised 157 head for Messrs Murray and Wright, Strange, Reese, Reed, Candy, Strachan, and others. We sold fat cattle at from £B, £8 10s, £9, £lO to'.£l3 per head ; milch cows and springers from £7 10s to £lO per head; young stock from £2 2s 6d to £4 5s per head; calves from 40s to £2 12s Od per head. We quote prime beef 35s to 37s 6d per 100 lbs. In sheep, our entries comprised 2393 of all classes for Messrs C. Wason, G. H. Holmes, H. Overton, H. D. Gardiner, Patterson, R. R. Pitt, O'Callaghan, Marshall, H. Re veil, and others. We made the following sales—lso cross-brcds, very prime, for Mr H. Overton, at I6s Or), 18s to 18s 6d per head ; 244 merino wethers for Mr B. K. Pitt, at 12s, 13s, 13s 3d per head ; 228 cross-brcds for Mr C. Wason, at 14s 9d per head ; 294 merino wethers for Mr J. P. O’Callaghan, at 9s, 9s 6d, and 9s 9d per head ; 611 merino wethers, stores, for Mr G. H. Holmes, at 7s per head; several lines for others at fair rates, and turned out unsold a line of superior cross-bred shorn Romney Marsh lambs. The sale was a great drag throughout, the trade having ample supplies on hand from previous purchases,' would only operate sparingly; whilst farmers and graziers in consequence of the shortness ot feed in the paddocks were debarred from purchasing. The bulk of the sheep to hand were again only ordinary mutton, and in some instances prices realised were low In the extreme, leaving the sheep after shearing at a mere nominal cost. This state of things has been brought about chiefly through theover-crowding of the paddocks during the root crop season, causing the quality ot the sheep offered through |the market to be inferior Instead of superior, and the large numbers of Indifferent quality forced into the market through the failure of the root crops at this particular season, with it may be said only one outlet, viz, the slaughterhouse, as until the middle of October we cannot look for a large demand from the farmers. We feel convinced that during October, November, and December, considerable activity will be displayed on the part of purchasers, and that the present depressed market will be revived. Wool, skins, hides, and tallow—At our wool stores, on Thursday last, a very large supply came to hand. Every lot was disposed of, but In most cases a drop in price ot 3d to 5d per skin had to be submitted to, the best skins only suffering from Id to 2d each. We sold best merinos up to 6s 6d each ; best cross-breds up to 7s Id each. Hides, salted, 3fd, 4d, to 4ld per lb ; calf, 6£d; rough fat, inferior, 2d; 3 bales long wool, rough, d per lb j 2 do, at Bd. Mr Alkman’s report on Mr Wilkin’s weekly wool skin, and tallow auction is as lollows —About 3000 sheepskins, a quantity of hides and 34 packages tallow were catalogued and sold at prices rather lower than the previous week. Best butchers’ sheepskins, 5s to 7s 5d each ; second do, 2s 2d to 4s 7d each ; station do, 8d to 9d per lb; hides, fresh, under 40 lb, 4|d per lb; do. do, over 40 lb, 3jfd per lb ; do, salted, under 40 lb. 4jd per lb; calves’ skins, 7d per lb; rough fat, 2d.to 2|d per lb ; tallow, 245, 265, 29s per cwt.