COMMERCIAL.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1254, 14 March 1878, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

* The Customs duties collected here on Tuesday, March 12th, amounted to £570125. The items were Wines and spirits, £lßl 19s ; tobacco, £lls 14s sd; tea, £SO 15s; sugar, £B9 19s 7d; goods by weight, £3013s 6d; ad valorem, £lollos 6d. AUSTRALIAN MARKETS. Melbourne.—The "Argus” of March 6th reports:—ln the import market, business generally has been without a sign of animation. Breadstuff's have not evinced anything like activity. Flour is moving oif at £l2 5s to £l2 7s 6d. Trade parcels have been quitted at our price, but no large lines have been got rid of. Good wheat is quoted at 5s 7d to 5s 7sd; the first-named figure was offered for 1000 bags, while about zOO bags medium quality were got rid of at 5s 6d. At auction about 300 bags were cleared off in one instance at 5s 6d to 5s 7d for anything like good wheat; and in another, 353 bags were disposed of at 5s 7-$d net at railway. Feeding grain is scarcely so firm. Under the hammer 300 bags oats were placed at 4s 5-£d to 4s 7sd for Tasmanian coast good plump feeding; about 150 bags inferior Tartarian were at same time taken up at 4s. Sales of Cape barley are mentioned at 4s 4d to 4s 6d. Maize has been selling at 6s 6d to 6s 9d. Sugars hove been fairly dealt in; 1200 mats yellow Java were quitted publicly at £3l, and 1749 pockets Fiji sugar were sold at £33 for grainy yellows, £32 10s to £3215s for yellow counters, £3olos for medium counters, £29 for browns, £27 10s for low browns, and £2510s to £26 for rations. 650 bags damaged and faulty sugars were likewise sold at £26 to £33 15s, according to quality and condition. By the Alliance we have dates from Mauritius to 18th. January of an interesting character. Telegrams from the colonies had been received to 20th December, advising a decline in Melbourne of 10s to 20s, but owing io the limited stock of suitable qualities on hand, it was fully anticipated that holders of sugar would remain firm. Shipments to date to Australia amounted to 26 000 tons, against 22,600 tons to same date last year. The excess, however, was refining sorts. The following charters had been made:— I The Eagle Wing 171 tons, for Aielaide, at 22s 6d; the narmodius, 491 tons, at 22s 6d, for Melbourne ; and the Guiding Star, 356 tons, at 23s for Hobson’s Bay j the Bothwell Castle, 592 tons, at 20s or 22s 6d ; for Sydney or Melbourne; and the Nile 332 tons, for Dunedin, at 455. Two or three more vessels of suitable tonnage and class were wanted for Melbourne and Adelaide. The Harmodius was to load refining sugar. The Cardiganshire had all but completed her loading, and was |to be the first departure for .»i elbourne. Teas were disposed of publicly this forenoon; 250 half-chests realised 10Ja to Is bjd. A line of 600 boxes caudles was placed at 7|d in bond. Sales of medium Kent hops are mentioned at Is 4d. Now Victorian hops were disposed of this morning at 12$d. Further sales of Persian dates are reported. A shipment of 50 cases Gospel Oak iron has changed hands at a full price. A line of 300 drums boiled and raw linseed oil has been taken up on private terms. Business in tobacco has been carried through. 150 packages Shallard’s twist have been sold to arrive on private terms. In liquids, further sales of Renault’s brandy, in bulk, are mentioned.

Adelaide,— The “Observer” reviews this market for the week ending March 2nd as follows The market opened exceedingly dull at last quotations, viz.: Wheat, 5s lOd to 5s lid f.o.b. at Port Adelaioe, 5s S-id at outports j town flour, 1:13158 to ±l3 17 s 6d. Transactions have been generally of the ordinary trade-want descriptions. On Tuesday a sale of 1000 bags of wheat was made at 5s 9}d at Port Adelaide; and 10,000 bushels, to be delivered at Port Pirie, changed bauds at 5s Od. The market closed dull at those rates. Nothing whatever was done in flour. Country was ottered at ±l3 without finding buyers. On Wednesday a small lot of wheat was sold at 5s 8d at Port Adelaide. Enquiries were made for speculation at 5s Od at Port Pirie. Town flour was ottering at ±l3 10s without finding buyers, and country flour was ottering freely at ±l3, but there were no buyers. On Friday a sale of 20,000 bushels of wheat was made at 5s Sd, f.0.b., at the Port Pirie anchorage; and another sale of 20,000 bushels at 6s od, delivery at Port Pirie. We have also heard of another cargo having been sold at about these rates, but the actual price has not transpired. Some small sales have been made at Port Adelaide at from 5s 7d to 5s Bd. The market closes dull at these rates. Nothing fresh Ims been doing in freights. Vessels are ottering at 30s for the United Kingdom, but even at these low rates, with wheat as quoted above, no business can be done, as prices are still above the English limit. Wo quote New Zealand oats at Is 0d; bran, is Ojd to Is lid; pollard, Is Id to Is 6d; Cape barley, 3s 6d ; English barley is scarce, and none is ottering. The exports for the week ending February 23rd have reached—For wheat, 3481 tons, including 1/83 from Port Pirie ; for flour, U 23 tons ; making fur the year to that date a total export of ‘28,731i tons oi wheat and l‘i,m tons flour.