COMMERCIAL.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2664, 20 October 1882, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

i'll. Otutons b duties collected at Christchurch Wednesday, October 18th, were as Follows Spirits, £llO 5s 7d; tobacco, £BO 17a ; cigars, JBS 8s sd; wise, £2l 16a ; beer, £3l la ; -uagar, £27 2a lOd; goods by weight, 7a lid; ad valorem, £ll7 12a. Total. £4Bl 13a lOd.

Business daring the past week has been rather uoiot, and complaints are pretty general of the £alneaa of trade in most branches, as usually some activity is experienced at this season. The sharp lessons recently learnt through giving indiscriminate credit will not easily be forgotten, aad doubtless will shortly tend to restore trade ta a more wholesome state than has been the «ase for some time. Credit is very much contacted, but engagements in most cases continue to be fairly met. Sugars are rapidly hardening, fins sorts being in short supply, orders are with difficulty executed. The new crop will be much later than was expected, and as stocks are light, and will have to last some *ime, improved rates may shortly be expected. Teas have had_ a moderate business in half-chests and boxes principally for the beet qualities which show increased Inquiry, lower sorts are unnoticed, and only nlaoed with difficulty. Our markets are rather bare of fish, and only salmon has sales at 8s 6d, •tber sorts are nominal. Toe business in dried firnits has been limited to currants, which find ready sale at SJ-1 to sid, according to quality. Muscatel raisins are quite cleared out, and par.win to land could be readily quitted at good rotas. Kerosene has no sale except for retail lota, quotations oontinna rather low, but fail to tempt buyers. Settled ale is now in good supply, but not in excess, quotations are firm at better rates than formerly ruled. Stout has only small sales for best brands, lower sorts being unsaleable. Spirits have only trifling soles, which are confined to brandy and Scotch whiskey, while old tom, Geneva and rum, though offered low, fail to find buyers. Stocks of first quality champagne having lately been mach reduced, have had some attention, and some anxiety has been displayed by fcnyefs to secure present lots at quotations offered, as future shipments, which ora sparing, will come much higher Clarets bave not had much attention lately, but as the aeason advances more activity is _ expected. Hops have all been cleared oat of this market, to replace same high prices are demanded, jlalt, both coarse and fine, on account of low quotations, baa tempted buyers. Galvanised iron is with difficulty placed, ptices are decidedly In favor of buyers, especially considering the firmness of quotations demanded by shippers. Fencing wire is neglected, and parcels can now be secured at low rates. Cement continues in good supply, but to secure sales a low figure will have to be accepted.

Mb Chablbb Clack: reports a continued dulnaea in inquiries for all classes of property, the only sales made during the week being a quarter-acre near Wilson’s road railway station, ■mil some sections in the Gresford estate. North belt. He had a capital sale on Thursday and Ifciday last of household furniture and effects at No. 85 Chester street. On Wednesday last he had a very successful sale at Mr Burrand’s, Whateley road, of all the furniture, &o. At both sales highest prices were obtained. There ima been an increased demand for money, and a number of investments Lava been made at rates ranging from 7i to 9 per cent., according to amounts. CHAIN AND PEODITCE. ‘ Business has been very quiet during the past week, and very few transactions of consequence are noted. Wheat is still nominally quoted at 4s 6d, but buyers are difficult to find at the price. Advices to hand by the mail point to the almost certainty of a period of low values, -and the mere fact of American shippers offering to contract for shipment up to the end of May next, pretty olearly indicates their views of the situation. The only country in which the crop appears to be a partial failure ia Spain, [where 2,500,000 quarters will he reJ aired, and. no doubt, bo quickly poured in by .m erica. Flour is very quiet, and quotations more or less nominal. Oats are still enquired for at about 3s for good samples. In barley there is nothing doing. The potato season may • now be considered over, except for local purposes. Cheese is in good demand at 8d for prime lota. Butter is now coming to hand freely, and has declined to about lOd. Bams and bacon are unaltered. COEN EXCHANGE. Report for the week ending Friday evening, the 20th instant Business during tbe week has been exceedingly quiet. '1 ho past week has been but a repetition of -its "predecessor, and nothing has occurred which calls for comment. Wheat—Good milling quality, 4s Pd to 4s 7d par bushel, delivered in Chris'church; second •■quality, 4b 2d to 4a 4d per bushel. Chick wheat, 3s 6<3 to 3s 9d. Oats The local demand continues good. Good short oats are worth 3s 3d to 3s 4d per bushel; feed samples, 3a Id to 3a 2d, delivered in Christchurch. . ... jj 0 .] e y—There ia hardly any business doing in this cereal—prices rotninal. Potatoes—The [inquiry during the week has has been good, with very few taring. Sales have taken place at from 65s to 70s, at country OU Chceio and Batter-Sd to B|d for the former, lid to Is for the latter.l HOP EEPOET SEASON, 1882. Messrs H. and J. Hart, of London, throiigh Messrs H. Matson and Co., report on fc'opt 7th as follows:—I he result of the crop is now an f.c‘* compliehod fact, and is beyond doubt the worst that has bean known since 1860. The ucgemal weather that wo have suffered from during the past few, weeks has caused a large amount of damage to the plantation ; but still more serious Tima been the spread of mould, which ia now most genera! throughout the ho? districts i 7 o much so, that it is considered certain that th: yield will be from 1 to 2 cwt less than was estimated a few weeks since. Picking commenced about the end of last month, but will net bo general until about the middle of this. The first pockets of Kent and Sussex that reached this 'Onliaed .£SO and £lO per cwt respectively. Since then prices have been most unsettled, making theposition of buyers moat perplexing, as in addition to the higb prices ruling, wo find the usual classification of the various growths has not been observed, hence the prolific* or early sorts, which are poor and of little intrinsic value to the brewer, have been mixed with hops of later growth. Orders from our colonial friends are therefore left in abeyance for further instructions, as wo fool in most instances our constituents do not realise the high pricoe ruling here. We quote Kent, poor to medium quality, J 630 to £25; Sussex, do, £lB to .£24.