COMMERCIAL.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 125, 9 July 1864, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

"Wakatip Mail" Office, July Bth, 1864. The most stirring event of the week has been the auction sale of Messrs. J. Gibson and Co.'s stock. Mr Reuben Harris officiated as auctioneer, and the prices realized were very satisfactory. The trade have been for some time anticipating this sale with a kind of dread, but the prices obtained on the first day soon dispelled any alarm, as in a great many instances they exceeded the rates current in private transactions. This sale, instead of tending to depress prices, has had the contrary effect. As a large number of traders attended from the Outlying districts, and were induced through the excitement prevalent at a large auction sale to supply their wants pretty liberally, the effect on the demand for goods"will be felt for a short time. Nearly the whole of the large stock was quitted. On the whole, a decidedly improved tone, and a more genuine demand has prevailed during the last week.

The produce market has been a firm and rising one, and sales of first-rate Adelaide flour have taken place at £7O, but we quote prices from 15/ to 70/. The Dunedin and lnvercargill markets have not been much affected, and at last dates prices ruled at £34 in the former, and carriage from that part of the Province is steady at £35, and at from £2O to £25 from lnvercargill. Oats have been sold at 15s, but prices may be said to range from 14s to 16s. Potatoes have changed hands between storekeepers at 3§d; chaff, 3d. to 3f d. Sugars of good quality are scarce. Mr. Hairis reports the sale of 400 sheep at prices that have not transpired, and a large lot of pigs at auction, the property of Messrs Clements, at £6 per head. The same authority quotes the following prices obtained at Messrs Gibson and Co.'s sale -.—Flour £65 ; sugars 6jd to 8d; oats 13s 6d ; bacon and hams Is 4d ; tea 65s to 85s half-chest; chaff 2£d to 3d ; gin, per case, 65s to 75s ; brandies 19s 6d to 255; sherry 14s to 20s; porter 19s 6d to 21s 6d; potatoes 3d ; tobacco 4s 6d to 6s lOd; Cork butter (old) 7d to 9d.

WHOLESALE PRICES CURRENT. Butter, lid to Is sd—stocks. Bacon and Hams, Is 3d to Is 6d—do. Bags—none. Chaff, 3£d to 4d- small supply. Cheese, Is 4d to Is sd—light demand. Currants, 8d to 9d—small sales. Coffee, Is 5d to Is lOd. Candles (light), Is 2d—firm. Do., (full) Is 3d to Is 4d-do. Jams, 15s to 18s. Kerosene, 8s to 9s. Oats, 13s 6d to 14s—scarce. Potatoes, 3|d—firm. Tea, £4 10s to £5 ss. Tobacco, aromatic, 6s 6d per lb. Sugar (brown), 6d to 7d. Do. white, 7|d to Bd. Brandy, bulk, 20s to 235; case, 40s to 655. Geneva, case, 60s to 655. Whiskey, per gal. 18s to 20s; case, 42s to 48s. Wines, per gal. 18s to 225; case, 40s to 50s.

The last escort amounted to 10,411 ozs., of which this district contributed 4000, or within 1400 ozs., of one half of the total yields of the Province. The Dunstan forwarded 2700 ozs # The present escort takes down from Queenstown over 3000, showing an improvement on the last, and there will also be an increase at the Arrow* This is most satisfactory, and with our diminished population, speaks well for the district. It must also be remembered that a large portion of our population are engaged upon works that are not at present productive. Our Arrow correspondent's letter arrived at too late an hour last night for insertion in our present issue. Our Maori Point correspondent reports a break in the weather and that the river had had risen considerably. We had no Dunedin mail again last night, the reason assigned being heavy falls of snow down the country. The Dun&tan Times says the Molyneux is almost as low as in the Hartley and Reilly period, and prognosticates some months of successfully working its bed. We are afraid the sudden change to mild weather will have a bad effect, as all our rivers are swollen. The Shotover is up four feet.