COMMERCIAL.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume II, Issue 103, 16 March 1880, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

WOOL. Mi-:ssiis Helmuth, Schwartz, and Co., the London wool brokers, in their annual Report dated January 18th say:—‘‘Apart however from its improved conclusion, the past year has been a trying and unsatisfactory one, anti will remain on 1 ecoi das period of a very low range of prices. We have to go back ten years to find lower results. The more severe depression of 1569 was the result of a too rapid growth in the production of the British Colonies and South America ; but in the past year no excessive supplies have come into play, and the low level of prices has been caused by a contraction of the consumption, not in Europe generally, but in this country. It is difficult to exaggerate the depressed condition in which the Lome trade has found itself during the greater part of the past twelve months. A serious decline in its export business of woollen goods has indeed for years been a standing feature ; but hitherto the ground lost abroad has generally been more than made up by increased Home consumption. In 1879, this latter compensation is wanting, and there is decline both in the Home consumption and the export of goods. Colonial wool, owing partly we believe to the sound principles on which it is sold, had hitherto held its •'round, an dst the general stagnation of trade, bett r than most other raw materials ; but t .e influence of general surrounding depression, of financial disasters, suecessive bad harvests, and the consequent reduction of the spending power of the masses, at last worked their cllect. A hile of the yearly Colonial production (now about 1,000,000 bales), half as a rule goes abroad and half is retained for Home consumption, the Home share iu the past year has been, not half, but little more than onethird. Such a failure in the usual Home demand could not but have a considerable effect upon values, whose decline would indeed have assumed stdl more serious proportions but for the circumstance that, while trade in' this country was passing through the worst part of the crisis, the industry otr the continent was already dis- ! tinctly on tire road to improvement. The I quantity of wool not. wanted here has not | remained otr the market, but has been ab- | sorbed, at low prices indeed, but without | difficulty by the foreign industry. 1 I Amongst the New Zealand wool export- | ers of 1879 we observe tire following names jin the list New Zealand Loan and Mer- | cantile Agency Company, 4518 bales ; Nai tional Mortgage Agency Company of New Zealand. l.'i. 'So do : Colonial Hr. Ik ol New

Zealand. 684 do : B. oiclianison, m.i no : X. Edwards and Co., 4846 do. |A e are indebted to Mr Holmes, ol the N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Company, fora copy of the annual Wool Report above referred to.] W ei.i.i nmton. —Crosskey, Hasell & Co. report: —Flour, £18; oatmeal, Ll 4; pollard, L 5 1 Os; wheat 4s to 4s (id; bran, 8d; hams and bacon, Is; eggs, 2s to 2s lid; apples, 4s to 5s per ease; pears, 12s to 14s per case; cheese (id to Old; fowls, 4s (id per pair; ducks, 5s fid per pair; Nelson hops (new), Is 9d to 2s per lb. Laery & Campbell sold this day at their market sale, plums, 7s fid hf-case; Hobart Town apples, Ss per case; rhubarb, 2s per doz; tomatoes, lid; potatoes, 3s; onions, _7s cwt; sharps, 4s lid; pollard, os; bran, *d; oatmeal, lid to 2d; Hobart Town jams (new season) (is fid.