COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 30, 19 August 1871, Page 10

COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Mail Office, Friday Evening. Bad weather still affects trade of every description, and beyond the current business from day to day nothing has occurred during the week in our market to call for remark. ■ Blood's stout is scarce, and enquired for. Sugar dull. Flour and grain apparently hardening, but giving way on the slightest attempt to force sales to any extent. Canterbury flour of first brands may be quoted at £ls 5s to £ls 10s per ton, with no desire on the part of the trade to lay in stocks. The stock of oats in dealers hands is very low, but we much question if higher rates could be obtained than were quoted last week, viz, 3a to 3s 2d per bushel.

Salt butter in kegs has met with more enquiry for shipment to Auckland, but owing to the large stocks on hand no advance has re* suited.

The news by the San Francisco mail of a further advance in the price of wool in the English market has given general satisfaction. In most cases the clip has been shipped under ad ranee, so that the profit will go into the woolgrower's pocket, and when it is considered that every penny advance on wool gives a bonus of over £30,000, the advantage is by no means to be despised by the province as a whole. We would, however, caution wool-growers and wool-buyers against being over-sanguine that the same rates may continue to rule next season, without inquiring into one of the probable causes of the rise, and which rnav hereafter prove the cause of an equal depression. In one of the late papers from Sau Francisco an allusion is made to a very extensive speculative purchase of wool, and the writer considers it is entered into owing to the loss to the world of the entire wool clip of South America, which usually finds its outlet at Buenos Ayres or Pernambuco, and goes on to say that the yellow fever now raging in that locality will doubtless occasion its exports of perhaps 125,000,0001bs wool to be quarantined in all ports wherever sent, and the loss of this vast amount of wool to the manufacturers of the world must soon begin to tell upon prices everywhere. As we do not suppose the wool will be otherwise than delayed, and subject to a disinfecting process, it must ultimately find its way into consumption, and affect prices to an opposite degree.

Otago.—The "Daily Times" of August 7, reports: —There have during the last day or two been one or two fair-sized parcels of Congous placed—medium in halves realising Is Bfd to Is 9d, and in boxes equal to Id hiuher. Sugars are quiet, and all liquid goods dull. The produce market has shown but a meagre amount of transactions; and on the whole, values look weaker. The town millers now quote £l4 10s for fine flour, and are disinclined to buy wheats, except in trifling lots. The value of good grinding wheats may still be taken at 5s 6d. Oats have been selling in light parcels at 2s 2d to 2s 3d, for fair feeding samples; but, owing to continued unfavorable advices, there is no stir in the export trade. A small lot of good malting barley was moved at 3s lOd, but there is scarcely any provincial offering, and the demand has to some extent fallen off. Messrs Wright, Stephenson & Co, report for the week ending sth August as follows :—At our monthly sale held at Mosgiel on Wednesday, 2nd current, about 90 head were yarded, consisting of 6tores and fat cattle. 56 head sold at prices equal to 20s per 100 lbs for good quality, and 17s for middling ditto. 20 store steers fetched £3 to £3 10s each ; yearlings, 15s to24s. Horses: Our sales have been confined to town lots. Prices for draught stock can scarcely be reported so firm. We quote first-class draughts, £4O to £45; middling do, £25 to £3O; gaod hacks and light harness horses, £ls to £2O; middling do, £lO to £l2; light and inferior, £3 to £5.

Chbistchttech. Considerable business has been transacted in the stock market during the past week. We yarded and sold 91 head as follows : 20 head young stock, 22s 6d to 32s per head ; fat calves, 15s 6d to 20s per head; 22 head fat cattle at £5 5s for light weight heifers, to £7 12s 6d for bullocks ; 25 station bred cows, £2 15s to £3 17s 6d per head. Quotations —Extra prime beef, 20s to 22s per lOOlbs; medium to good, 188 per lOOlbs, with fair demand. Fat and store sheep—96o were penned, chiefly fair conditioned stores. Our sales comprised four pens cross bred wethers, 12s to 13s per head ; two pens merino ewes, in lamb, at 4s per head ; four pens dry ewes, at 5s per head. Really good fat sheep would sell well, but the class of stock at present being forced on the market is so inferior that purchasers will nob buy except at very low figures, and are much more suitable for grazing purposes than for the trade. Quotations— Extra prime quality crossbred mutton, 3d per lb ; do merino, 2d to 3d per lb; middling to good, 2| per lb. AUCKLAND SHARE MARKET. [From the Southern Cross, August 9.] Messrs Clark Brothers report: —" There has been more animation in the sharemarket to-day. We have sold—Caledonians, £170; Thames, £34, £35 ; Tokateas, 82s 6d ; Moanataiaris, 655. The market closed with buyers of Caledonians, £170; holders requiring a higher figure." Mr J. M. Lennox reports: —"There waa considerable excitement in the sharemarket to-day ; leading stocks sold at advanced rates. My sales comprise—Caledonian, £l7O to £172 10s; Thames, £34, £34 10s, £35 ; Otago, c 7ss ; Central Italy, 42s 6d; Moanataiari, 655. Closing 1 Buyers—Caledonian, £171; Thames, £34. Sellers—Caledonian, £172 10s ; Thames, £35." Mr J. Tonson Garrick reports: —"The market opened with a demand for Thames and Caledonians, which have considerably advanced on yesterday's quotations. Sales this day ; Caledonians, £l7O, £l7l, and £172 10s ; Thames, £32 10s to £34 ; Otago, £3 15s ; Albion, sellers, £l3. Caledonians held for £175. Union Sash and Door Company, £4 10s." Mr E, W. Walker reports:—" The sharemarket has been more active to-day, and larger business done, with a considerable demand for Caledonian and Thames towards the close. I have sold Caledonian, £170; Thames, £32 10s, £33 10s, £34, £34 10s ; Queen of May, 8s; Mary Ann, 3s 6d ; Otago, 755. Sellers —Waitemata, Bs."