Commercial News.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 232, 19 February 1876, Page 11

Commercial News.

xiie uuwes reueiveu. au wus JJori/ ior Liie week ending February 17, were as under: —

Business contiues steadily to improve, 'and we report a fair amount of both town and country trade during the past week. Prices are unchanged and still rule lower than desirable, transactions in import goods being limited to«the supply of current wants, with a total absence of speculative purchasers. In colonial produce keg butter is in fair demand at lOd. to lid. per lb. for prime cured. There is little or no Wellington cured in stock, as the farmers, with their customary shortsightedness, are keeping it back for extreme rates, and dealers are obliged to have recourse to Canterbury and elsewhere for supplies. Cheese in demand at 9d. to lOd. per lb. for Canterbury make, if prime. Bacon and hams full stocks at 12d. to 14d. per lb. for best quality. Flour market without change, at £lO 10s. to £lllos. for sacks of Canterbury and Oamaru mills. Grain—Oats are coming in fast, and prime milling sorts are selling at 2s. 6d. to 2s. Bd. per bushel. Stocks are heavy, and shipments to Sydney and China are being tried, which may relieve the market. Wheat is scarce at 4s. 6d. to 4s. 9d. per bushel. Maize hardening, and worth 4s. 9d. per bushel. . THE WELLINGTON MARKETS. Wholesale Prices.

Building Materials. Timber, —Boards and Scantling, 100 ft., 9s. to 155.; lis. 6d. at mill; planed, tonguedand grooved, lis. 6d. to 12s. sd. Red pine palings, 12s. per 100 ; red pine timber, 16s. per 100 feet ; kauri timber, 18s. per 100 feet; red pine, tongue groved, 225. per 100 feet; totara posts, Is. 4d. each ; birch rails, Bd. each ; white pine shingles, 16s. to 18s. per 1000. HOBARTON TIMBER AND FENCING MATERIAL? Shingles, £1 per 1000 ; palings, from 20s. to 255. per 100 ; rough spokes, 255. per 100 ; felloes, from 100 s. to 200 s. per 100 ; timber, 235. to 255. per 100 feet, superior; posts, £5 10s. per 100; rails, £4 3s. 4d. per 100. Coal and Firewood Market. Coal. —Newcastle, £2 ss. per ton. Firewood. —2 foot rata, 365. to 40s per cord ; 1 wood, 455. per cord ; 4 foot wood, 365. per cord ; 0 foot wood, 365. per cord. The following is the balance-sheet of the Wellington Trust, Loan, and Investment Company, Limited, to be presented to the annual meeting, to be held on Monday next 21st inst. : Dr. £ s: d:

L. Levy, Managing Director. We certify that we have examined the several books of accounts, and found them correct, and that they agree with the foregoing balance-sheet. We have examined the mortgage deeds and other securities in possession of the company, and with the exception of certain deeds acknowledgedby the company's solicitor to be in his hands, these deeds are duly registered, and they appear to us to represent adequately the advances made upon them. D. Ratnie, ") John Knowles, 5- Auditors. G. M. Kebbell l ) Wellington, 28th January, 1876. MELBOURNE. (From the Argus of Feb. 9.) In the import business a moderate amount of business has been transacted, but most of the sales effected have reached us through the auctiou room, comparatively little inquiry having been experienced, privately. In breadstuff's, flour is still in little request ; and, owing to supplies being on a fair scale, the market presents if anything a weaker tendency. Quotations range from £ll to £ll ss. Wheat, on the other hand, is even firmer, and there are buyers at ss. 4d. to ss. 5d., without meeting with anything like a ready response, few parcels being placed on the market for sale. Feeding grains are in a most unsatisfactory position. For oats there is scarcely any enquiry. Holders ask, according to quality, from 3s. Id. to 3s. 4d. A small parcel was sold publicly at 3s. 3£d. Maize is still selling at low rates. At auction this forenoon 600 bags were offered, but only a portion was disposed of at 4s. Bd.; privately a parcel of 250 bags was placed at 4s. 7£d.; notwithstanding this, however, we learn that higher prices are wanted in Sydney. Sugars are moving off privately for trade purposes, at 30s. to 335., according to sample. Under the hammer, 3172 bags and mats were cleared off, when yellow Java realised £29105. to £29 155.; grey Mauritius crystals were sold at £32 ss. to £32 155., middling counters at £3l, good browns afc £2B 55., and rations at £25 15s. There is little doing in teas outside the auction room, where 1823 packageswere cleared off at Is. 2Jd. to Is. Bd. Calcutta sacks were disposed of publicly at a reduction on prices lately ruling ; 124 bales were quitted at 7s. lid. A shipment of 150 tons pig-iron has changed hands on. private terms. Kerosene oil has been more enquired for, in consequence of favorable advices from Sydney regarding shipments. The Etta Lowring and the Chatanooga, as advised last month, are the only departures with oil, and 2500 cases for Sydney is the only new shipment advised. Candles have been sold to a fair extent by auction ; 760 boxes of imported! brands were quitted at lOd. for sound, and 9jd. for faulty. Of Apollos, Victorian made, 600 boxes were sold at Sfd. to 8| d. 1 lb. salmon has been disposed of at 9s. 9d. In liquids, we learn of the sale, to arrive, of an invoice of spirits of wine at 3s. lid. Brandies are asked for, and business is reported in Central pale in bulk, and likewise in Bisquit Dubouche's. A line of 600 cases Hennessy's has been cleared off at a full price. 650 cases O'Brien's Dagger stout have realised Bs. Id. to Bs. 2d. BY TELEGRAPH DUNEDIN, Thursday. Wheat continues in good request, and best samples are saleable at 4s. 9d. to 4s. 10d.; medium, 4s. to 4s. 4d. Oats quiet, best milling, 25.; feed, Is. lOd. Stock and Share Market.—Sales of South British at £2 14s • Bank of New Zealand, new issue, sales at £l7 2s. 6d • buyers, £l7; National Insurance, buyers, £l3s. 6d.; sellers and sales at £1 45.; New Zealand Insurance, new issue, sellers, £3 35.; Standard Insurance, buyers, lis.; Colonial Bank, buyers, £1 ss.

£ s. d. £ s. d. Spirits 351 6 6 Goods by wght 273 19 4 Cigars.. 23 5 0 Ad val. goods 2993 15 3 Tobacco 103 15 0 Other duties 83 14 9 Wine .. 116 1 3 Light dues, Ale and beer 248 7 G shipping, &e 12 15 3 Tea 193 1 0 Coffee.. 14 19 6 Total £4903 2 11 Sugar.. 490 2 7

Farm: and Dairy Produce. s. d. s. d. S. d. s. d. Butter, fs, lb 1 2 to 0 0 1 Lard, lb 0 OtoO 5 Butter, sit, lb 0 8 — 1 0 1 Bacon, Pro.. 0 11 —1 Cheese .. 0 0 — 0 11 1 Hams, Pro.. 1. 0 — 1 Do., Ct'bury. 0 10 —0 11 | McConnell's 1 0—1 2 Eggs, dozen 1 4—1 6 1 Ct'bury hams 1 0 — 1 2 Retail Price. Milk* quart.. 0 4to0 6 Fowls, pair.. 6 0to7 0 Butter, fs., lb 1 4 — 1 6 Ducks, pair.. 7 0 — 8 0 Butter, salt.. 1 0 — 1 2 Geese, each.. 6 0 — 7 0 Cheese, Col.. 1 2 — 1 4 Turkeys, do. 6 0—10 0 Eggs, dozen 2 0 — 2 6 Bacon, lb .. 0 0 — 1 4 Lard, lb .. 0 0 — 0 10 Ham, lb 0 0 — 1 6 Rabbits, pair 2 6 — 3 0 Potatoes, new 0 1—0 14 Cabbages, dz 2 6 — 3 0 Carrots 2 6 — 3 0 Turnips, doz 2 6 — 3 0 Potatoes 9 0—12 0 A'd veg'bl, dz 2 0 — 2 6 Bread, 3d. to 4d. 21b. loaf. Flour Market. Wholesale. & s. d. Superfine Flour, silk dressed, per ton £12 to 12 10 0 Fine Flour, dittc >, household .. 11 0 0 Seconds, per ton 0 0 0 Sharps, per ton 8 0 0 Adelaide, per ton 15 0 0 Oamaru, ditto 12 10 0 Dunedin, ditto 12 0 0 Canterbury, ditfc 12 0 0 Bran, per bushel — 0 14 Hay asd Corn Market. Wholesale. s. d. s. d. £ s. £ s Maize, Sydney 4 6 to 5 0 Hay, ton .. 6 10 to 7 10 Do. Crushed 4 9 — 5 0 Oaten, ditto 0 0 — 5 10 Oats (South)..4 0 — 4 3 | Lucerne, ditto 0 0 — 6 10 Wheat (fowl) 4 0 — 4 3 Straw, ditto 2 10 —3 0 Potatoes .. 0 0 — 5 0 ! Chaff, ditto 7 0 — 0 0

Retail. s. d. s. d. I s. d. s. d. Maize ..5 6 to 6 0 Peas .. 6 6 to 7 • Oats, ditto .. 4 0 — 4 6 Do. crushed 7 3 — 7 C Do. crushed 4 9 — 5 2 | Lucerne, cwt. 0 0 — 6 6 Bran, ditto 1 9 — 2 0 Oaten, ditto 5 10 — 6 O Wheat (fowl) 4 6 — 5. 6 Straw, ditto 5 10 — 6 10 Hay, cwt. .. 5 10—6 10 Chaff, ditto 7 0—80 Beans .. 6 0 — 7 0 O'Sheath'sdo. 6 0—7 0 Do. crushed 7 3—7 C Brocolo from 0 3 — 1 C SEEDS* Ryegrass, bsh. 7 OtoS 0 1 Alsyke, lb. ..1 2to0 © Do. Pov. B., do.S 0—0 0 Cow grass, do...l 3 —0 0 Cocksfoot, do.10 0—0 0 1 Rape, do. ..0 6—0 0 Wt. clover, lb. 1 2—0 0 [ Lucerne, do. .. 1 6 —0 0 Bed do., do... 1 0—0 0 | Timothy, do. . .1 0—0 0

To capital, viz. : 250 shares at £10 each 2,500 0 0 9750 „ £5 „ 48,750 0 0 Deposits and interest 52,528 10 7 Sundry investors 32,658 15 S Accounts payable 2,780 17 11 Profit and loss account 5,127 3 1 £144,345 7 3 Cr. £ s. d. By mortgages 135,703 5 9 Debentures of the Colonial Government 4,706 0 0 Interest on securities to date 1,790 14 4 Office premises and furniture 2,099 10 6 Business license for 1876 (proportion) i 45 16 S £144,345 7 3 rROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT. To amounts paid for previous year— X* ft. «- Dividend . 4,403 17 2 Honorarium to directors 105 0 0 ,, managing director . .. 125 O 0 „ auditors 22 1 0 Interest account ,. 3,S50 12 O Investors' account .. 2,086 3 1 Charges account* 969 15 11 .. 5,127 3 1 £16,689 12 3 By balance, as per last account .. .. £4,736 4 * Interest on mortgages, transfer fees, &c .. .. 11,196 12 4 Balance of sundry investments 756 15 7 £16,689 12 3 * Charges account — £ s. d. Salaries 652 0 O Office expenses 94 IS 10 Printing, stamps, and stationery 137 15 11 Law charges 35 1 2 Business license 50 0 0 £969 15 11