COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4316, 20 January 1875, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

At Mr. Duncan's yearly clearing sale yesterday, there was a very large attendance of buyers, as the auctioneer had announced there would be no reserve on any article he had for sale. A heavy lot of goods was disposed of, no doubt in most cases to the advantage of buyers. We give a few of the prices of the principal lots of goods sold, and understand that there were between 70 and 80 different buyers :—IOO cases fruit were sold at Ijd, to B}d. per lb. Champagne Vineyard brand, 50s. to 525. per case ; Salt's ale, Us. ;o lis. 61. per doz.: Tennent's ale, in qnts., 10s. 9d.; Sta of India ale, 9s. i)d. per dozen ; Blood's stout, lis. per dozen: pig brand (quarts), Us. 3d.; (pints), 7s. 9d.: Guiness' stout, lis. Od.; Martell's Brandy Bs. 3d. per gallon- Guinness'stout, lis. fid. per dozen; Blood's, lis.; Dagobert's brandy at Ca. Od. to 7s. 9d. ; Bisquit Dubouche, 4Ss. per case ; Desboune's diamond brand, 365. to 425. ; rum, from 3s. 9d. to 4s. 3d. per gallon ; Dunville's whisky, 6s. 2d.: Klnshan's do., 7s. Od.; claret. 20s. to 325. New Zealand Steam Shipping Company shares. £l7 10s. (only £lO paid up). South Australian wine, from 6d. to 4s. 9d. per gallon. Teas and sugars were sold at current market rates. Several cases of eggs from Nelson were sold at Is. 2d. per doz ; and over 300 lots of sundries were disposedof at any prices that were bid for them, apparently irrespective of their intrinsic value. Mr. George Thomas sold the equity of redemption of Mr. Bellairs' property, Bolton-street, at his mart this day, for £2OO, which was equivalent to £B2O for the whole purchase money. The purchaser was H. Dillon Bell, Esq.

LONDON MARKET REPORTS.

Wool.—The fourth and last series of London sales commenced on November 17. The following are the arrivals in time and the quantity catalogued up to date: — , , . . Catalogued up Arrivals. to date. Sydney 17,398 bales .. 5,277 bales Port Phillip .. .. 10,935 „ .. 2,770 „ Van Diemen's Land .. 354 ~ .. 84 „ Adelaide 1,570 „ .. 554 „ Swan River .. .. 405 „ .. 312 „ New Zealand .. .. 9,883 „ .. 3,219 „ Cape 45,588 „ .. 11,344 „ -Total .. 86,147. bales 23,566 bales A large number of English buyers attend ; the Belgian trade is also fairly represented, but from France and Germany the participation, as usual at this season, is limited. Though complaints are heard on all sides of unremunerative business, the tone of the market on the whole is a healthy one, the stocks of wool being acknowledged as moderate, and consumption continuing on a satisfactory scale. The result of the sales is in harmony with this, and confirms previous expectations. Mr. Helmuth Sehwartze says : "Australian wool maintains its former position, good clean lots" especially, both washed and greasy, selling fully on a par with the closing rates of last series. On Cape wool there is a small decline —Jd. to Id. per lb. —marked particularly in the case of seedy parcels, which, as anticipated, form a considerable proportion of the supplies. Out of the 80,147 bales arrived for this series, about 7500 bales—mainly Cape—have been forwarded direct to the country or the continent. Their place, however, is likely to be filled by secondhand wools, of which, as usual at the close of the year, strong quantities appear daily in the catalogues. The sales are to close on December 4." Willans. Overbury & Co. report "a full attendance of both home and foreign buyers, and considerable animation in the biddings for good wools. Australians and New Zealand* may be quoted firm at last sales' closing rates. The best Cape snow whites also showed no decline, but inferior and faulty parcels from this colony ruled easier to tho extent of about Id per lb." Jacomb, Son It Co., and Charles Balme & Co. report to the same effect. Buxton & Hunter say:— " The attendance was good from all quarters, and the biddings were spirited, prices for all descriptions may be quoted fully up to the closing rates of last sale 3." New Zealand Hemp.—Messrs. G. and J. A. Noble Bay:—Since our last issue, dated October 19, this article has assumed a steadier tone. A fair amount of business has transpired for the time of the year, and at the close we are able to quote a slight atlvance on our last values. Tow firm, none offering at late rates ; quotations will be as follows :—Common, £ls 10s. fair, £2O ; good, £2l 10s.; fine, £27 ; tow, £9 to £l4 per ton. , Landings for October, 1874, 83 tons; deliveries do, 166 tons ; stock, November 1, 2070 tons. AMERICAN MARKETS. Messrs. Arkell. Tufts, and 'Jo., write as follows : New .York, November 11. Since tho issue of our circular on the 14th ultimo, we have received the mail by the steamship Cyphrenes, via San Francisco, which brought advices from Sydney up to the 25th of September, but nothing from the colony of Now Zealand. From New Zealand via Brindisi our advices are dated up to the Slat August, and singularly by this route we have no news from Sydney or Melbourne. There appear to bo great doubts as to the continuance of the running of mail -steamers by the Australian and American Mail Steamship Company, but we trust the active measures being taken In the colonies will result in an arrangement for the maintenance of the San Francisco route. No steamer is yet advertised to sail from San Francisco for December. - . Hardware.—The season has now so far advanced that for home trade there is littlo doing, which combined with the light demand for export, renders the market dull, but steady. There are very few changes in prices. Wooden Ware.—Brooms remain in demand and are scarce. Wo havo advanced tho quotation of each weight 12Jc. per dozen, at which price they are very firm, with the prospect of a further rise. Oars are a fraction lower in price. Kerosene Oil.—Tho market weakened after tho issue of our last report, and closes nominally for Devoe's brilliant, at 20c. per American gallon in plain patent cans, and in cans fitted with patent faucet nozzles, 21c. The John Bunyan, now the only vessel loading for Mclbourno, has engaged only 9000 cases, all of which arc of tho diamond brand. There is no inquiry, and considering that tho shipments for the past month havo been 22,025 cases less than the corresponding tlmo last year, we look for an improvement in colonial markets. Sundries.—Lobsters of the best brand can bo bought at S2, with only a moderate demand. Oysters remain dull at last quotation. Rosin.—The market Is quiet and unchanged. Toracgo.— The demand for exports having been light, in consequence of tho advance hore, tho market has been comparatively quiet for the past four weeks. Although the foreign markets havo advanced their prices, they havo not responded fully to the increased cost on this side, which has tended to losson tho demand. Present quotations for black work 10's and 1 lbs., common, 10c. ; medium, 22c. ; fine, 20c. to 30o.; Navy lbs. and i lbs. 23c. to 30c. Ncgrohead twist, 30c. to 35c. por lb., according to brand and quality. Freights.—Tho market is very dull. Tho absence of large orders from the colonies tends to reduce the rates. The tonnage on the berth for Melbourne is very light, and that for Now Zealand, having been excessive during tho past few months, wo anticipate fewer vessels being chartered for some time to come. Quotations for the several ports are, 22i to 25c. for

Melbourne ; 25 to 30c. for Sydney, according to engagements, and for New Zealand, 30 to 32Jc. per foot measurement. Gold and Exchange—Have both remained fairly steady at our last quotations Both gold and exchange are however very firm at, say for bankers, (10 day bills on London, $1.84 to 34.84}, and for com-, mercial. 54.82 to 4.83. .'