COMMERCIAL

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4530, 27 September 1875, Page 4

COMMERCIAL

The Customs revenue collected at the port of iir.ni..i«>. «i Saturday was as follows ;

The Customs duties received at this port for the four weeks ending September 23, 1575, were as under :

The import trade of the past month has been moderately brisk, the season of the year being considered. Although complaints of the scarcity of money are more general than could be desired, commercial bills have been well met, and judging from the increasing activity noticeable in the coasting and up country trade we see but little ground for grumbling. In the town trade there has been a certain amount of lassitude, due to the over accumulation of stocks, and the desire on the part of importers to push sales, which necessarily leads to a diminution of profits, but the same cause also leads to an extension of trade to places that have hitherto been monopolised by the Melbourne and Sydney firms, when dealers find they can be more cheaply supplied from Wei- j lington. Large stocks of every description of goods ' have been received from London by the Rodney, Dilawur, and Halcione, which have just finished discharging their cargoes, and the amount of duties received by the Customs for the month is much larger than that of any previous year, being close upon £20,000. A reference to our report, which appears below, will show that few fluctuations, have occurred, goods generally remaining at a moderately small advance of cost- and charges, thus offering greater facilities to those who had previously been indebted to the Australian markets for supplies of English goods by the saving of double freight and commission. Bank rates are as under: —Discount on local bills under 95 days, 7 per cent.: under 125 days, 8 percent.; over 125 days, 9 per cent. Exchange on LondonBuying rate at 90 days, li per cent. dis.; 60 days, 1 per cent. dis.: 30 days, I per cent. dis. Selling rate at 90 days, i prem.; 00 days, 1 preni.; 30 days, 1J prem.; sight, 2 prem. Interest on deposits for three months, 4i per cent.: six months, 5 per cent.; twelve months, 5$ per cent. Ale and porter(duty paid, bulk Is. ,per gallon, bottled Is. 3d.) —There is little change to report in bottled ales and stout, which are only in moderate demand at this season. In the meantime, stocks are more than sufficient for all requirements, and although holders affect to keep up quotations, prices must ultimately come down to auction rates, several lots of best brands having been disposed of in that way during the month at lis. to lis. 6d. per dozen. Pints are rather scarce, and meet with good enquiry at Bs. 6d. per dozen. Outside brands are in no demand. Bags and wooolpacks (duty, 10 per cent.)—ln Dundee goods, woolpacks are in full supply; and prices, owing to low rates ruling in the other colonies, continue depressed. Full size packs are quoted at 3s. 9d. to 3s. lid.; 81b. do, 3s. 4d. to 3s. 6d. Cornsacks meet with no enquiry at 10s. 9d. to lis. per dozen. Candles (duty, Id. per lb.)—Recent arrivals have fully supplied this market, and as the demand is diminishing with the approaching summer season, quotations are a little easier. Trice's Belmonts, 10}d. to 10W.; De Roubaix and Brandon's, lOd. to 10id. per lb! Cement (duty. Is. per barrel) —Stocks heavy, with several large shipment's afloat. Large quantities will, however, be required for the different works now in progress, and in the meantime we report sales of best brands at 19s. to 19s. 6d. per barrel d.p. for large lines; small lots are disposed of at 20s. to 20s. 6d. Coffee (duty, 3d. per lb.) —Quotations for plantation are unaltered. Market fully stocked at Is. 2d. per lb. in bond.

Chicory (duty 3d. per lb).—Dull, at 6Jd. per lb. duty paid. Confectionery (duty 2d. per lb). —Keiller's make for parcels is worth 10M. to 10Jd. per lb., and is in fair demand; but the sale is much lessened by the constantly improving colonial-made article. Flour (duty 20s. per ton).— Heavy stocks of Adelaide flour constantly offered at auction keep this market depressed, most of the trade having laid in a supply. Dunn's and Hart's flour are quoted at £l4 10s.; Dufneld's, £l3 10s.: country brands a shade lower, with no present prospect of improvement, there being large stocks of Canterbury and Oamaru flour on hand.

Fruit (duty Id. per .lb). —Dried fruits of all descriptions are in fair demand. Currants, notwithstanding the large shipments just received,, continue low in stock, and cannot be quoted at less than 4Jd. per lb. Eleme raisins are lightly held at OJd. Sultanas scarce, at Bd. I Really good muscatels are worth Is. 2d. to Is. 4d. per lb. Dried apples, 7d. to Bd. Hops (duty 3d. per lb).—No English hops in importers' hands. Tasmanian are worth Is. lOd. per lb. Malt (duty, Is 6d. per bushel.>—No English malt in importers' hands, and very little in the hands of the brewers, who now use large quantities of New Zealand malt at this season.

Metals (duty, 10 per cent.) —Galvanized iron continues in active demand, stocks being only moderate. Best brands are worth £34 to £35 per ton. A shipment to arrive was tried at auction last week, but only two tons were sold, at £32 for Gospel Oak brand, as large shipments to the extent of fully 100 tons are advised as on the way. Stocks of fencing wire are heavy, and cannot be quoted higher than £2O to £22 10s. for assorted, numbers 0,7, and 8, according to parcel. The numbers 10, 11, and 12 are coming more into demand, but have hitherto not been much used.

Oils (duty, 6d. per gallon.)—There is no improvement in kerosene, which continues heavy in stock, while the demand is lessening with the seasom Quotations range from Is. 9d. to Is. lid. per gallon, according to parcel. Paint oils are in full supply, at 4s. 4d. to 4s. 6d. for raw and boiled linseed, in tins. Castor, 6s. 3d. to ss. 6d.; colza, ss. to ss. 3d. per gallon. Oilmen's stores (duty, 10 per cent.)—A moderate business has been done in oilmen's stores during the month at fair remunerative rates. Stocks are moderately full, no lines being scarce. Rice (duty, £d. per lb.)—Only a limited amount of trade' done in this grain. Stocks are ample, welldressed samples of Patna being worth £2O to £3O per ton. Advices are received of 1000 bags, per May, from Hongkong. Spirits (duty, 12s. per gallon.)—ln brandies a good trade has been done during the month, quotations remaining at former rates; Hennessy's and Marten's bulk brandy being quitted at Bs. 6d. and 83. 3d. per gallon. Case do.—Hennessy's scarce at 335. to 345. 6d. per case; Martell's, 30s. to 315.; Bisquit Dubouclie, 255.; Champagne Vineyard proprietor's, 225. to 245. Rum i 3 heavily stocked, and difficult to move at nominally 3s. 7d. to 4s. 3d. for 10 per cent, and 30 per cent, 0.p.; case Red Heart rum saleable at 265. per dozen. Stocks of geneva are heavy, with a large shipment on the way. Prices continue low, with only moderate demand; quotations vary from 13s. to 175., according to contents —aromatic geneva, " Nectar des Princes," quoted at 225. per case. Whisky.—usual trade done at 16s. 9d. to 17s. 6d. per dozen for Dunville's case; bulk do, ss. 6d. per gallon. Campbellton case, 15s. to 17s. 8(1. per dozen ; bulk, 4s. 9d. to ss. 3d. per gallon. Sugar (duty, Id. per lb.)—This market was comparatively bare of sugar until the arrival of the Easby with over 200 tons from the Sydney Colonial Sugar Refining Company, which filled the gap caused by the destruction of the Melbourne works, and there being a very low stock of Mauritius sorts in bond. AVe quote -No. 2 W., £45 to £45 10s. per ton ; 1.C., £43 10s.; C, £4O; and Y., £36 per ton, as present rates; white Mauritius, £4O 10s"; brewers' crystals, £44 to £44 10s. per ton, d.p. Tea (duty, Cd. per lb.)—Very little business has been done in teas during the month, pending the arrival of the new seasons' teas by the May, which sailed from Foochow on 10th July, I with about four thousand packages, and may be looked for daily. A considerable quantity of old teas have been quitted at auction, mostly of low quality, at Is. 2d. to Is. Bd. per lb., d.p. Tobacco (duty, 2s. 6d. per lb.) ; eigars (duty, ss. per lb.)—Fair trade doing at last month's rates. St. Andrew's twist. Is. 9d.; Black Swan Is. Old. fo Is. 7d.; Barrett's, Is. 6d. to Is. 6Jd.; Shellard's," Is. Ojd. per lb. In cigars the trade has been of only a trifling character. Sales of Manilas, Havannah shaped, at COS.; Ormond Swiss, 355. to 40s. per thousand. Wine (duty, 4s. per gallon).—Usual trade done in the better qualities of ports and sherries. Inferior sorts quite unsaleable. NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE. Butter.—Very little business has been done in keg butter, except for local wants, prime cure being worth lid. to 12d. per lb. There is a considerable amount of butter that remains on hand owing tt the mistaken policy of the makers, who have been keeping it back .for high rates, and which is now finding its way into • the market quite or nearly spoiled, for which barely 6d. per lb. can be obtained. Cheese.—This article has been firm at former rates, and every parcel offered is readily taken by the trade at lOd. to lid. per lb. for prime Canterbury. Flour.—Canterbury and Oamaru flour have met with only moderate inquiry, owing to the largo quantity of Adelaide brought into the market. Stocks are ample, and we cannot give higher quotations than £ll for sacks of Canterbury mills; Oamaru being 20s. per ton higher. Grain.—Oats continue without improvement in value. Large quantities have been received from the Southern ports, and stocks are much beyond requirements. In the early part of the month a line of 2000 sacks was cleared at 3s. 4d. per bushel, and since then there has been: no improvement. Maize has been quitted at 4s. lOd. to ss. per bushel. Barley, none. Hams and bacon.—This article continues in good demand, at rates that surely ought to encourage the farmers to devote more attention to this industry, and keep,the market supplied. There should be no necessity to import hams from San Francisco and elsewhere when dealers are willing to pay Is. 4d. per lb. for an article that could be produced here to pay handsomely at Sd. We quote New Zealand cured bacon, in cloth, at lOd. to lid.; hams. Is. 4d. per lb. Hides and skins.—Raw hides are worth 4d. to 4Jd. per lb.; sheepskins, Is. to 3s. 0d; each. Timber.—Stocks of sawn timber are accumulating, and prices have a decidedly downward tendency, although quotations are. kept up nominally at lost month's rates. Bed pine boards and scantling, 120 s. to 130 s. per 1000 ft.; matai, 100 s. to 1705.; kauri, 150 s. to 160 s. per 1000 ft.

MELBOURNE. (From the Argus of the 17th.) In the import markets business is very sluggish, with little indication of improvement. Breadatuffs maintain firmness in regard to flour, for though inquiries to-day have been vory slack, there 1b no alteration in price. Best brands are steady at £ll 55., with an inclination to stiffen rather than otherwise Ordinary brands are quoted at £ll to £ll 2s. Gd. Wheat is still scarce and wanted, and there is nothing to report privately, but under the hammer a parcel of South Australian coast wheat was sold at ss. 7d., and for a small parcel of northern 6s. BJd. was paid. These figures fully support late quotations, but

the feeling evinced in regard to wheat appears of an easier character if anything. In oats no special business has reached us. Parcels were offered by auction in the forenoon, but the biddings not coming up to reserves, there was no business done. The change in this respect was evidently owing to late arrivals from New Zealand, which include the Albyn s Isle, f romDunedin, with 4750 bags, but of these we learn that 1500 bags are intended for transhipment to Adelaide. Maize is now selling at ss. We understand that about 000 bag 3 have found buyers at our price. Sugars are moving off for trade purposes only. A few hundred bags of greyish Mauritius crystals have been placed at £34. 2000 bugs will be offered publicly to-morrow. Fine teas are also finding their way into the hands of the trade in moderate lots. A parcel of half-chests and boxes has been placed at up to Is. 9d. Currants still command attention, and we hear of the quittance (to arrive) of a shipment of 100 barrels at sjd. Tobaccoes are moderately active. To-morrow about 180 packages will be submitted to public competition. Sales of hops, Tasmanian, in brewers parcels are reported at 2s. Kerosene oil is quiet, but the advices just to hand by cable are favorable to the market. Telegrams have been received dated New York, 9th September, which state that shipments to Melbourne for the month of September will be very moderate, not exceeding 5000 cases. Galvanised iron, Redcliffe brand, has been sold publicly, according to length, at £2B to £2B ss. for sft., 6ft., 7ft., and Bft, and at £3O for 9ft.

£ - s. d. Spirits .. 34 13 9 Wine.. ..- 10 0 0 Tobacco .. 24 0 0 Coffee.. .. 28 0 0 Tea .. .. 5 10 0 Ad valorem - >■£. goods .. '05 3 4

& s. a Spirits .. .. 3010 IS 5 3igfirs .. .. 2G4 13 9 Tobacco.. .. 862 IS 3 Wine .. .. 406 14 G Alo .. 629 16 0 Tea .. '773 1 9 Coffee .. .. 19S 2 3 Su K ar .. .. 15S4 11 7

£ s. d. Sugar.. .. 9 6 8 Goods by weight .. 20 G 0 Other duties 2 14 0 Total .. £229 14 3

£ s. rt. IGoodsbyweightl291 14 7 Do.advaloremlOTSS IS 3 Do. other duties 212 11 9 Light dues, I shipping, &c. 237 0 0 £19921 1 1