COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4566, 8 November 1875, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Thel Customs revenue collected at the port of Wellington on Saturday, was as follows: £ s. d. £ s. d. Spirits .. 164 8 5 Ad yal. goods 12 18 0 Wine .. 5 6 5 Goods by wgt. 11 13 4 Ale and beer 16 5 0 Tea .. .. 817 6 Sugar .. .. 9 9 1 Total .. £228 17 9 THE HOME MARKETS. (From the N. Z. L. and M, Agency’s Circular). London, September 21. Wool. —Our Circular No. 100, of 24th ultimo, announced the commencement on the 17th idem of the third series of wool sales for the present year, and recorded the state of the market as indicated by the results of the sales held during the first six days. The course of the auctions since that date, and especially within the last week or two, haa shown rather less hesitation in the biddings, and generally a somewhat better feeling is observable, although no tangible change in quotations has occurred except in those classes of wool which had suffered the greatest depreciation, namely, medium Sydney and New Zealand fleeces, half-bred inferior scoured, and Cape fleece wools; indeed in these descriptions the difference is confined more to greater regularity in price than to any actual advance. Foreign buyers have not increased their purchases in any material degree, the choice of wool being, as a , rule, such as is hardly suitable to their requirements; the slight improvement noticeable in the demand is due therefore rather to the arrival of a larger number of representatives of the Home trade than to any competition from abroad. A considerable proportion of the catalogues of the current sales has consisted of small parcels of a very mixed, irregular, or rough description, and forming as they do, from the nature of their contents and the size of their lots, a very unmerchantable description of produce, it is hardly a matter of surprise that they have proved most difficult of sale, as the more important buyers frequently pass over such parcels, and the competition for them being consequently confined to others, for whose requirements they are more than ample, an unsatisfactory result in a sensitive market naturally ensues. Many of the leading New Zealand brands continue to show the intrinsic deterioration noticed .in our early circulars, as compared with the same clips of the previous season, and on this account a comparison merely of prices for the purpose of showing the relative state of the market at the two periods would be somewhat deceptive. The heaviest differences will of course be noticeable in half-bred flocks (washed) where the reduction has proved the largest. On the other hand the best classes of combing merino, particularly these suited to the continental demand, show comparatively little variation. The sales it is now arranged will close on the 2nd proximo. Up to yesterday the quantities catalogued from the respective colonies were as follows: New South Wales and Queensland.. 43,522 bales Victoria 50,310 „ South Australia .. .. .. 13,255 „ Western Australia 762 „ Tasmania 10,917 „ New Zealand 78,317 ~ Cape of Good Hope .. .. .. 37,712 „ Total 234,795 bales Of this total the large proportion of about 20,700 bales has been withdrawn. Should any considerable part of these remain over, as appears probable, for realisation after the current series, they will, if not taken off by private demand, form an important addition to the arrivals for the November-December series. Up to this morning the following arrivals are recorded for the fourth series of the present year:— New South Wales and Queensland .. 14,141 bales ■ Victoria 3,791 ~ South Australia .. ~ .. 1,388 „ Tasmania .. .. .. .. 152 ~ New Zealatfd .. ' .. 6,658 ~ Cape of Good Hope 17,940 „ Total .. ~ .. 44,070 bales According to the agricultural statistics just issued by the Board of Trade, the number of sheep in the United Kingdom shows a reduction of 3 8 per cent, on that of 1874, and of o*9 per cent, on that of 1873, the figures being as under : (1873 20 427 635 Sheep in Great Britain at 25th June-I 1874, 30,313,941 (1876. 29,165,278 Tallow. —Under the influences detailed in our Circular issued for last San Francisco market the tallow market has shown great firmness, and a good business has been done at extreme rates, the advance established on both beef and mutton being 4s. to ss. per cwt., and with the present low stock and shortness of supplies coming forward, a further advance is not at all improbable. . Public sales have , comprised a total of 3961 casks Australasian offered, of which 3092 casks have been disposed of under the hammer at prices ranging from 38s. 6d. to 495. 6d. for mutton, and 38s. 6d. to 475. 9d. for beef Market quotations are as follow: P. Y. C. New .. .. .. 525. per cwt. Australian mutton, fine .. 495. to 495. 6d. „ Australian mutton, medium.. 48s. to 495. ~ Australian beef, fine .. .. 475. to 475. 9d. „ Australian beef, medium .. 465. to 475. „ Arrivals to 18th September, 3129 casks. Stock of all sorts on 20th inst., was 9953 casks. Shipments advised by the mails via Brindisi, delivered on 13th inst., 1321 casks. A telegram dated. 9th September, states that tlie exports from Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide for the previous month had been 1200 casks. New Zealand Hemp.—Of this import 97 bales were ered at public sale on Ist inst., of which only a small proportion was sold, at £2O to £22 ss. per ton, the remainder being bought in. At a subsequent sale held on 16th idem, 210 bales were brought forward and sold; medium dressed at£lo to £2O; good dressed at £2olos. to £22 per ton. Private sales are reported to the extent of 250 bales of medium quality at £l9 to £l9 10s. per ton. The demand has been very limited in sympathy with the market for manllla hemp, which has continued depressed with heavy arrivals. We append a statement of stocks, landings, and deliveries to 31st ultimo, and to the corresponding date of 1874: 1874. 1875. Tons. Tons. Stock on 31st August .. 2214 .. 1454 Landed January-August .. 1629 ~ 211 Delivered do .. 1282 .. 754 Landed during August. .. nil .. 3 Delivered do .. 184 .. 62