COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5147, 21 September 1877, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

The following are the duties collected at the Customs yesterday

Too import trade during the past month has been dal er than usual, but there is nevertheless a large and increasing amount of business doing, and if one may judg from the vast amount of improvements going •n in every part of the city, there can be little reason lor doubting the steady progress that is being made.

There is a general complaint of heavy stocks and.in* adequate profits, while everyone appears to be prospering, and judging from the comparative regularity with which payments are met, business may be considered fairly healthy. The news of the sad loss of the Avalanche on her outward passage to this port cast a gloom over the community, and the fire onLambtonquay contributed to the general dulness that has prevailed during the month. Our foreign arrivals have been limited to one English ship, the Qrari, 1011 tons, which came into port on the 12th Inst., and the Elsinore, 688 tons, from New York, on August 29; both with cargoes for this place., The Glenlyon sailed on September 4th for Valparaiso; East Lothian on September sth for Newcastle, N.S.W.; the Prlraera on September 9th for London; arid the Taranaki on September 16th for Astoria. The Primera’s cargo consisted of the following:—lo34 bales wool, value £15,385; 280 bales skins, 1150 pkgs tallow, 268 bricks spelter, 13 bales * leather, 129 hides, and sundry packages, value £15,504; total value of cargo. £31,889. The vessels expected from Loudon are the Zealandia, 1116 tons, sailed June 4 ; St. Leonards. 1053 tons; Wairoa. 1116 tons; Schiehalllon, 602 tons; the May from Foochow, and the Silas Fish and Herbert Black from New York. . . The San Francisco mail was delivered on September 11th, and the Suez mail on September 20th. Rates of freight .’to London. —Grease wool, jid per lb.; washed do, g-d per lb.; tallow, in cases, 60s; in casks, 70s; and hides, 55s per ton. Bank Rates- Exchange for bills on London, on demand, 2tpercent.premium; at3odays,lf percent, do; at 60 days, It per cent, do; at 90 days, t P® r cent. do. The banks’buying rates are—For’bills at 90 days, % discount; 60 days, t discount; .30 days. par. Discount on local bills, under 95- days, 7 per cent. ; under 125 days, 8 per cent.; over 125 days, 9 per cent. Interest is allowed on deposits lodged lor 3 months, 4£ per cent.; for 6 months, 5 per cent.; for 12months, 6j;per cent. , „ Ale and Porter (duty paid, bottled Is 3d per gallon,, bulk la per gallon),—Full stocks of bottled ales and stouts, with moderate trade doing duiuig_the past month. Prices, however, continue low, and sales or any lines cannot be effected except at a considerable reduction on holders’ quotations. Best brands are held for 10s 6d to lls for ales; Us to Us 3d per dozen for stouts: outside brands are comparatively unsaleable. Bulk English ale is In moderate supply at £9 15s for AlJsops’, £9 10s for Younger’s. Bags and Woolpacks (duty, 10 per cent.)—Cornsacks are in little demand. Woolpacks, *s the season for their use approaches, are coming into notice, and stocks are found to be lighter than usual, owing to the non-receipt of shipments per Queen Bee and the loss of the Avalanche. We quote 3s Od to 4s for Blb packs, and 4s 3d to 4s 6d for 101 b packs. Candles (duty, Id ier lb.)—Sperm candles are somewhat easier than last month’s rates, with ample stocks in dealers’hands. Price’s make is quoted at XOid to lojd per lb; foreign, lOd per lb. Cement (duty. Is per barrel).—The bulk of the stock of Portland cement on hand, as well as the shipments on the way, have been secured by the contractors for the tunnel through the Rimutaka. now in course of formation, and there is consequently none in the market. Sales have been made at 17s 3d to 17s 6d per barrel. ‘ Confectionery (duty, 2d per lb.)—Keiller a and Wotherspoon’s makes are quoted at 10jd per lb; but there is little inquiry for the English manufacture, the local make taking its place. Flour (duty, 20s per ton).—Adelaide flour is a shade lower, owing to large stocks of Southern brands having been received; and we cannot quote best brands higher than £22 10s per ton, with only a moderate demand. Fruits (duty, Id per lb.)—Currants, and in fact all descriptions of dried fruits, are still heavily stocked, and prices show a slight decline. Currants are quoted at4£dto4£d per lb. Eleme raisins, 6d to 6id; sultanas, 6fd to 7d; muscatels. Is to Is 2d; and dried apples, 6d per lb. , , , _ . Hops (duty. Id per lb.)—No Kent hops In first hands. Full stocks of colonial growth, which are dull of sale at Is 6d to Is 7d per lb. . f Malt (duty. Is 6d per bushel),— English malt is worth 10s Gd to lls per bushel, but as there is very little now imported, these quotations are quite supposititious. Marlborough malt is worth 8s to 8s 6d per bushel, Metals (duty, 10 per cent.)-Galvanised corrugated iron has been in fair demand, and there is every appearance of the demand being well sustained, as buildings are going up in every part of the town. We report sales of Gospel Oak and Morewoods brands at £2Blos for 26 guage, and £3O for 28 guage, and of Braby’s Sun brand, at £2B to £3l per ton for 20 guage, and £27 for 24 guage, the quality of the latter brand meeting with much favor from builders. Fencing wire is in moderate demand at £l7 to £lB per ton for Nos. 6.7, and 8, which are now chiefly used. Stocks moderately large. Sheet zinc is worth £37 10s to £3B per ton. Sheet; lead, £27 to £2B per,ton. • Oils (duty, 6d per gallon).—The arrival of the Elsinore, with 1500’ cases, has supplied the market with kerosene for a time, and as the demand has'slackened ; with the season, prices are easier. "We quote 2s to 2s Id for Devoe and Diamond brands. The Silas Fish with 2000 cases, and the Herbert Black with 1200 cases from New York for this port, are-just due. In paint oils there isi a good business doing at 4s 4d for raw and 4s 6d to 4s 7d per gallon for boiled linseed in drums. Bulk oils 3d per gallon lower. Castor is dull at 5s 2d to 5s 4d; colza, 5s to 6s 2d; American turps, 3s 9d per gallon* Oilmen’s stores (duty, ’lO per cent.) —Stocks are becoming lighter, but are still greatly in excess, and beyond the current wants of the retail trade, there is little doing in this department. Salt (free).—Low stocks. Fine is quoted at 120 s ; coarse, 100 s per ton. Spirits (duty, 12s per gallon)—We report no change from last month’s rates, with only a moderate trade doing, there being a total absence of • speculation. Brandies in bulk remain at 9s 3d to 9s 6d per gallon for Hennessy’s and Martell’s; case do, 31s 6d. Rum, 3s 3d to 3s 6d for 10 per cent, over proof; 3s lOd tQ 4s Id for 30 per cent, over proof. Irish whisky (DunviJle’s), ss’6d to 6s 9d per gallon for quarters; 17s 6d to 18s 6d per dozen for case. Lome and Rob Roy whisky, 18s 6d to 19s 6d per dozen. Other brands of Scotch range from 4s to 6s 6d per gallon. Case geneva, 14s Cd to 17s 6d. Burnett’s old tom, 12s to 13s per gallon. . < Sugar (duty. Id per lb). -Sugars are in fair supply, with little variation from former rates. The Sydney Sugar Company’s IC is worth £46, 0 £43, and Y £4O per ton. Crushed loaf is in better demand at £53 to £54 per ton for English ; foreign, £sl to £52 per ton., Tea (duty, Id per lb).—The Ringirooma brought a small shipment of the new season's teas, which have been taken by the trade at fair rates ; and the May. which is advised as having left Foochow on 11th July with 11,000 packages for this market—samples of which are in the importers’ hands—must be now due. Stocks of old teas are becoming much lighter, and 1 prices are consequently likely to be in favor of importers. Tobacco (duty, 2s Cd per lb).—Usual trade done in , best brands. Black Swan is quoted at Is 6£d ; Yenus, tens, Is sd. Cigars (duty, 6s per lb).—Moderate business doing at fair rates. Swiss cigars have advanced in vslue. ■Wine (duty, 4s per gallon).—Fair trade in medium ports and sherries. • COLONIAL PRODUCE. , Butter.—The trade In cured butter continues dull, and stocks In dealers’ hands are large, with no apparent prospect of any improved demand for the outports. crime butter in kegs cannot obtain above 7d to 8d per lb. Cheese,—Overstocked and difficult to place at Bd. Hams and Bacon.—Market glutted with Southern cure at 7£d to 9d per lb. •Flour.—Full stocks of Canterbury and Oamaru mills, with indications of- lower rates being quoted. Sales of Canterbury at £l6 15s, but holders quote £l7 to £l7los for sacks in bakers' lots. Grain,—Oats have remained unaltered in value during the month, and former rates have been obtained for trade lots, but within the laafTfew days prices have receded, and we report sales of prime quality oats at 3s 10d per bushel for 150 Q sacks. .Potatoes. —Large stocks. Sales at 50s to 60s per ton. Timber.—Heavy stocks of sawn timber, but owing to the increased demand we report no change in value from last month. Red pine boards and scantling are quoted at lls to 12s ; totara, 15s to 17s; kauri, 15s to 17s per 100 ft., in builders’ lots.

BY TELEGRAPH. (from obr own correspondent.) AUCKLAND, Thursday. Mr. Alexander Saunders reports Sales: Loan and Mercantile, £5 ss; Alburnla, £5 Bs ; Beach, 25s ; Kurunui, 19s 6d. Buyers ; Bank of New Zealand. £2l 12s ; Colonial Bank, 44s Od; Harbor View, Bs. Sellers: Bank of New Zealand, £22 ; National Bank; 695; South British (new), 775; New Zealand Insurance, 97s Cd ; Moanatairi, £8; Plako, IBs 3d.

£ s, d. £ K,‘ d Spirits .. 127 8 3 Ale (bottled) 11 « .3 Wine .. ... 22 5 8 Weight 17 6 7 Tobacco .. 70.15 0 Ad valorem 157 15 4 Tea .. .. 24 18 0 Coifce.. 0 6 6 Sugar.. .. 28 18 8 Total .. £4V0 10 8