COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5428, 20 August 1878, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Tho following are the duties collected at the Custom* yesterday;— ' n. « .1 S’. m.

ISY TBLmRAPH. AUCKLAND .SHARE MARKET. / fsitOM own. OWN COKILI'KI’ONDr.NT. ) AUCKLAND, Monday. Jtr. Alexander Saunders reports:—Buyers : Colonial Rank, 5Hi; Bank of New Zealand, £2l; National Rank, 80s; New Zealand Insurance, 80s; South British Insurance, 70s ; National Insurance, 27s : Union Insurance, Ms ; Auckland Gas, 10s ; Loan and Mercantile (new issue), 07s Cd ; National Mortgage, 21s ; New Zealand Shipping, 85s.

(VKR riIKHH AOEXCY.) NELSON, Monday. Messrs. Sharp and Pickering report the sale of two acres, in which Mr. Walkin'* house, lately burnt down, stood, together with the ruins of the house, for .Cilifjo to the Bishop of Nelson.

TIMARU, Monday. Messrs. Jonas, Hart, and Wilkie report that last week's market was well supplied, fat cattle tranaac* tlons showing £9 10s to £lO 10a por head, equal to 30s por lOOlbs ; store cattle In fair demand: steers, two to three old, £G 5a to £7 lsa : one year to two years, ill 106 to £0; yearlings, £5 10s; milch cows in full profll, Tory saleable, £8 10b to £XI, At the sale of

skins, hides, and tallow there was a good attendance. Cross-bred skins fetched 5s 2d to Cs Id; medium do, 3s 9d to 4s 10d ; merino, medium, 3s 7d to Ss lOd ; hides, 18s Gd to 2ls Cd, equal to 4d per lb ; rough fat. Sd, 2d, and 2sd per lb; medium draught horses, £3B to £44 ; light, £23 to £36 ; hack* and light harness horses, £8 10s to £3O 10s. A parcel of 8 mares and geldings realised £33 to £63.

MELBOURNE AND TALLOW MARKET. Messrs. Goldsbrough and Co. in their monthly circular, dated Melbourne sth August, report as follows : Wool. —The quantity offering for sale this month has been very limited, and, as usual at this season of the year, transactions in wool have been few and unimportant, except so far as regards the commencement of purchases in this market for Japan. An experimental shipment of 100 bales of merino wool, as also 1000 sheep, has been made by the Japanese Commissioners, who have been sent here especially to report on Australian sheep, &c., and wo look upon this as the commencement of an important and rapidlyexpanding trade. The Japanese have shown such a quick appreciation and adoption of European customs and manufactures that wo have every reason to hope that they will promptly inaugurate the importation of machinery into Japan on an extensive scale for the production of goods for their own consumption. The commissioners expressed themselves ns being highly pleased with the Australian wool and sheep, and they were evidently fully aware of the great advantages to be derived from a direct trade between Japan and Australia. . The news of ft satisfactory settlement of the Eastern Question has caused shippers to look forward hopefully for higher rates for wool at the next series of London sales, as it Is expected that the certainty of peace will have a reassuring effect, and cause an improvement in trade. Our up-country advices are, on the whole, satisfactory; but more rain is wanted in the northern portions of New South Wales, and also in portions of this colony The season throughout a largo portion of the Riverine district continues exceptionally favorable, and a sp'eudid clip, both as regards strength of staple and growth, may be confidently expected. . The lambing, too, has been satisfactory; the percentage being above the average on many of the stations. Shearing operations have already commenced, and the first portion of Mr. Tyson's clip is now cn route to Melbourne. Exchange on London continues at par for drafts at sixty days' sight. Sfieei'skins.— We have disposed of a large supply of both green and dry skins during the month, and report satisfactory prices, the ton© of the market being kept firm throughout. The local fellmongers have taken the bulk of the supply disposed of at the following quotations Butchers’ green skins, 3s 6d to Cs (id each ; ditto dry skins, 2s 6d to 5s 3d each ; dry skins —lnferior to medium, 3d to 5d per lb; ditto, medium to superior, 5d to 6Jd per lb. Hides.— The market has been extremely depressed throughout the past month, the supply being moved with difficulty at quotations. This depression arises chiefly tlxrough the weak tone of the London leather market, and wo see little prospect of improvement, consequently the present quotations are likely to continue. The market has been bare, and the supply has almost entirely consisted of local produce, the low rates keeping back shipments from other colonies. We quote Ox hides, average sizes, 17s to 23s each ; cow hides, average sizes, 11s to 16s each ; Victorian salted, to 3jd per lb; Now Zealand salted, nominally to 4d per lb. Tallow.—We have sold 720 casks during the month, and the market has been very steady. A fair business has been done for shipment, but the bulk has been taken for local requirements. All offering can be readily placed at quotations—Mutton realised from £3l 15s to £33 per ton ; beef, £3o los to £32 do; mixed, £2O to £3l do. From July 31 to August 3,894 casks have been shipped from Melbourne to London.

£ s. d. Spirits .. m is j 1 Wine .. w 0 3 150 JO o I . 50 17 0 1 . 103 17 ‘3 Ale (bottled) . . 7 3 9 1

£ s. (I. Coffee .. .. 0 0 (5 Weight .. 27 7 2 Ad valorem . .. 17 11 0 Other duties .. 21 17 8 Total .. £033 12 0