COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5522, 7 December 1878, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Tho following are the duties collected at the Cos* toms yesterday;—

Alv ft v O w ( • * tf The Customs duties received at tills port for tho week ending December 6, 1878, were as under

The Import trade cont nues to be dull, and'un* marked by any great changes in quotations, business being strictly limited to the supply of local wants and small country orders. The reductions contained in the new tariff, which comes into operation on January 1. necessarily checks the dealings in teas and sugars, and tho trade restrict their purchases within tho smallest possible bounds. In spirits and wines there Isidore activity noticeable, but prices remain steady, and without fluctuation. Kerosene is lower in slock than usual, and Diamond brand, with guarantee above the flashing point test, is worth 2s 2d per gallon; Light of t>>e Age, 2i id to 2s Cd. Several shipments are on tho way from New York, In colonial produce butter In kegs is somewhat but in little demand ; holders quote B<l to BJd per lb for guaranteed quality, but no transactions to any extent have coin© under our notice. Wo expect prices will go down until the dry weather sets in, when the supply of fresh bmter begins to fall off. Canterbury cheese is rather scarce, and good quality Is worth 7sd to Bd, with an upward tendency. Bacon and hams (cloth-racked) are in good demand; stocks In the dealers* hands being light. Wo quote ££d to Pd per lb as present value Flour.—Southern flour continues low in price, this market being full, and judging from quotations In Oamaru and Canterbury we hardly can look for improvement, for some time to come. Best brands are selling at £lO to £lolos per ton. Grain —<>ats are easier, large supplies having been received from the South, and best milling sorts are now quoted at 4s id to 4i Cd per bushel; ordinary feed, oats* 4s 2d to 4s 3d. Maize Is in moderate demand, at 4s Pd to 5s per bushel; fowls’ feed. 4s; bran (overstocked), Is to Is Id per bushel; pollard, £0 15s to £7 per ton. Full supply, and difficult of sale. ■

Potatoes.—No old potatoes in tho market; new crop is worth f'ora £lO to £l2 per ton, according to quality and condition. Tho export trade, says tho “Wellington Monthly Pree-Curront," is somewhat backward this season as compared with last year, as tho first cargo of tho season has not been got away. By next mall, however, we expect to be able to report the despatch of two ships, with fall loads of wool and general cargo, for London. In Imports business has, on tho whole, been very sluggish during tho past month. The effects of the crisis resulting from tho City of Glasgow Bank failures, combined with tho compell* tion for deposits among certain Australian and New Zealand banks,, have caused considerable stringency in ou” money market, which lias had its effect upon trade generally. The weather for some months past has, throughout New Zealand, been of almost unprecedented severity, and continues so extremely variable as to cause great injury in certain branches. We hear that engagements have, in some branches, not been so well met aa usual, but, on the whole, we believe trade is in a sound state. Another cause of dullness is that, in preparation for the reduction of Customs duties on tea and sugar, and the total remission on a largo number of other articles, which will como into force on the Ist of January, dealers are only buying in these goods from hand to mouth, and trying to work out of present stocks before tho change takes effect. We trust that in a few months' time we may seo theso various causes of depression pass away, and a more healthy state of things Wlstlng. , ,

BY THLEQHAPE. AUCKLAND SHARK MARKET, (prom our own correspondent.) AUCKLAND. Friday. Mr. Alexander Saunders reports:—Sales; Bank ofNow Zealand, £23 6s; Thames Gas, 27 6da; Royal Oak, 7s. Sellers; New Zealand Insurance, 82s; South British, 575; National, 27a; Loan and Mercantile, £5 17s 6d; Guthrie, 90s; Albnrnia, 20s ; Kurunul Hal, 6s; Beauty, 4s.

(per press aobnoy). AUCKLAND, Friday. Mr. Q. W. Binney reports Floor has again come forward in large quantities from the South, also a cargo from Adelaide. Prices lower, £lO to £ll for Southern ; Adelaide, £l6; pollard, always dull of Bale this season, very little inquired for at £6 5s to £slos; bran, £5 10 to £6; oats in fair request at 4s od to 4s 9d; maize scarce, at 6s 3d to 6s 6d: oatmeal, moderate demand at £22 ; Pearl barley, £23 to £24; cheese market bare, Canterbury. 7id; local, Cd to pjd; bams and bacon plentiful; cloth. 8d to Bjd; ditto, bare, 7d to7Jd; new potatoes, good quality, at £8 to £9. INVERCARGILL, Friday. Business improving; tho tone of tho market Is better. Wheat, 4s; best samples to 4s 6d. ordinary market supplied; bran. £5; pollard, £5 10s; oats, scarce, 4s; feed, 4s 6d; milling chaff, £7 to £7 10s; oatmeal, £lO to £2O; potatoes, £7 10s old; new, £lO. CHRISTCHURCH, Friday. Wheat still keeps at 4s to 4s Cd; flour, £lO to £11; feed oats, 4s 3d; hams and bacon, Bsd; butter, 9d to lOd. DUNEDIN, Friday, Business has during tho Dst few days greatly improved. Kerosene is active, clearances from bond larger than usual; prices firmer. Is 3d refused for large parcels of Devoo's brilliant; Hennessy's firmer, scarce; bulk, 9s Od to 10s 3d ; case. 335, or for large parcels. 32s Od: sugars more active, transactions in snowdrops £35 .10s to £36: first whites, £35 to £35 10s; yellows, £32 to £33 ; tea dull, pending a reduction in tho duty ; new season’s cunants oro active at sd; Valencias, 6d; English hops are selling freely at Is 9d to la lid, small supply; English bulk ale in good demand; bottled, some lines scarce; sales Tennant’s, 11s; Bass, by Foster, 10s; stout, full supply, small demand; wheat scarce in millers* hands, 3a lOd to 4s; superior sample, 4s 3d, fair stocks in farmers’ hands, no appearance of a rise, crops promise well; flour dull, £9 10s., SYDNEY, Friday. New Zealand wheat, 4s 6d per bushel; oats, 4s 9d; candles, Od. Other quotations unaltered. J. M. TAYLOR’S SHARE REPOTIT. Wellington, December 6. 18T8.

The share market continues inactive, with no transactions to report, and quotations remain at last week’s rates, with a downward tendency. There are buyers of Colonial Bank at 51s, but holders seem indisposed to accept this low rate, and we hear of no sales. Generally, all bank and insurance shares are drooping.

X 8. d. £ 8 rt. Spirits „ , * 188 17 3 Weight .. 20 0 0 Wide • .. 23 3 3 Art valorem .. 6 6 0 Tobacco 02 7 G Other duties . 29 10 0 Tea ! .. 20 ID 0 Sugar • .. 23 9 6 — Ale (bottle!) ,. 5 8 0 Total .£400 X 3

£ s. (I. £ a. a. .. 712 G G Goods by Cigars .. ,. 92 13 G weight .. 155 5 6 Tobacco e. SCO 12 6 Ad valorem .. 244 9 Wine .. - 118 10 1 Other duties .. 64 13 7 "Beer ,. 85 0 3 Light dues, shipTea .. „ 29 0 0 ping, &c. .. 77 2 1 27 18 a Sugar .. ..511 18 •i £2479 14 0

Company, Capital. 1 a O. il < a | Quotations T3 TJ ;g £ £ £ £ 7. Bank of New Zealand 725,000 10 10 15 1.500,000 uii 1.000.00C 3} •2.000,000 7 New Zealand Insurance Co. 1,000.000 10 36/ 15 1,000.000 15 1,000,000 10/ 26/ 1.000.000 16/ 2.000,000 20 12/6 15/ 1,000,000 10 6/ 6/ New Zealand L. and 31. A.. 2,000,000 15 New Zealand Shipping 100.000 5 □ H*»y 'Wellington Trust and Loan 200.000 5 6J Bo. (2nd issue) .. 30,000 Wellington Gas .. 30,000 10 350/ 15 20.000 Wellington Public Hall .. 9.000 30 30/ 35/ 10 Te Aro Theatre 10.000 10 il/ West Wanganui Coal 50,000 5 ~