COMMERCIAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 20 November 1880, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

AUCTIONEERS' REPORTS.

Mr. G. Greenfield reports that he submitted for sale several hacks and draught horses in the estate of A. \. Johns, at his repository yesterday. The attendance was good, but the bidding lacked spirit. Prices realised were a3 follow "—Chestnut hack, L 4 ss; bay do, L 5 5a ; bay foal, L 4 10s ; bay colt (draught), Lll. He also offered on account of other vendors Hacks, harness, &c. They sold at from L 7 10a to L3O; one or two not reaching the vendors' reserve wer& pasaetl, bat are still in the hands of Mr. Greenfield for sale privately. Mr. G. Greenfield reports that he held a sale of cheese, furniture, property, &c., at his mart to-day. The attendance of buyers was only moderate, and the biddings limited. The Peebles property has been postponed till next Saturday, and the lease of section 24, block 14, did not find a purchaser, no offer being made for it. Furniture brought fair prices, and the whole of the cheese was cleared at 5-£ d per lb.

AUCKLAND. (by telegraph.) November 19. The tone of business is without alteration, being quiet and steady. In the share market transactions have not been numerous. A parcel of New Zealand Accident Insurance shares wa3 disposed of this morning at 2s 6d per share. There is little or no change in the prodnce market. Oats are plentiful, but tirst-class samples are still worth 2a 2d. Maize is not over plentiful, but the demand has diminished through the greater use of green feed and oats. Coast maize cannot be landed under3s Id to 3s 2d, and is limited in supply ; small parcels have sold at 3s 3d. Fiji is fairly stocked, and rules at 2s 6d to 2s Sd. Picked potatoes are worth L2 10s, but new potatoes are rapidly superseding the old.

CHRISTCHURCH GRAIN AND PRODUCE REPORT. (From the Canterbury Times.) Since the resumption of business after the recent holiday season there has not been much doing in the grain market. There are a few orders seeking execution, but the prevailing tone is one of quietness. Wheat. —The value of this cereal has not altered in any degree. Fine milling finds buyers at 4s 3d to 4s sd, and for certain lands a Blight advance on these rates is obtainable. Samples of inferior grades find ready sale at 3s 6d to 3s lOd, at which prices several lota have changed hands. Chick wheat has been sold at Is 6d to —s 6d, according to the quality. Oats. —Not much has transpired lately, the tone of the market continuing extremely quiet. Values stand at Is 6d to Is Sd for best milling, and Is 3d to Is 5d for good feed. Buyers, however, are indifferent. Barley presents almost the same features. Best samples command up to 3s 6d; fair malting has been sold at 2s 6d to 2s lOd; and feed parcels at 13 6d to Is 9d. Floor is in fair enquiry at LlO 10s to Lll. Grass Seed.—We have nothing to report in connection with rye grass, the demand having almost ceased for the present. Until the new seed comes in little business may be looked forward to beyond the filling of a few unimportant orders. Dairy Produce.—Butter, 5Jd to Sgd; cheese, 4d to 4id; ham 3 and bacon are easier. ENGLISH COMMERCIAL. Messrs. Miles, Bros, and Co. report, tinder date London, October 7, as follows: WOOL. Since the close of the last sales on the 25th ult., very little business has taken place privately in our wool market, the sales having been confined to a few bought-in lots, which have been disposed of at about the rate 3 current at the close of the sales. A fair amount of business is doing in our manufacturing districts, and trade in Germany is also active. There have been some inquiries from America for wools, but principally of the lower grades. The new arrivals for November comprise : Bales. New South Wales and Queensland 5,029 Victoria 6,257 South Australia 1,151 Tasmania ... 144 Western Australia 200 New Zealand 9,757 Cape ... ... ... 23,759 Total 46,297 WHEAT A>"D JTOCR.

With more limited supplies, and a continuance of the storms which have done considerable damage to the grain not harvested, our market has still further hardened, and New Zealands have improved to the extent of 2s to 3s per quarter from the lowest point; but it seem 3 doubtful whether prices will remain firm, for our farmers will no doubt soon be pushing their wheat on the market, and neavy shipments are likely to be made from America. The Continentaldemandcontinues. Russia, as well as France, i 3 purchasing, and we hear that Germany will soon come into the market. We quote, ex granary South Australian, 49s to 50s: \ ictorian, 4Ss 6d to 49a 6d ; New Zealand, long berried, 4Ss to 51s, average, 45s to 475, and inferior, 40s to 44a per 49t>lbs. Australian flour' 33s to 345; New Zealand, 30s to 33s per 2Solbs. oat 3. 26a to 35s per imperial quarter.

TALLOW A>"l> HIDES. The tallow market has fluctuated considerably, though on the whole prices have gone in favor of"buyers ; the value to-day of good to fine mutton being 34s to 35s 6d, and fair to fine beef 323 to 32s 6d. The stock in importers''hands is about 11,800 casks. There Lave been no sales of hides since our last. PRESERVE O HEATS.

A fair demand continues for all tinned meats. Boiled beef is low in price, and the considerable imports of compressed beef prevent any increase of the value of that article. The value of preserved meata imported daring the first eight months of the year is ■tatea at L 1,217,208, as against L 1,097,100 for the same period of 1579- The market for fresh meat ha 3 been completely paralysed, the ruling prices for everything being of a most Tinrmn.ql character, and some heavy losses have been made.