COMMERCIAL.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 273, 19 May 1875, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Bryant & Co. report having held Auction sales on the Bth and 15th. The former consisted of general merchandise at their rooms in Gladstone road, which was well attended, and fair prices obtained. The latter consisted of horses, at the Masonic yards, at which a good number of harks changed hands prices varying from £3 to £l3 Auckland, May 18. Maize is selling at 5s 61 per bushel. From the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company's circular of the 9th March, we clip the following :— Wool.—The first series of sales of Colonial Wool for 1875 commenced on the 23rd ultimo. About 14,000 bales, namely, 2000 Australian and 12,000 Cape, have been forwarded direct to the Continent, Yorkshire, and the United States. The sales opened with a good attendance of both home and foreign buyers, but the uncertainty which prevailed as to the probable course of prices caused considerable caution to be observed on the part of purchasers, and in the opening catalogue the large preponderance of Victorian greasy Wool resulted in the establishment of a rather heavy decline on that description, prices showing a fall of fully Ifd. per lb. as compared wrh those realised at the earlier auctions in the first series of 1874, while South Australian showed a reduction of |d to Id per lb. A better spirit has, however, since been evinced, and with rather freer competition on the part of French buyers, quotations for most descriptions have improved, particularly those for Victorian greasy wool, which have recovered Id per lb. of the depression whie i marked the prices obtained on the first night of the series. Scoured parcels rule fully up to the average of November —December rates, or rather dearer than at the close of those auctions. Lambs’ Wool is in very good demand, at full prices, and cross-broils, both greasy and washed, though lower, do not show a variation of more than fd to Id per lb. The greatest heaviness is perhaps to be observed in New South Wales medium fleece wooL Quantities offered to Bth March :— New South Wales and Queensland 10,314 Bales. Victoria 47,402 „ South Australia .. 20,518 „ Western Australia . 227 „ Tasmania 151 „ New Zealand 3,325 „ Cape of Good Hope 21,073 „ Total 103,010 Bales. The following are the arrivals for the next series of sales, which may be expected to commence about the middle of May New South Wales and Queensland 6,634 Bales. Victoria 8,111 „ South Australia 4,664 New Zealand 2,492 ” Cape of Good Hope 9,024 M Total 30,925 Bales. Corn —Ths total quantity of Wheat known to be on passage to the United Kingdom is 1,619,U00 quarters, exclusive of what may be on the way from the Baltic and near Continental ports. Severe weather during the past fortnight has somewhat interfered with the sowi ig of spring corn, but as far as can at present be ascertained, no injury has been done to tie young wheat plant. In the absence o Adelaide wheal we quote as follows : — New Nealand Wh at 45/ @ 48/ per 496 lbs Australian Flour ... 28/ „ 30/ per 289 lbs New Zealand „ ... 26 1 „ 29/ per „ lb? New Zealand Hemp.—A large falling off

in the consumption of this fibre has taken pla •(• since the heavy decline in the value of Manila hemp to £29, buyers preferring to use the latter almost exclusively, to the neglect of the New Zealand production.