COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 60, 18 October 1864, Page 4

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Tikes Office. Monday Evening. The revenue collected at the Custom-house for the past two days, for articles cleared for home consumption was as follows : — Saturday, £71 Is. Id., to-day, £150 Bs. 9d. ; in all, £221 9s. 10d., being duties levied as follows : — Brandy, 114 gals £63 15 0 Geneva, 10G gals G2 5 0 Wine, 72 „ 10 0 4 Beer (in bulk), 550 gats 18 15 0 Sugar, 7627 lbs 32 6 0 Coffee, 596 lbs 11 1 6 " Tobacco, 279 lbs 20 18 6 Drapery 5 4 0 Sundries 2 4 6 Total £221 9 10 During the past month, trade has been steadily improving, and it gratifies us to report that business, if quiet, is being conducted now on a steadier and more legitimate manner than was the case some few months ago. The forced auction sales are now, we may say, at an end ; any sales taking place being for the most part very trifling, and not likely to injure the market prices of commodities in the least degree. Stocks are still sufficient to moot the requirements of trade for some time to conic. Brandies remain without change in price. Scotch whiskey has suffered a slight decline. Ales have risen in price. Allsopp's No. 3 commands -JEIO per lihcl ; Joule's, a favorite brand in this market, is held by one firm at £10. Tobaccos have declined in price during the month. Barrat's twist is now offered at 4s. to 4s. 3d; Negrohead at 2s. to 35., and cavendish (£lbs.) at 2s. to 2s. 6d. In the article rice wo hays to report the market bare. Sugars remain, without alteration. The vessels expected from Melbourne are the Fanny and Leonidas, the latter of which brings another locomotive engine on Davies' patent for our northern line of. railway. In consequence of a continuance of the most favorable weather, trade with the interior has been steady during the month, the settlers being desirous to lay-in supplies while the roads are in good order. The trade with the diggings is improving with the advance of spring, and consignments Of goods on a large scale are finding tlieir way to the Lakes, the satisfactory accounts frefm which arc inducing an increase in population. From the Nokomai diggings, the intelligence is alike encouraging, and the continued development of that auriferous district, so near the borders of our own province, points to it as a market for our stocks to a large extent, which our merchants doubtless will take advantage of. To-day, the 18 th October, the Oreti Railway is to be officially, ope: ed, and in a few days more it will be pronounced ready for the conveyance of ; traffic and passengers between Invercargill . and the Makarewa, about eight miles. The advantages to be derived from this railway communication will, it is fully anticipated, speedily be recognized by the settlers in the interior, and an impulse, will be given to apiculture in all its branches, iwliich we fully believe is not yet even &*eamt of. THe

richest description, being wholly alluvial, and'i capable of growing crops of all kinds to per- j fection. " - i As going hand in hand with the increased ] settlement of the Province, we must mention the establishment of the Southland Grain Mills Company. The prospectus of this ' company is now before the public, and from the names of the gentlemen enrolled on the Provisional Committee, it is expected that the concern will be pushed forward with energy. The flour market has been agitated during the month, and dealers have been indisposed to buy more than sufficient for the every-day .requirements of trade. A sudden change in price, however, has within the past ten days been, effected in favor of holders, caused by an advance in the price of the Australian markets. Best Adelaide brands now command £32 per ton ; Chilian and Tasmanian, of which the market is . bare, may : be quoted at £26 to £28 10 a .; Californian is selling at £26 to £27. Oats, which are in pretty fair" demarid, fetch, wholesale, 4a. 3d. to ss. 6d. per bushel, for Colonial; Californian, at the forme* figure. Hay is selling at £6 to.£B.per ton. Chaff, at from £8 to £10. Bran, 2s. per busheL Potatoes have risen in price during the" month, and some holders will not part with first kinds below £13 per ton. £Since the above was in type, we have more recent intelligence; from the Australian Colonies, where flouris again suffering a decline in price.] . . , . '..--.. Property sales have exhibited an improvement on the former month's business, but remain still comparatively unimportant. Several extensive applications for rural land have been made afc the Waste Lands office during the month. The firm of Douglas, Alderson and Co., the well-known runholders, have applied for nearly fifty thousand acres, and Messrs. Fleming and Morton for seventeen thousand acres. There have been besides, a considerable number of applications for lands. on a smaller scale. This rush on the land has been caused by the raising of the price of Government lands from 20 s. to 40s. per acre, the new Waste Lstfcls Act making such; alterations being gazetted in Auckland on the 26th ultimo, and before which date the above applications had been lodged. In our Wholesale Prices Current will bo found a reliable statement of the prices ruling at presentin ouv markets.