COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 241, 13 April 1866, Page 2

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times Oitice. Thursday, 12th April. There is little change in the the market to report. The past week has scarcely been a3 brisk as the three or four preceding ones ; still a steady trade has been done. The demand for the country has been small : first-class Adelaide flour may be quoted'at £25 ; Chilian, £23. Oat 3 are scarce, but no great change has taken place, the price being still about 4s 6d per bushel, and bran 3s. Maize is enquired for, but very little in the market. Butter keeps up, and is scarce. Sugars run high ; best white, £60 ; second, white, £58 ; third counters, £56. Farm produce is scarce, owing to the farmers from the recent rains being prevented from'carrying on the work of thrashing out. In wines,"beers, and spirits, there has been ■ little or no change ; the market is steady, and stocks light. The following are the Customs Returns lor

Messrs. C. A/ Ross and Co. report sale of cattle and hqrtes at Pellin'g's yards, Wallacetown, on 10th inst., at which the attendance was good, and bidding spirited. Milch cows, in calf and with calves at foot, realizing £10 to £15 ; heifers, two to three years' old, £9 to £10 10 ; steers, (yearlings), £7 ; do, two years old, £10 10 to £11 ; colts (saddle) unbroken, £10 to £12 ; draught horse (good), in demand, but few offering : Des mand increasing.

♦ We extract the following commercial report from the HokitiJca Leader 31st March. The rush to the new Southern goldfield at tha Blue River, has caused an active demand for goods for the supply of that market, and considerable animation in trade has prevailed in consequence, the new field being entirely without supplies. The effect has been increased firmness in prices, and an indisposition to quit stocks in hand, except at full, and indeed somewhat advanced rates. As the market, however, continues well fed by imports, orders are met without difficulty. Several large parcels of goods have changed" hands at auction at prices remunerative to importers, and io long as the present steadiness of supply continues, the same healthy condition of trade is likely to prevail. Prices in all descriptions of good 3 "remain unaltered from our last quotations. ■ ■ - Jones, M'Grlashan and Co. report thiß marke a3 furnished throughout the past month with th following supply :— Fat cattle, 580 ; calves, 7 sheep, 1760 ,- lamts, .30 ; and pigs, 100. A rather novel importation also reached us this month in the shape of 300 goats. In a previous report we gave our estimates of the actual consumption o the several descriptions of stock for which a de mand exists, basing our calculations on the popu lation residing on the sev-sral fields within a radiu of thirty miles. The supply throughout has been quite up to requirements, and its apparent inexhaustibility — of itself so utterly contradictory of all we have been led to believe — induces our arriving at the very natural conclusion that no material alteration in prices, or the actual value of stock generally,, is likely to occur during the next two or three months. With regard to sheep however, we cannot blink the fact that, with the first winter's snow, the " Kakaia" route will be • completely stopped. Thus most variable prices for mutton must necessarily exist throughout the winter. With respect to beef and pork, if there be "no considerable addition to the population of Westland, and the supply can be maintained, existing prices may be regarded as their actual value. ' We have sold through our yard altogether 190 head of cattle, 580 sheep, and 10 lambs. Fat Cattle — 500 head have been introduced and disposed of, of which we sold Mr O'Connor's 20 head at £19 10s per head, Messrs Ferguson and Brook's 60 head at £24, Mr C Mullin's 60 head also at £24, and Mr C Russell's 50 head at £24 10s. We quote prime quality as worth £3 6s 8d to £3 10 lOd per lOOlbs, with every prospect of such prices prevailing for some time. ' Calves — 7 only were brought forward, but none were submitted for sale. We quote prime veal as worth fully Is per tb. Fat Sheep.— l76o brought forward and all sold the principal portion arrived overland. We sold one Very choice lot ex Wonga Wonga, from Nelson, ewes, wedders, and lambs, at an average " of 455. all round. The quality of the overland sheep having been a great improvement on the previous month, better prices were procurable. We quote : — First quality (ewes or wedders) at \ 40s to 50s according to weight. Second quality, 25s to 335. Lambs.— Very scarce, the season being almost too far advanced. Real prime, worth from 35s to 40s. Pigs. — 100 only introduced throughout the month, barely up to requirements, and having gone into the hands of a firm (butchers), little alteration exists with regard to price from the lgst month's quotations. Horeea.-rlfo tran^otioas vrorib, sectpfog,

Wednesday, Apbil 11. Tobacco, 596 lbs £74 10 0 Machinery ... ... 29 5 0 Sundries ... ... 12 0 Sugar, 6230 lbs 25 19 2 Geneva, 32 gals 19 2 6 Total ... £149 IS 8 Thubsday, Apbil 12. Beer, 160 gals £12 0 0 Wine, 55 gallons 11 0 0 Brandy, 76 gallons ... 46 15 Whisky, 70 gallons ... 21 12 0 Total ... £90 13 5