COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 544, 20 August 1866, Page 4

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times Office, Friday Evening. Our business for the past month has not improved, By the arrival of the Mary Ann and Hindoo, the market has been supplied with many articles that were scarce. Flour is rather lower, and may be quoted firm, at £20 for best Adelaide. We have heard of a sale at £20 ss. Oats are a<rain getting scarce, a good sample would meet with ready sale at 5s per bushel. Colonial Oatmeal, £35 per ton. Hams and Bacon still continue scarce, Sinclair's and other good brands are worth Is 8d per lb, good colonial, Is 4d, prime butter is scarce, good Wellington is worth 28 3d per lb, New Cork, none in the market. There is little doing in horse-feed. Hay first quality £5 10s per ton, chaff £7 10s. Wines and spirits meet with fair demand. Hennessy's and Martel's brandy are worth 9 s to 9s 6d per gallon. Whisky, 4 s to 4s 6d per gallon. -Bum, 10 o.p. 4s ; geneva, J.D.K Z., 14s per case. Best brands of case brandy (saleable) 28s per case. Bottled ale aud porter i 9 yery scarce ; mixed lots are worth 14s per dozen. Porter, 15s per dozen. Bulk ale is in better supply. Joul's, Bass's Marrion's, and other good brands are saleable at £10 to £11 per hhd. Teas and sugar meets with fair demand, good teas being rather scarce at 2s 8d to 2s lOd per lb. Sugar, No. 1 Company's £60 ; good counters, £45 to £57 10s per ton. Oilmen's stores are saleable at 30 per cent on invoice, many articles being scarce. Colonial soap, £45 per ton. Dried fruits are also scarce ; dried apples at 8d per lb. Eaisins. 9d. ; enrrants, 9d per lb.

We are in receipt of Otago paper 3to the 4th August. We extract the following items of commercial intelligence from the " Daily Times," of that date : — Transactions have been rather more numerous, but still the general tone of business is quiet, and no branch of trade remains unaffected by the pre* sent dull 'season. In the flour market more is doing in provincial than in imported, the sales of the latter have been light, but prices have been maintained. Teas have been asked for, and some pai'cels of fair and good rongous quitted at slightly improved figures ; for suitable qualities for this market, holders are now seeking an , advance. Some parcels of common congous have also been placed for shipment. There is nothing to note in sugars; the stock is becoming very small, and full prices are obtained for the small parcels placed. Provisions are at a standstill for the present, the market being affected by the number of parcels which are comiug to hand in a damaged state". Sales of one or more considerable shipments of bulk ales have taken place ; the market for bottled malt liquors is dull, and will probably not be active until the season is further advanced. The spirit market is again showing more life ; sales of Martelt's pale brandies are reported at about recent quotations Whiskies are in enquiry, at full rates. By the arrival of the Queen, we are in receipt of our Dunedin files to the 13th August. We extract the following commercial article, from the " Daily Times" of that date : — During the week just closed the import market has been quiet, and there has not been much business done, except in the execution of country orders and despatch of goods coastwise. Breadstuffs remain quiet ; no large transactions have taken place in imported flour, and for small sales for current requirements unaltered prices have ruled. .Provisions have been sold by auction, but privately there has been very little disposition to operate. By the hammer, prices nearly equivalent to Is 4d for bacon and hams have been taken, and the market value may be considered as about that reduced -figure. Batter and cheese are in rather better supply, the former worth 2s 3d for Colonial; the latter, is 5d tor English, and Is 2d for Colonial. A small business stil continues to be done in sugars at sustained prices, the stock in bond is trifling, although some accessions have been made by shipments from Melbourne. A brisker trade has been done in teas, both for home consumption and for export. The market has been relieved of some considerable parcels of low congous, for which there being a light demand, prices had not improved in a corresponding ratio to better teas, or to the same qualities in the Melbourne market, where the shipments referred to have been sent. There has been nothing to notice in malt liquors or spirits, transactions not exceeding small parcels for current wants. The building iron and timber market is active and i ates firm. The Canterbury Press, of the 6th inst., says : — The arrival of the Talbot, from London, will hare the effect of replenishing stock of several articles which were becon ing very bare, and also easing prices in some things which have naturally risen in value of late from scarcity of . stocks. Saturday last, the fourth of the month, : passed over quietly, and bills were generally well met. A scarcity of money, however, still exists, and no speculative tendency has, as a matter of course, been exhibited, although such articles as sugars are looked forward to as subject to a further advance. Coals are verr bare ; the Cantero and G-olden Age have arrived from with;* 90s_> tons, and the King, of Italy is also daily ex- 4 pected with another consignment. Mour stands at*£l6perton for first quality; second do, £14 10s. Bran and sharps maintain the rise of the previous week, with ready sale at those prices. Wheat is steady at 5s to 5s 6d per bushel for milling purposes ; clear Talavera. for seed, 6s 6d • 7s 6d, according to sample. Oats are in fair demand at 6s ; fine seed oats command 7s 6d. Barley is enquired for also for seed purposes, and 8a is given for best colonial ; a sample of imported Chevalier is in the market at 12s 6d. No quantity of peas are in the market ; small lots are readily quitted at 7s 6d. Beans are also scarce afc the same price. At Mr W. Wilson's cattle sale on Saturday a good mob was offered, and readily quitted at late high prices. One milch cow of fair quality was sold for £21, and others for little less. Storei ranged from £9 to £12, and every lot effered wa« cleared. Hokitika: — The "Leader" of August 3 reports : > In consequence of the paucity of arrival* during the past ten days, the markets have been unusually bare of leading articles, and prices have displayed a dcci led upward tendency. This has been especially the case with oats, bran, and colonial produce generally, and with wines and spirits of good brands. As trading transactions have, however, ceased altogether to be of a speculative character, and as the present dearth of stocks is expected to be only temporary, pending expected arrivals, the eif ct has not gone beyond, rendering rates firm at a slight advance, and no ditHcuty has been experienced in executing such orders as have to come to hand during the week. It -would be of littlo use to quote ruling prices, as doubtless during the • next few days the markets will be ab und>mtly supplied by arrivals of produce, now on their way from the neighboring colonies.

r/,e following items of Auckland commercia • terrene* wAake from the "News of tin 'SvoUf 'the Hth July:— Vi,,Tvi- Venus arrived from Huh on Safurdaj „, ; v j.!, a cxrso of 4500 ba-s of Hour, an.l 31-tf rt'oi- 'vhoat on account of M.-ssr* Thornton & and Firth. The Spanish jfleot naving suilec 12 Valparaiso on the 14th of April, that port « JTopMi, and increased shipments may be ex ; Sedsoon in fie Australian and NewZealant P i. ets prices here are unaltered. The market Vupnlied with wines and spirits. Brandy. c to 8s 6d ; whiskey (cases), 9s 6d to 10s 6d ; Tri-u whisky is in demand ; beer is in over supply; i ,|k «tout is not in demand, and purchases have Sen "made to arrive for the- South, where the «ket" are bare. Almost all kinds of groceries *« scarce. Mauritius sugar is not plentiful, but *J!- 'tated that there is a cargo afloat. Of Com- " T », qnirar we are kept steadily supplied from Wraliar Most kinds of tea are plentiful. There ?« not I'oen much kauri gum offering during the "«t We quote at from £16 to £28 ; case gum, -/raped £30 to £3S. Waikato and Papakura gum j-worth about from £18 to £22 if well cleaned. One buyer quotes ordinary gum m cases at from to £28 ; and case gum, if well scraped and of rood quality, in cases, at from £35 to £38. The subjoined is the commercial article of the "Paily Time 3 " (Dunedin), of the 27th July :— The' business of the last two days has presented Te rv little of interest, an ', but for a little demand f or 'country requireim nts- would have been slack, flour stands nominally at lnst quotations, but the transactions in imported have been insignificant. Teas and sugars have both been dealt in at fully maintained prices ; but not in heavy parcels. The markets are without any alteration calling for special notice. We are in receipt of our files of Nelson papers to the 20th Jnlv, from which we extract the following items of commercial importance : — Trade with the West Coast during the past month has been more than usually brisk. This, however, has been chiefly in imported goods, as there i-» now very little produce on hand to supply *he demnnd which the increasing consumption of Westland has created. Prices of the staple articles of consumption, have undergone no material change since the publication of our last Summary. Flour remains at former quotations, and no rise in price need be expected, a> the markets of this colony, as well as those of Melbourne and Sydney, are now regularly supplied with importations of flour from South America. The stock of flour in hand is sufficient for present requirements, and a cargo from Chili^ may be looked for in the course of a fortnight. In* Australia, the st of flour held is sufficient to meet the consumption until harvest, while further supplies from Chili and California continue still to arrive. The cargo of sugar, imported direct from Mauritius, reporrel last mont „ i 3 all placed at satisfactory prices, and stocks of other goods are only very moderate. The Dreadnought, with a large and well-assorted cargo, now 121 days out from"London, will, on arrival, supply most of the present requirements of our market, except, perhaps, bacon and other provisions in demand on the "oldSeids, of which there is still a general scarcity in all the colonies. The destruction by "fire of Sinclair's factory in Ireland, with a" large stock of bacon on the premises, has tended to raise the price of the article at home. Kerosene is, however, an article scarce and dear here, bringing 6s a gallon. Sperm candles, which have sold in Melbourne as high as Is 7d per lb., are receding in price, as lartje supplies are known to be on their way from England. A discovery of petroleum has been made in New Harbor, D'Urville's Island. Natives reported the existence there of what appeared to be a petroleum spring, and a gentleman in Nelson made arrangements to examine the spot, and, if necessary, work the ground. This examination proved highly satisfactory as far as it went, and means are now about to be taken to- test the real value of the discovery. Indications of petroleum existing on the beach, at Nelson, will probably lead to the ground there being tried likewise. The coalfields of our province are beginning to grow into importance. At the Grey, the demand exceeds the means of supply, as all the steamers g>rgaj;ed in the local trade of the West Coast prefer this fae! to any that can be procured from Australia. We take from. " Travers' Circular " the following comparison of the state of the Bank Accounts, and tho price of Consols in each of the three pani:-s that have happened since the passing of the Act of 1844:— Panic of IS47— Bank bullion, 8,407,750 ; notes in reserve, 1.176,740; rate of discount, 8 per cent; price of Consols, 78f. Panic of 1847— Bank bullion, 6,484,096; notes in reserve, 957.710 ; rate of discount, 10 per cent ; price of Consols, S6J. Panic of 1866— Bonk bullion, 12.323,805; notes in reserve, 730,830 ; rate of discount, 10 per cent ; price of Consols. 84f. The " Builder 1 ' is loud, in its praises of those concerned in a noteworthy incident of the panic, and thus records it : — " It is said that when one of those gre:it employers of labor, the suspension of whose large operations is one of the most universally regretted events of the crisis, was first known." to be in jeopardy, a brother contractor — whose name may be readily Burmised, for it has become throughout Europe a househald word for probity and straightforward conduct, as well as for enterprise and energy — called on him, accompanied by three other members of the same calling. The first had in his pocket £200,000, the others £100,000 each. The half million was immediately placed at the disposal of the tottering firm, on "the condition that its use would be sufficient to ensure its stability, and with a frankness and courage as honorable as was the generosity of the offer, was at once declined. If this account be true, and it is stated on no slight authority, it is hard to say to which party it does most credit — to those who, on so noble a scale, did as they would be done by, or to those who could decline assistance to such a gigantic amount, lest it should not be adequate to supply the wants of credit arrangements so suddenly and violently overthrown." By the arrival of the Tararua, from Melbourne we are in receipt of Victorian files, to the 10th Ausust. We take the following commercial intelligence from the " Age " of that date : — The prevailing feeling in ; the import market now is that no business of any consequence will be transacted till after the arrival of the English mail, due in Adelaide on Saturday. A very sanguine hope animates the minds of commercial men generally that a better state of things will be found to have existed in England, at the end of June, than prevailed when the May mail left. Importers, therefore encouraged by this hope, refrain from offering their goods; and buyers are pursuing a wise course in limiting their liabilities as much as possible. Consequently, business has dwindled down to almost a retail trade. A few sales of tea have been made at Is 8d to 2s 3d, in bond, for medium to good congous. In sugar we hear of nothing beyond inquiry. Liquids of all sorts are heavy on hand, and though, in some cases, concessions would be made, to induce business, they have failed to have such an effect. The agents for Whitbread and Co.'s stout have reduced their price to £6 15s ; but it has not yet led to business. A small parcel of rum is the only sale of spirits we have to report, and this was effected at 3s 9d for 3 ( » o.p. Kerosene oil continues to find customers, in lots of about 100 cases, at 4s 9d. We observe the Emma Lee, from New York, has entered the Heads, and we presume our stock of kerosene will be replenished; they are now extremely light. There is no improvement to note in breadstuffa. Adelaide flour sells at £16 and £16 10s for. best brands for bakers' parcels. Wheat is quiet. There has been a little inquiry for barley, but we hear of no sales. Oats are 'in the same dull state ; come were offered at auction, and a few sold at 5s 5d for fair Tasmaniaii ; but the bulk of them were withdrawn. Maize has been selling at 5s Id ; but we question if that price could be obtained for a large parcel. At auction, Tasmanian butter fetched Is 4d up to 2s Oid for very prime. Hams and bacon, from 8d to Is Id.

Tlie following are the Custom Returns for — Friday, 20th July. Tea, 850 lbs £21 5 0 Sugar, 1,600 lbs 6 13 4 Drapery 7 5 0 £35 4 2 Saturday, 21st July. Whisky, 32 galls £19 4 0 Brandy, 28 galls 16 16 5 £36 0 0 Mojtday, 23rd July. Whisky, 34 galls. £20 18 6 Brandy, 91 galls'. 55 0 3 G-eneva, 51 galls 30 12 5 Wine, 10 galls 2 10 '0 Sundries 18 4 £110 9 1 Tuesday, 24th July. Genera, 30 galls. £18 7 6 Wednesday, 25th July. Tobacco, 165 lbs £20 7 6 Whisky, 32 galls 19 4 0 - , Wine, 56 galls 11 4 0 Brandy, 10 galls 6 5 8 Tea, 82 lbs. 2 10 Sundries 16 5 0 £75 5 0 Thursday, 26th July. Geneva, 61 galls £36 15 5 Brandy, 27 galls 16 4 0 Whisky, 29 galls 17 8 0 Sherry, 27 galls 5 8 0 Sundries ... ... 13 0 ■f £76 18 5 Saturday, 28th July. Brandy, 26 gals £15 12 0 ... Monday, 30th July. %randy, 2S gals ... .^ £16 16 0 Whisky, 29 gals ;;; 17 8 0 £34 4 0 Tuesday, 31st July. Tobacco, 178 lba £22 5 0 Wine, 24 gals 4 16 0 Currants ... , 3 8 9 ; ■ , £30 9 9 Wednesday, Ist August. Brandy, 55 gals £33 0 0 Geneva, 60 gals 36 7 6 ■ £69 7 6 Thursday, 2nd August. Eum, 34 gals £20 8 0 • Whisky, 28 gals ... ... 16 16 0 Geneva, 26 gals 15 16 2 Beer, 40 gals 3 0 0 Wine, 10 gali 2 10 0 £58 10 2 Friday, 3rd August. Beer, 192 galls. ... ... £14 8 0 Geneva, 30 galls. 18 7 6 £32 15 6 Saturday, 4th August. Brandy, 28 galls £16 16 0 Wine, 55 galls. ... • ... 11 0 0 Geneva, 29 galls 17 12 6 Sugar, 1600 lbs. ... ... 613 4 £52 1 10 Monday, 6th August. Wine, 114 galls £26 16 0 Brandy, 83 galls 49 lii 0 Tobacco, 101 lbs. ... ... 12" 12 6 / £89 4 6

Tuesday, 7th August. Geneva, 61 galls £36 15 0 Whiiky, 25 galls. ... ... 15 0 0 Tobacco, 455 lbs. ... ... 56 17 6 Tea, 326 lbs 8 3 0 Sugar, 4997 lbs 20 16 5 Old torn, 9 galls 5 8 9 Jams 19 15 10 £162 16 6 Wednesday, Bth August. Geneva, 50 galls £18 0 0 Drapery 9 17 1 £27 17 1 Thursday, 9th August. Genera, 26 galls £16 2 6 Tea, 218 lbs. 5 8 0 £21 10 6 Friday, 10th August Genera, 46 gals ... ... £27 15 9 Brandy, 19 gals 11 12 6 £39 8 3 Monday, 13th August. Whisky, 44 gals. ... ... £26 11 0 Brandy, 83 gals 49 16 0 Drapery 7 9 2 £83 16 2 Tt7JG3DAY,-14tll August. Brandy, 79 gals * £47 8 0 Toa,li4llbs 2S 10 6 Tobacco, 15211 ml9 0 0 Sugar, 4480 lbs 18 13 4 £113 11 10 Wednesday, 15th August. Tobacco, 120 lbs. ... ... £15 0 0 Brandy, 19 gals 11 12 6 Whisky, 34 gals. ... ... 21 12 0 Geneva, 27 gals 16 13 9 Sundries ... 116 O £66 14 3 Thursday, 16th August. Brandy, 28 gals £16 16 0 Bum, 29 gals 17 8 0 Tobacco, 212 lbs 26 12 6 £60 16 6 Feiday, 17th August. Tea, 1382 lbs £24 11 0 Wine, 49 gals 9 16 11 Sugar, 2240 lbs 30 10 6 Drapery 31 2 6 Sundries ... ... ... 91 14 0 £197 1 7