COMMERCIL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 738, 18 October 1867, Page 6

COMMERCIL INTELLIGENCE.

Times Opfice, Thursday Evening. Business for the past month has been of an average character. Our markets are well supphed, but not overstocked in any one line. Merchants now find the advantage of the Bluff line of railway, as they can import from the neighboring colonies in a short time any merchandise that may be scarce in the market. The principal, trade doing is for local consumption. Adelaide first flour, best brands, is worth Ll4 per ton; colonial, Ll2 ton ; oats, '2s lOd per bushel ; bran, ls 3d to ls 4d per bushel ; hay, Li 10s : chaff, L 5 10s per ton ; potatoes, L 3 to L 4 per ton ; butter, fresh, ls 91 per lb ; good potted, ls 3d ; colonial cheese, Is per lb ; English, ls 2d to ls 3d per lb. Wines and spirits are not much iv demand. Best Martell's and Hennessy's brandies are worth about 8s per gallon; whisky, 4s to 4s 6d per gallon ; rum, 10 0.p., 3s lOd per gallon ; Geneva, JDKZ, 13s per caso ; best brands of case brandy, saleable at 26s to 28s per case. Bottled ale and porter of good brands is not plentiful ; mixed lots are worth 13s per dozen ; bulk ale meets with fair demand at Lll per hhd for best brands. Teas .and sugars remain at last quotations. Oilmen's stores are saleable at 20 to 30 per .cent, on English invoice price. Mr Todd, auctioneer, reports : — An increasing demand exists for all descriptions of cattle, especially milch cows. The prices realised at last Wallaeetown sale were highly satisfactory to the settler ; seventy-one animals were yarded, and all sold. Milch cows in calf, or with calf at foot, brought Lls to LlB ; store steers, LS 10s; fat cattle, L l2 10s per head, There are still many enquiries, and milch cows could be sold in almost any number, farmers seeming to consider it more profitable to raise stock on their land than agricultural produce, for which, owing to the want of means of export, a price cannot be obtained that will recoup the outlay and labor. Horses. — There have been two shipments to hand since my last ; both lots have sold well ; heavy draught mares fetched L 55 to' L6O ; geldings averaged L 5 less ; medium draught, L 35 to L4O; light harness and saddle horses, Lis to L 25 ; the supply of the hitter sorts. is quite equal to the demand. Imported stock, however, seem to invariably realise higher figures than provincial bred animals, though apparently of equal merits. : In produce there is really nothing doing. Considerable stocks slill remainin original hands, and can only be disposed of in retail parcels as required for local consumption. The utter absence of regular communication with the markets of the West Coast is severely felt by the farmers generally, ahd must tend greatly to restrict the acreage of land placed under crop this season. Oats may be quoted at 2s 9d to 3s 3d ; potatoes!, ,L 4 per ton ; hay, L 5 ; chaff, L5lO to L 6 10s ; flour (provincial), Ll2 10s ; : butter, which 'is'-- likely tb come in'freely now for some months, I quote at ls 3d to Is 6d per lb for good quality. . Properties. — Very few changing hands. I have in hand several desirable farms of from 200 to 600 acres; but prices offered are not such as to induce owners to come to terms. Town sections, unless centrally situated, are quite a. drug.

j j General Merchandise is still slow of sale. I ;S.tocks heavy. '' Furniture moves off very well. I have had iseveral sale 3 during the month, and all have been jwell attended by buyers, from whom good prices Ihave been obtained. Upon the whole, business iduring the month has been better than for some ■time back ; and, as the wool season is now fast looming on, still greater activity may reasonably jbeanticipated.

i ■ <-, .■ The following are the Customs Returns for — ;.. ; :; : Wednesday, Oct. 16. Brandy, 53 galls ... £31 16 0 Rum, 30 galls 18 0 0 Old Tom, 12 galls ... ' 7.4 5 Beer, 200 galls ... ... 10 0 0 Tea, 640 lbs ... ... 16 0 0 - Tobacco, 249 lbs ... 31 2 6 Sugar, 2240 lbs ... 9 6 8 Drapery... 64 17 5 Sugar ... ... ..." Oil 5 £188 12 11 Thursday, Oct. 17. Beer, 154 galls ... ... £9 12 6 Whisky, 36 galls ... 21 12, 0 Brandy, 28 galls ... 16 11 0 Geneva, 17 galls ... 814 5 £56 14 11