COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 744, 1 November 1867, Page 2

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Times Office, Thursday Evening. The following are the Customs Returns for —

By the Airedale, which arrived at the Bluff yesterday, the 31st ult., we received Northern files to the 23rd; via Panama, advices from England are to Sept. 12th. The Daily Times of the 30th nit., Bays : — Business' ha 3 commenced this week with some Bteadiness, though with but little of briskness apparent in the import market. Present demand for the chief staples is confined to comparatively limited parcels — transactions affording alight occasion for individual reference. Market values we fairly maintained, and no sensible alteration Sub occurred in the prospects for any particular goodi, The delivery of the Panama mails ii

The Some News sayß :— The last tables published by the Board of Trade give an account of the imports and exports from and to Australia for the six months of the present and the two preceding years. The following are the general totals. They include all the coloniei, namely, West Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, and New Zaalsmd •— •

If we may regard 1866 as an exceptional year, which it certainly was in the annals of British commerce and finance, it will be Been that Australasian trade is in process of increase. It is true that there is a large falling off in 1867 compared with 1866. But 1866 was so disastrous here that goods were forced off in all directions, in order to obtain the means of meeting engagement! that had been rendered doubly onerous by the long continuance of the 10 per cent rate of discount; hence the comparative excess of exports. Ab to the imports they continue to furnish substantial proofs of the progress of these great dependencies, the increase since 1865 having been no leas than L 2,551,319. . New Zealand, has some cause to complain of the mode in which the accounts are made up. A large portion of the Australian imports into this country consist of gold. But the accounts never show how much of this gold proceeds from the rapidly developing fields of New Zealand. This is a manifest injustice, which will be felt the more keenly the longer it is continued. But it is one of those official customs which will never be broken down so long as New Zealand does not assert her position, in this respect as in others, as a producing country. It is in a great measure owing to this anomaly that the imports from New Zealand bear such an apparently small proportion to the aggregate of the Australian imports. But, even under this disadvantage, New Zealand shows relatively as much progress, if not more, in proportion to her population, as any of her co-provinces. The following comparative statement will confirm the remark : — 1867. 1866. 1865. Imports from £767,168 £364,268 £224,924 Exports to ... 784,301 920,193 753,972 T0ta15...1,551,469 1,334,461 978,896 These figures establish a degree of progress in industrial occupation and commercial energy that is highly creditable to the enterprise of New Zealand ; and we are satisfied that it is calculated to attract population to a country endowed by nature with all the elements of wealth and contentment. In estimating the trade of the flrit six months of 1867, it must be remembered that the enlargement that it exhibits has been effected in a season when British trade generally has been in a state of almost unexampled dulneis and depression. But the wants of a new country are illimitable ; and the consuming poweri of NewZealand cannot but increase in the same ratio as its development. This is * trade which is thoroughly appreciated in the mother country ; and commercial men of all classes, merchants and producers, are taking a wholesoma interest in its extension. The Home Nems, under date August 30th > gives the following wool report, extracted from MrHehnuth Schwartze's Wool Price Current, dated August 30 : — The following quantities have been catalogued up to date in our London Colonial wool sales : — 11,761 bales Sydney ; 16,268 bales Port Philip ; 2480 bales Van Diemen's Land; 3724 bales Adelaide ; 17,463 bales New Zealand ; 10,2225 bales, Cape ; 1503 bales sundries : total, 63,421 bales, ,• leaving about 80,000 bales still to be disposed of. Though tho supply of Port Philip wool was large, there is a great scarcity of good brands, the majority consisting of inferior flocks in most faulty and heavy condition. As a natural consequence, the former enjoys a spirited competition and readily fetch last sale's closing prices, whilst the latter are comparativly neglected, and all very irregular. The same may be said with regard to the New Zealand flocks, amongst the lower sorts of which some very cheap parcels may be picked up. For Capes the demand is steady, and prices rnle firm. The value of this discription has been, perhaps, irremediably lowered by the immense increase in the production of River Plate wools. Taken altogether, the result of the sales hitherto maybe pronounced satisfactory, and though we are not yet half through the quantities, there is a reason to believe that present rates will be maintained to the close. The Canterbury Press of the 28th ult., says : — There has been no change in imports, the markets still continuing dull, and showing but slight prospects of amelioration. Inquiries for »taple articles are confined to immediate requirements, and actual values in the absence of sales of parcels are but indifferently defined. No doubt but when the the wool begins to arrive from the sheep stations a good deal of our present heavy stocks will be quitted ; it is however to the agricultural community we have to look to for getting rid of the greatest amount of our imports, and wo are glad to see a prospect of a permanent market opening up for our surplus grain in England. The returns of considerable shipments by the Matoaka being now to hand, and satisfactory so far that with ordinary care grain can be shipped at a minimum price per bushel considerably in advance of present rates. No advance has taken place in wheat during the week, but la/ge sales have been made at last week's rates, viz., 3s per bushel, principally for Bhipment to Northern ports. We look for a slight advance shortly, as the Australian markets are looking tip. In oats there are no sales beyond small lots for town requirements at 2b. Barley is in rather better demand for malting ; we quote 3s 9d as the average rate. Peas and beans are without inquiry. Hay remains at our last quotation. A question of some moment to the agricultural interest is about to be discussed by the Chambei of Commerce. It is "to consider the expediency of petitioning the General Government to allow a drawback on cornsacks exported with grain to the United Kingdom and the Australian colonies." Wilson and Alport report the following business at market oh Saturday : — Cows, in profit, £8 10s to £12 each ; heifers, £8 10s do ; nine months steer calves, £3 17s 6d do; small porkers, 6a 6d to 123 do ; fat pigs, 19b to 25s do ; sows, 40s do ; fowls, 4s 6d per couple ; cheese, 5d to 6d per lb ; bacon, 5d to s£d do ; hams, 51 to 6&d do ; inferior wheat, 2s 6d per bushel ; flour, £6 10s to £7 per ton. T. Preece reports an abundance of produce, &c, at the auction dep&t, Colombo-street, on Saturday, and little alteration iv prices. Pigs — Suckers, Ss 6d to 8s each : small porkers, 8s to X4g each \ tyrg* da a 25s each, j carcass, pige, 3d to

3id per lb ; baoon, 3£d to 6d per lb ; fowh, 4i 3d to 6s per couple ; ducks, 5a 6d per couple ; white potatoes, 2b 9d to 4s per cwt ; Derwents, 4a 6d to 5s 6d do ; email potatoes, 2s 3d to 3s do ; flour, seconds, 7s to 8s 6d perlOOlbs; do best, 10s do ; chickens' wheat, 2s to 2s 6d per bußhel ; oats, 2s 3d do ; pea meal and barley meal, 7s 6d par bag ; sharps, Is per bushel ; bran, 8d to 9d do : prairie grass seed. 5s 6d' do. The following remarks on Australian and New Zealand debentures, &c, are from Westgarth's Circular of August 26 : — Colonial Government securities hare still further advanced in value since the proceeding circular of 15th inst., and stand in remarkable contrast to the depression still prevalent in foreign and some other securities. Those colonial stocks whioh had been relatively depreised in value by the effect of recent issues, as the Queensland and New South Wales, have again been especially in demand, at a considerable further advance in price. The very favorable state of the market will certainly bring forth fresh loans, and large additionalamounts of the leading and best known stocks would no doubt now find ready sale. The intimation by last mail that New South Wales would apply to this market for a further £3,000,000 of loans, to complete the railway system, had | only a momentary effect on that colony's securities, the main stock (1888-95) felling one-half per cent., but immediately rebounding to a price higher than before. A balance of £65,000 New Zealand six per cent, 1891, the remainder of the £3,000,000 war loan, will probably soon come on the market. Australian Debentures.— Of the New South Wales five per cents, the stock due 1871-6 has advanced two per cent, that of 1888-95 about two per cent and of 1867 75 one per cent. The Victorian Eailway and Water Supply loans are each one -half percent higher, and the other Victoria stocks from one-half to one per cent higher. Queensland six per cent of both kinds are again as much aa three per cent higher ; and after being long quoted at a discount have again tonched par. South Australia six per cents are still at the relatively low price of about 106, including one per cent of accured interest. Thisjstock is usually at a higher quotation than the others, but it is understood that for some time ; past there have been continuous sales of fresh stock privately made in the market on account of the colony In New Zealand securities there is an advance of from one to two per cent all round ; and these stocks, all of which wore but lately so slow in price relatively to the others, are now approaching the highest quotations. The Provincial bonds are firm at or a little above former quotations, with however, but little business, as the attention of investors iB directed to the quoted and best-known stocks. The Oamaru Times says : — Messrs Eoyse, Mudie and Miller report the sale of Mr Hugh Fraser's Ben Ohou Euns — 60,000 acres, with improvements, for £7500, to Messrs Ostler and Dawson. Sheep at a fair schedule price.

. - 1867. . 1866. 1565. Imports £ * * „ from 7,360,034.. 6,224,618... 4,818,715 Exports to 4,296,565.. 6,768,653... 6,325,006 Totals 11,656,599 12,993,271.. 11,143,721

Wednesday, October 30. Geneva, 30 gaUB ... £18 0 0 Tea, 4001bs 10 0 0 Eaw Coffee, 3691bs ... 412 3 £32 12 3 Thursday, October 31. Tobacco, 2131bs ... £26 12 6 Wine, 26 galls 6 4 0 £31 16 6