COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 866, 16 December 1867, Page 2

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Times Office, Saturday Evening. The following are the Customs Eeturns for — Friday, 13th Dec.

Th© Auckland Me raid of the 28 rd ult. reports prices in the flour and timber markets as follows s — Flour — Fine flour, crown brand, silk dressed, £19 per ton ; seconds, £1 1 ; sharps, £7 ; bran, la per bushel. Building materials — Timber : Boards and scantling, per 100 feet, 7s to 93 ; boards, tongued and grooved, lls to 12s ; broad timber, 10a to 12b.— Posts, £1 10 a; rails, £2 10s ; 6lt palings, 16s ; sffc palings, 123 ; shingles, 8s to 93 ; New Zealand palings, lls ;,do shingles, 10s. — Bricks, per 1000, wholesale, £2, delivered ; retail, £2 15s (warranted), delivered. — Lime, per bushel, Is to Is 3d, delivered. The same paper of the 28th says : — Mr L. W. Eaton sold at his auction mart to-day, oats from 2s 3£d to 2s 4i per bushel ; bas, 6s per dozen ; bacon, 7i per pound. The sale was well attended. The West Coast Times in its Panama summary states :; — "We are enabled to note more satisfactorily of business for the past month, the obstacles and inconvenienco to the mercantile community consequent upon the long detention of shipping in the roadstead alluded to in our last summary terminated with the month, Bince which we have ha I a tolerably fair field for business. The large fleet )f regular traders leaving our port almost simultaneously has to some extent disarranged the iucerval arrivals of shipments from intercolonial ports, imports have consequently been light, and tor the last fortnight confined principally to ex >cean-going steamers. The heavy shipments which had accumulated outside, and landed early in the nonth did not materially affect markets ; this we inticipated, consignees being ready to take into warehouse ; there was little chango in value of najor staples. A firmer tone was apparent towards its close, and in the absence of heavy additions to stocks for the next ten days, -which seems probable, together with the improved seasonable demand and impetus usually imparted to business thrf last month of the year, there is strong probability of a decided improvement in value of principal staples. There has been a fair average amount of. general business done during the month ; trade with the coast goldfields has been somewhat limited consequent upon the very inclement weather, but a very brisk trade is looked forward to for December. The amount of import duties collected in November amounted to £10,102 4s 2d. A telegram from Adelaide in the Sydney Morning Herald, dated Nov. 29, reports : — The corn market is very firm ; holders are not anxious to realise ; wheat is quoted at 5s 6d to os 7d; flour, £13 to £14. A remarkable dia corery of gold has been made at South Para, near G-awfer, and another near Echunga ; the appearance of the former is like reef gold. The revenue returns for the past year show a decrease of £33,000, principally in the Customs. The Sydney Morning Herald of Nov. 30 reports : — ' Early in the week telegrams from Adelaide reported more extensive injury to the South Australian grain crop than was at first anticipated, and agents here were instructed to raise prices, and only to dispose of small quantities pending further advices. The Adelaide millers must have good cause for alarm or they would not act thus, as it has been usual for them at this period of the year to bring down prices if possible, so as to be able to buy new -wheat at low rates. Advices from the country districts of this colony are equally unfavorable to farmer's prospects. The drought has caused great damage, and the heat is prematurely ripening the crops before the grain has filled, so that although the ears look large enough, a shrivelled grain, all husk, is what they contain. Sales of Adelaide silk-Sressed have been made at £15 10s, which is the top market price. Town millers are selling first flour at £15 ; most of the South Australian wheat in stock here is held for a considerable advance, 6s 6d nett has been refused for a parcel. All the portion of the Sylphide's cargo of Chilian remaining on board when the vessel arrived here, about 6000 bushels, was placed by auction on Monday, at 4s Hid, for much damaged up to 5s 4d for best. About 120 tons transhippe.J into the Alfred at Navigator's Island was previously sold at ss. Oats are dull at 2s 9d to 3s. Barley, 2s 3d to 3s 3d. Maize ha 3 declined to Is lOd for best, and Is 8d for inferior samples, and if freights were lower large parcels would be sent to England. Tho Lyttelton Times, 9th inst., says : — Wheat maintains its former price of 4s a bushel, and, as might have been expected, flour is very firm at our last quotations of from £12 to £14 per ton. Unless anything should happen to ■weaken the confidence in exportation an advance in this commodity may be expected. We repeat our former quotations for barley, of 3s 31 to 3s 6d ; and for oats of 2s per bushel. Bran and sharps ruled at £3 and £4> respectively j and good hay at £4 per ton. Messrs Wilson and Alport had a full yard of Cattle on Saturday, principally Dairy Cows, which were nearly all sold, at the following rates : Young good quality Cow 3, £11 to £12. Old and middling quality ditto, £6 153 to £10 ss. Heifers, £10. Yearlings, £o ss. Nine months old heifers and steers, £3 15s. T. Preece reports a good attendance on Saturday, at the Central Stock and Produce Yards, quotes the following prices. — Pigs, small stores, &s 6d to 13s each. Porkers, 15s to 20s each. Poultry. — Turkeys, not full grown, 5s 3d to 5s 8d each. Produce. — Potatoes, 7s per cwt, supply limited. Flour, seconds, 7s to 9s per lOOlbs. Sharps, lOd and lid per bushel. Bran, 8s 9d. G-ats, 2s and 2s and 3d ; do chicken wheat, Is 9d to 2s 6d do. Bacon and hams, 6d and 7d per lb. Lard, 6d per lb.

Ale, 180galla £10 0 0 Whisky, 71 galls ... 42 12 0 Geneva, 28 galls ... 17 5 0 Brandy, 29 galls ... 17 8 0 - Rum, 33 galls ... ... 19 16 0 Oil 11 1 4 Chicory, 2241bs 2 16 0 Chocolate, 1121bs ... 18 0 Drapery 10 16 3 Woolpacks 16 8 1 Leather 3 9 2 Sundries ... ... 53 6 11 Gold, 5530z. 7dwt. llgra. Bank of Otago ... 69 3 5 £275 10 2 Saturday, 14th J)ec. Brandy, 11 galls ... £G )o 0 Whisky, 36 galls ... 21 12 0 Wine, 26 galls 5 4 0 ... ... 10 0 0 prapery .;; ... 21 0 0 gundries ... ... ■ 17 11 3 . £82 2 3