DUNEDIN LIVE STOCK MARKET.

Southland Times, Issue 931, 10 April 1868, Page 2

DUNEDIN LIVE STOCK MARKET.

WrigHt, Robertson and Co. report, under date 4th April, as follows : — Business, we regret to say, still continues very dull ; the demand for any kind of Btoek being very limited ; we have had, however, a few enquiries for mixed lambs and store wethers, but buyers have not yet made up their minds to give prices asked. We hope to see some improvement shortly. Fat Cattle — The market has been principally supplied by imported cattle, but we have sold a few lots of Provincial at about last month's quotations. The Hydra has again arrived with a full cargo, consisting of 80 fat and 120 store cattle, from .Newcastle, bo that the market will be fully supplied for some time. We quote Provincial bullocks at about 40a per 100 lbs ; imported do, from 30s to 35s per 100 lbs. Fat Calves in demand, at from £3 10s to £4, Store Cattle — The demand has been moderate. Our sales consist of a few lots of mixed cattle, at from £7 to £9 10s. Our quotations are : — Steers, 2to 4 years, £9 It's to £10 ; mixed mobs, 2 yeurs and upwards, £7 10s to £'J, according to quality ; one year and upwards, about £5 10s to £6 per head. ' Dairy Cattle in good demand, at from £10 to £18. Fat Sheep — The supply has been good, and quality very fair. We have sold, on account of Messrs Maitland Brothers, J. Smith, Tokomairiro, T. Trumble, Mataura, W. Jones, WaiKouaiti, and Borton and M' Master, 2700 fat w thers, at from Sd to 4d per lb, according to quality and place of delivery. We now quote market price for good Bheep, uelivered in town, 3fd per lb, at which price we have sold within the last tew days. On the Btation they are worth 3d to 3£d per lb, according to distance from market. Fat Lambs.^-We have seld 390 at from 11s 6d tol2s6d. Store Bheep. — There are few inquiries for store sheep. Our sales comprise 2000 maiden ewes at 14s ; several lots of 2, 4, and 6-tooth wethers at from 8s 6dto 9s ; a small lot of half-bred lambs at 10s each. Our quotations we give as follows, ■riz : — Maiden, 13s 6d to 34s ; 2, 4, and 6-tooth do, about 13a ; 4, 6, and 8-tooth do, about lls ; full mouthed, 7s 6d to 8s ; broken do, 4s to ss. Wethers, 4, 6, and 8-tooth, 9a ; 2-tooth do, 8s to 8s 6d. Mixed lambs, merino, 17s to 18s per pair ; half-bred do, 18s to 20s. Horses.— During the past month 146 head have been imported, all of a light description, with the exception of about 20, ex Omeo and Auckland from Melbourne ; but although an unusually large number have come to hand, there has been a fair demand for good stock, and our last month's quotations have been maintained. We cannot advise further shipments of light horses ; but a lot of medium and heavy draughts would meet a ready sale at remunerative prices. Our Bales comprise 20 useful colts and fillies ex Auckland from Melbourne, at an average of L 2 6; 30 hacks from Christchurch, soil at from 1/17 to L 36 ; 12 hacks (light and weedy), from Wellington, from L 9 to Lls 10s; 20 coifs, ex Bengal, from Newcastle, from £11 to £32. The following are the prices realised : — First-class heavy draught, from £46 to £58; medium do, from £3^ to L4O ; first-class hacks and light harness hones, from L 32 to L 4 2; useful hacks, from L2O to L2B ; in erior do, from L 9 to Lls. To-day we sell 45 useful and first-class hacks from Canterbury. Country Sales — On the sth ult., at Tokomairiro, we sold cows at from £12 10s to £15 10s ; heifers at £9, and steers at £7 10s each. At the NorthEast Valley, on the 11th : cows, from £10 5s to j £17 ; steers, from £5 to £8 ; heifers, from £9 to £14 l<'s j calves, from £3 12s 6d to £5 10s. On the 25th, at Waikouaiti : cows, from £11 5s to £14 17s 6d ; bullocks, at £11 10s, and steers at £8 2s 6d. At Mr George Shand's farm, East Taieri, on the 28th, some very well-bred imported short-horn cows, sold at irom £22 to £29 10s ; heifers, from £8 2s 6d to £15 ; steers, from £4 15» to £7 15s. Stations — There are numerous enquiries for stations, principally irom Victoria, and from what we can learn, there is likely to be a large amonnt of money from that quarter available for the purchase of stations in til's Colony during the year. We have some very eligible stations in t.he Canterbury Province in our hands for sale privately ; and we would draw attention to the sale of the Otaio Station, near Timaru, for positive sale by auction, on the sth May, prox. ; this is, without exception, the finest run in Canterbury, nearly 100,000 acres, with 3J.,000 sh.-ep, 30 miles of fencing, and every improveme \i«. The "Otago Daily Times" oi ihe 4th inst. states that during the month th i-« has been a fair average of business done. The import markets have at times worn an appearance of slackness, and the execution of orders for upcountry requirements has been impeded by an insufficient supply of carriage for heavy goods, ■wUile West Coast orders h»vo been light. Still, the total of operations compares favorably with

that of the preceding pariotl, and results a¥e rather satisfactory than otherwise. The mails via Suez and Panama cam© to hand almost simultaneously- last month, but brought little intelligence of a nafcare to affect markets. Throughout the month prices have been well maintained and even strengthened, by continued light stocks of most staple goods and moderate imports. From all sources the addition to 3tocks have been slender. From the United Kingdom, the ships Viola and England are to hand j and from all other ports, only the brig Centaur, with Mauritius sugars. Intercolonial shipments have not exceeded the average. The despatch . of the season's wools has progressed steadily, and the major part of the clip is now afloat. The state of the European 'markets has operated unfavorably for the public sale 3, almost to the extent of closing them for the season, and since our last any transactions of note have been private. - In no other respect than in the absence of some of tbe briskness usual at this time of the year, is there anything in the state of the commerce in the Province to complain of. The depression felt in the agricultural interest i 3 wearing off, and growers' prospects gradually improving. At i present there seems no reason to doubt a con- j tinuance of remunerative prices, and of a full j demand for the cereal crops. IJhe money i murket is easy. Bank rates of discount are unchanged. Exchanges as follows :— lssue upon London at three days' sight, 1£ per cent, premium ; at 30 days, 1 per cent ; at 60 days, i per cent ; on Melbourne, i per cent, premium; and on Sydney and the other Australian Colonies, 1 per cent premium.