COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 1033, 5 October 1868, Page 2

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

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

... The 'Ems' (Canterbury) of the 26th instant reports: — /Business remains quiet, notwithstanding the line weather and time of the year; complaints continue to be made on all sides of the general dulness of trade ; station orders usually come to hand about this time, but up to the present we have scarcely heard of any having been received. The only feature of the week ii> the demand for oats, krge parcels hare been shipped to Melbourne, and prices are firm at 2s 3d ; stocks are becoming reduced, and an advance is anticipat d . "Wheat remains at last week's quotations, but is only offering in very small quantities, holders . showing no anxiety to quit, except at an advance. The millers still stand out successfully for £19 to £20 for flour. Barley has not altered in value, ft small trade being done at 4s 6d. Oilmen's stores are very much neglected, stocks are oieessive, and the consumption small. Timber is ' quiet, few buildings being in course of erection* Coal is plentiful, but readily-fefcehes a -fair price.. ' Sugars are in excellent request, and maintain full rates. Crushed loaf is scarce, at £60 to £62 ; / Mauritius fine crystals, white, fetch £54 to . £54 10* ; first counters, £53 to £53 10s ; yellows £46 to £49. Teas— Stocks are becoming light, ' ' especially low priced teas. Souchong may be placed at 8s to 8s 3d ; congou, 2s 8d to 2s lOd ; orange pekoe, 3s 6d; gunpower, 3a 4d to 3s 6i. JL good feeling exists for currants and other dried 'fruits. Spirits are scarcely so firm, prices being barely sustained. A large parcel of geneva has ~ "been landed this week from the Light Brigade, and has affected prices rery considerably. The ' Daily Times ' (Otago) of the 29th ult. reports:— t? 33i$vweek har commenced "with "rather > better iaqS^fbtmiloellanebtfs goods'; and there are -riPffle, symptoms -of -returning life . in • business. '■ * CTofaibrjr as soon as the end of the month has passed, an actual improvement will be experienced^ In.the meanfame, ..buyers.are .frightened •Jim. lirge parcels, and" transactions, though more frequent, are individually inconsiderable in their imallness, furaishing :, but little opportunity for ' J reraiti. We note' some' demand for the better « v>fo»tsro£ teas 4 sales- tranßpiring- of -good medium a i^SWgJnJtdjeßjjtijU J.ld M>.-- 2s, and of boxes. at 225; also, of a light parcel of lower, description in large paakages at equal to Is Bjd ; j sugata L ■: SM also -wanted, and 'fine sorts realise- very full ..'PiMeSj^jSpints are, generally qui^it,- a ; small line <nNß[flinnesßT > s and. MarteUls .ca^e,' ia. equjA gro-' " plkc'eii 1 ' at' "2Bs" 9d \ also Henriessy's ijar bulk, at -8s .6dj^and Oi&dfo at r 8B: Cfenerally, ther&iisa dedioing trade in provisions, but-at the moment ft smaller quantity of good butter and cheese are coming forward, and in consequence ■lightly better prices are obtainable. A parcel of

malt ib reported as quiited at maintained rates, and a large invoice of American goods, ohiofly Woodenware, at satisfactory prices too diversified to recapitulate. Candle-,- kerosene, blasting powder, and malt liquors are all without attention. < Breadstuffs unchanged. Flour in almost retail - lots at £18. Grain negleoted. In the absence of large operations, quotations are without any change of importance. By auction nothing has occurred, though, prior to the departure of the mail, a considerable quantity of merchandise "will be offered by the hammer, The ' Wellington Independent, 1 of the 26th ult. reports:— Trade continues dull, with, little or rio alteration in current rat« 3. Some improvement v, noticeable in the inquiries for butter of first-class oure, for the Thames Goldfields, and there is a brisk demand for fat cattle on the :■- West Coast, which must eventually influence the price of stock in the market — otherwise, there is nothing of variety to report. „ The • Hobart Town-Mercury,' of the 23rd mst, thus reports of the markets : — Business during to-day has been very light, and there have been very few transactions: At the mills flour is quoted at from £16 to £17 per ton, with a good local demand. Sharps, £7 to £8 per ton j bran, Is per bushel. The crafts to-day brought up a good deal of grain, but there were few sales made. Those who hold wheat decline to accept less than 7s per bushel for it, and at this price sales have been made. A small sample of. inferior Was quitted at a lower figure, but the market rate remains unohanged. There has been considerable inquiry for oats, and several lots "quality. Prime samples are fully worth 8s per bushel. In other produce there is no change to report. Peaa are quoted at from 3s to 8s 6d per bushel. Butter, fresh, Is per lb ; potted, from Gd to lOd per lb. Cheese, 6d to lOd per lb. The market is very fully supplied with bacon and hams, and prices are low. Bacon is quoted at from 6d to 8d per lb, and hams from 7d to 9d per xb, according to quality. There has been very little doing in hay. A quantity arrived during to-day, but it has been stored, the price offering being too low. The quotation is L 4 per ton for pressed. The • Sydney Morning Herald,' 22nd September, says : — Tenders were opened at the Treasury on the 19th September for £240,200 of New South Wales Government debentures, due^ in ISGB, and bearing interest at the rate of 5 percent, per annum, the amount for disposal by the Government being £164,100. Offers to the extent of £62,000 only were accepted, the purchasers paying, on an average, one fifth per cent, premium, and a sum equal to the interest up to the present date. During the week 5,185 ounces of gold Were received for coinage at the Sydney Mint. Coin to the amount of 30,000 sovereigns was issued during the same period. In the import market to day there was a limited inquiry for articles of general consumption, but no important sales. Breattstuffs opened at Saturday's quotations, and at auction Messrs Stubbs and Co. placed the""shipment of Chilian wheat— a superior sampler— ex Don Teodora, in one line at 6s sd. per bushel ; the flour was bought in at £15 ; but we are informed it was afterwards placed privately at that figure. Later in the day the market became very much unsettled by advices from California, Which state that the Sarita, Paramount, Salamanda, and Brittomart, with about 2,300 tons breadstuffs, had left for the colonies ; and eight vessels, of nearly 4,000 tons aggregate register tonnage, were loading. The San Francisco ' Alta,' July 24, reports: — The following are freight engagements since our last steamer report : — British barque Khuddlan Castle, 599 tons, for Australia, with breadstuffs, on private terms ; ship Cowpe', 1,070. tons, for Sydney, On terms withheld; the British ship Lochiel, 574 tons, returns with wheat for Sydney, at current rates; British barque Celeßtia, 318 tons, -has been chartered for Auck-

land, N.Z:, on private terms ; the brig Lubra, 318 tons, lias been taken for Australia, at current Australia, with breadstuffs ; the barque Sarita, for^Otago, carries 17,200 quarter-sacks flour, value 25,8G0d0l ; the exports to Melbourne, per Prussian barque Salamander, embrace 7,200 quarter-sacks flour and 5,559 sacks wheat, value 24,000d01. ; the barque Paramount, for Auckland, has 13,115 sacks wheat, value 26,230d01. Present high rates for wheat are easily accounted ibr by the scarcity or total want of old for milling purposes, and by the momentary demand for Australia. As soon as arrivals of new grain come in more freely, and present Australian orders are filled, we shall again have to look to lii7erpo6l'and New York as our principal if not our only supporters, and by their necessities we shall be governed, despite the common sense of farmers and the gratuitous advice given them to _ hold at 2c. The ' Argus' 26th September, reports : — In the import market business continues to maintain an appearance of great dulness ; there is therefore, no improvement to report in the day's trade. In breadstuffs, no transactions have come, under our notice. Holders still evince the utmost anxiety to dispose of flour, without their efforts being attended with success. In the absence of sales, and in consequence of the great irregularity which exists, no reliable quotation can be given. Trade parcels, according to quantity, realise frooi £15 10s to £16 10s. There has been some demand from the West Coast of New Zealand, and some seventy tons Hart's have changed hands, at very full rates. We understand that the consignees of the Salamanda's cargo of California breadstuffs hftve determined on transhipping the whole of the flour to an Eastern port, and that the Centaur has been chartered for this purpose. . As the Salamander only brings dates from San Francisco to 18th July, her advices have been anticipated by those per Golden Age of a later date, say 24th July ; and the accounts to hand to-day from Sydney merely confirm those already received by telegraph, viz., that there were five vessels loading for Sydney, five vessels for Melbourne (exclusive of the Salamander), and two for New Zealand. Maize is moved off at 3s 10£ d to 3s lid and 4s. We hepr of a parcel of maltinr barley - having been sold as high as 6s 9d. In teas, we learn of the sale of a line of half -cheats new season's at Is 9d. The low prices hitherto obtained for new season'i teas, as compared with their cost have at length attracted the attention of outside speculators, and transactions of very considerable magnitude are said to be pending in consequence. Tobaccoes are moving off more freely : 150 boxes medium tens were disposed of, on terms withheld— a figure showing a considerable advance on late sales is said to have been got, The entire cargo of deals and logs, per Hovding, was disposed of under the hammer at very full prices. Bottled stout still continues in favor, fair parcels of various brands having been got rid of. A shipment of 300 barrels Jeffrey's bottled ale was also quitted at about 9s 3d. A demand for export has led to the disposal of ale in bulk, a considerable parcel of Marxian's having changed hands. .About fifty hhdti.- of Worthington's were also taken up for local use ; a reduction on ruling rates had, however, to be accepted.

Thursday, Oct. L Woolpacks -•■.;. ~ ... £10.7 3 Ironmongery 15 0 Confectionery ... ... 4 17 'll Sundries ... ... ... 7 4 7 £23 14 9 , Friday, Oct. 2. . Wine, 103 galls ... ... £20 16 0 Whisky, 58 gals ... 34 16 0 . Brandy, 67 gals ... ... 34 3 3 Geneva, 63 gals 38 12 11 Tea, 4738 1b5. ... .... 117 14 0 Sugar, 2240 lbs ... ... 9 6 8 £255 7 10 Saturday, Oct. 3. . Sugar, 2728 lbs ... ... £11 6 4 Sundries... ... ... 6 14 6 £18 0 4