COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 1118, 5 March 1869, Page 2

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

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

Otago. — 7he ' New Zealand Sun ' of the 27th ult reports : — The chief attraction for business men to-day was the sale of sugars ex Shell, from Mauritius, at the rooms of Messrs M'Landress, Hep. burn and Co. The result of the sale must have been very satisfactory to the importers, every bag being disposed of at prices showing an advance on the rates obtained for the last cargo. For some of the lower qualities, the advance was^quite £3 per ton. "1 he following are the prices obtained in bond :— Finest white cryst ils 3tf ** «'', * to £* 3 J Oa '- medium white crystals,' £4L 7s 6d to £43 7s 6cl ; firsD counters, to £36 155 ; finest yellow crystals, £37 5s to £38 10s; brown crystals, £35 15s to £37 ss. i The vessel proceeds to Lyttelton with a portion of the cargo. lJuring the week, there has been but little business done in other departments. A few sales are reported of bottled ales and stout at full prices for first brands only. Butter and cheese have bepn dull of sale. Corn sacks are quoted at 15s, but the demand is slack. Wool packs, are inactive at 4s. Candles have not been n demand. Cement has been sold at la advance. ■«> important sales of chemicals are reported. °°H crystals are offering at reduced rates. Conlecta> oer y j ao^ to arr j Fe at goo( i p r i ces> j 8 now j>«og/eßold at' a fair advance. Cordage keeps y 9a 06 » TO an iU a ) assorted, being sold for ti 78b. Tj« approach of Lent has caused an b enquiry lv r pressed fish, chiefly for export o but stocks ire yevy email, espe,iaUy for ling ii fish. FlouTYs^eei so much reduced in supply a *A\n^f" h Ve lea^I ea^ !io!d trade parcels at t] £14, 10s to £15. SwkbiuuU loti of new wheat i d

hare arrived in the market, but we cannot ascertain a quotation as yet. For forward de" livery, it is offered at 4s 6d to ss. Old oat?, of good quality, are in demand at 2s 9d. We have • not heard of any sales of new. There are many buyers of barley at 43 to 4s 6d, but none is offering as yet. Hops, good 1868's, have been sold at Is 6d, but sellers are willing to take less for a large quantity. Malt is scarce, and has boeu sold during the week at 13s and upwards. Small sales of galvanised iron are reported, but at low prices. Oils have not been " active, but holders are firm, 2s 9d being asked for kerosene. We have heard of a small sale, of blasting powder at 6d. A paivel of ten tons of salt was sold, early in the week, at £3 15s and £4. Teas are moving out of importers' hands at recent auction prices. . In timbers, two or three cargoes of Pelorus Sound have been sold at a reduction ; the arrivals having been heavy. The Celeste Clarke's cargo of North American timber is still underunderstood to be held by the importers. No important sales of wines or spirits have been reported to U3. Brandies, in case, have been placed for less money than quoted last week. Geneva appears to be held for an advance. Melbourne. — The ' Argus' of the 25th ult. says ; — Business maintains a very slow appearance, and nothing of a special nature has transpired throughout the day. Breadstuffs are very steady ; but though the market appears to shape more , firmly, owing to the paucity of supplies, yet, as i the millers and dealers have become somewhat , reconciled to tho hand-to-mouth business forced up on them of late, nj actual advance in prices , can be recorded. Trade sales of best Victorian , brands of flour continue to he made at £12 5s to i £12 10s. Wheat is readily saleable at 5s 6d ; i and we understand that at auction as much as i 5s 7d was obtained. Feeding grains command ; no notice ; under the hammer feeding oats were , quitted at 4s 3d ; and for seed oats 4s 5d was i accepted. Maize is neglected ; sound is nominally valued afe 4s lOd, but there is no demand what- , ever. The sales of sugar comprise about 1,700 , bags of Mauritius, disposed of by auction, which i realised 34s for middling counters, and 36s 6d , for good ; 42s was got for middling, and 43s for i fine white crystals ; 2,400 teats of Java sugar , were offered at the same time, but the whole had i. to be passed in, the biddings not proving saUsfuct tory. We observe that the remainder of the i damaged portion of the Catherine's cargo, about ( 1,200 bags will be offered for sale to-morrow. . Teas are moved off in moderate parcels. A line , of heavy weights of half-chests of low medium s congous was placed at close on Is sd. In metals, , we learn of the sale of a shipment to arrive of , 100 tons of boiler plates, at within a trifle of £12. , A parcel of 100 tons of hematite iron was cleared off at £6 ss. Kerosene oil is looked upon with much favor, though sales are prevented by the .. stiffness of holders. A thousand cases of Downer's, besides other brands, have changed hands at an advance on late recorded sales. In : spirits there is little to iiotice. We are informed . that Messrs Otard and Co. are so dissatisfied . with the prices obtained for their case brandies for some time past in this market, that they eon- : template withdrawing them altogether.

Wednesday, March 3. ■Brandy, 118 gals , £7o i 3 (Qeneva, 45 gals 26 18 2 Whisky, 68 gals 40 18 5 Bum, 31 gals 18 15 7 Tea, 15601bs ... ... 39 0 0 \ £195 13 5 Thursday, March 4. Whisky, 36 gals £2119 2 Ironmongery 18 18 0 £40 17 5