COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 1137, 7 April 1869, Page 2

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Times- Opwcb,

Tuesday Evening. The following are the Customs returns for — Monday, April 5.

Mr Obbobnb, Auctioneer, reports having sold at auction, yesterday, 6th inst., the store in. Jedstreet, known at BoxahV, fop the sum 1 of £117 10s. At his sale of floor, the same day, there was. not a numerous attendance of buyers, but a few tona were quoted at £15 ss. The balance will be offered this day. By the arriral of the s.s. Bangitoto, we are in receipt of our usual Northern files. The following commercial intelligence is from, the ' Ofcago Daily Times' of the sth inst : — The business of the week just closed has in the aggregate been but moderate, the last day or two witnessing the only transactions of any magnitude which have gone forward. The delay in the receipt of the English mails, to hand only late this afternoon, has, no doubt, prevented operations in several of the staples, and aided in keeping trade dull.. There is very little alteration in- the general market to note, butjthe tone of Melbourne advices will tend to stiffen the value of more than one item, and for these any improvement in demand will induce rates at once. Breadstuffs have witnessed more life. Wheats have an.advancing tendency, and good parcels move readily at our quotations. Flour, from some unexplained cause, is not sharing in the improvement. The other grains have been in good enquiry, barley commanding full rates, and oats witnessing about the rates current at the early part of the week, though closing' with rather less firmnesß. Teas have had but little attention, and except in the quittance "of some trade parcels of good congous nothing has been observable. Sugars are again at higher rates, and with the advices to hand respecting these goods, it is by no means improbable that our market will continue to advance. In the meantime our stocks are very bare, and for the present supplies are not likely to do otherwise than very small. Spirits of all kinds are at maintained prices, but not yet in any better ,enquiry, the trade sales of brandies, whis- j kies, and genevae ,wisnos9U)g but a slight con" sumption j » tetter bttimeas in th«s« goods is,

however, to be looked for immediately. Cornsacks have been working out of importers' hands the current rate for sales being 15s. There is an improved enquiry for bacon, but no change in value.. The. other items in provisions are quiet, butter and cheese from the northern Provinces standing respectively at about Is o\d to Is Id and7dto 7*d. Candles are in rather better demand, the quotations for the chief parcels in stock are, Brandon's, Hid; Belmonts, 12d. Kerosone is held for 2a 6d ; the quantity remain, ing in first hands is very trifling. Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co. report for the week ended the 3rd inst, as follows :— Fat Cattle — none yarded ; we sold a draft of 30 head at £10 ss, equal to 32s 6d per 100 lbs., which is the current rate for good quality beef. Fat sheep— about 300 merinos yarded, averaged 9s ; we sold, privately, 500 half-breds, at 13s. Prime Mutton is worth 2£d per lb., delivered in town. Fat Lambs we sold at auction at from 8s to 8s 6d each. Store Cattle— bullocks from three to five years old, are worth from £8 to £9; mixed mobs, from £7 to £8. We placed a mixed lot from Canterbury district, consisting of bullocks, cows, and yearlings, at £6 15s all round. On the Ist inst. we held a sale of stores at the North Taieri— cowb from £6 5s to £10 ; steers, from £5 2s 6d to £6 7s 6d ; yearlings at £3 10s. Horses — a shipment of 33 head, ex Lord Ashley from Wellington, were sold at our yard at an average of £11 10s. Quotations are for heavy draught, for which there is a better demand and but few offering, from £40 to £50; middling do, from £30 to £37; good hacks, from £20 to £25; light unbroken colts, from £8 to £13 ; light and weedy, from £3 10» to £7. On the 31st ultimo, we held our first sale of grain. There waß a fair attendance of buyers, and competition was animated. About 5000 bushels of oats (good samples) were quitted at from 2s 7id to 2b B£d per bushel ; barley, 4s 9d ; and a small parcel of wheat at 4s 2d per bushel. On the 2nd instant, sold by auction crops of barley and oats at the Woolshed, to be thrashed out and delivered on the ground. The fonnerT about 80 acres, brought from 8* 6d to 3s lOd ; and the latter, 88 acres, from Is 7id to 2s o£d per bushel. Oamabtj. — Commercially, intelligence is scant, and the condition of the grain market IB unaltered. The brigantine Swordfish cleared out yesterday for Melbourne with 537 bushels of! wheat, and 1590 bags oats. She has been most expeditiously loaded, having only come "to her anchorage at 11 o'clock on Tuesday morning, and having all her cargo aboard by the same hour yesterday. — ' Oamaru Times,' 20 inst.

Brandy, 44 gals £26 9 10 Old Tom, 8 gals .5 5 0 Wine, 101 gals ... ... 20 5 3 Tobacco, 203 lbs ... ... 25 7 6 £77 7 7 Tuesday, April 6. Brandy, 55 gals £33 13 2 Whisky, 70 gals 42 18 0 Tea, 4101bs ... ... 10 5 0 £86 16 2