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Tuapeka Times, Volume IV, Issue 220, 18 April 1872, Page 6

The Wool Trade. — The Pastoral Times continues at intervals to state the amount of money received as commission by the London wool-broking firms. In is issue of the 7th October last, our contemporary j»ave the gross sums received by three brokers — the highest on the list — viz. Messrs Jaeomb, Southey, and Hughe3, whose commissions in the four years was stated to have amounted to L 321,146 "We now, adds the Pastoral Times, "givethegross sums received by twoof the brokersnext en the list to those already given. The net earnings must be something princely, and we can well understand how they dare venture to ride the high horse over the woolgrowers." A table is given of " Colonial wools catalogued at the London wool sales during a period of four years, taking an average from 1861 to 1870, and sold by the undermentioned brokeis, amongvt the oldest in the tiade, showing the amount realised per annum by each broker of selling broker age and b ying brokerage.' From this table it is shown that " Messrs Simes received LBl 337, and Messrs Edenborough L 61.471 in four years — or, the firsG received upwards of L 20.000 per aniium, and the last upvvards of LI 6,01)0 per annum. It is possible that each of these brokers earned the large snms named. We do not say that they did not— they may have had to pay a good deal out of these sums for clerks and otlier men, but a glance at the matter will forthwith show how necessary it is that each broker should elect for himself that he will be either a selling or a buying broker, and not be both."

The Snow Blockade. —The San ! Francisco Mail of February 29th thus refers to the late snow blockade : — The snow blockade resulting from storms of exceptional severity, which impeded travel on the Union Pacific portion of the trans-conti-nental route, has come to an end, and New York and Nan Francisco are now no more days apart than they were before. Our mails are coming through in regular time, and our business men or tourists are making their overland trips with the full knowledge that they will arrive at their destinations according to the railroad time-tables. It will be interesting to our readers to learn the extent of the snow block which for a time impeded the connection between our farthest West and the utmost East of the American continent, One hundred and seventy miles out of the 3,200, (the distance between San Francisco and New York) was the total amount over which King Fro3t for a tipie held sway and although that space of the line was blocked, it was only at intervals. Probably not over twenty or thirty miles of the one hundred and seventy was for the time impassible ; the rest was easily cleared by the snow ploughs. No detention need be feared in the future, as the company, for its own interests, has taken care to erect snow fences in all exposed places, and has a powerful rival looming in the not-very-distant future, in the shape of the Southern Pacific Railroad, which will pass through less inhospitable regions. It is to be remarked that at our end of the line, the Central Pacific (California, Nevada, and Utah), has been kept clear throughout the winter. Indeed it is universally remarked by travel. ers that the Central Pacfic Railroad is the most solidly built, best equipped and provided line of any on the Continent,