Commercial.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 248, 31 October 1872, Page 5

Commercial.

The sale of flour has been rather dull this week, prices are however maintained, aud trade lots move at Ll3 to Ll3 l&s. Second class flour meets with a fair inpuiry at LIO. Oatmeal is becoming quiet, and the demand may be expected to hi lighter as the season advances. Small lots are quoted at Lll 10s in bags, parcels are selling und'T this price. Bran is firoi ;iu L 4. Pollard, L 5 103. There has been a good business done in milling wheat. Several parcels have been placed at 5s 3d and 5s 4d, and there is not now much available in the market. Second class wheat has no sale. Fowl wheat finds bnyeis at 3s 3d In oats there has been a brisk enquiry, for feeding kinds at 2a to 2s 2d, and for milliug at 2s 2d to 2s 3d. There is no barley offering. Malting samples are worth 6a 6tl, and inferior ss. Potatoes, L 5 10s to LG ; 'hay, X 3 15s ; chaff, L 3 15s ; straw,. L 2 ss. , A. Mercer reports for the week ending October 26 : — Retail prices only. -Fresh bntter is half and lib prints, bes-. quality Is to Is Id per lb ; second qualicy, lid to Is j fresh butter in lnmpi, lOd to Is ; powdered and salt butter, lid to Is ; second qualityunasked for, and quite unsaleable. Fresh butter is plentiful as ever, and a still further decline in prices might have been reported but for the fact that a good up country demand for new srason salt butter exists at lid to ll^dper lb. Cheese is in good request, good samples, are however, scarce, and worth from 8d to 9d per lb ; second quality, 6d per lb. Side and rolled bacon is fetching 9d to lOd per lb. Eggs are not quite so abundant this week, and are a shade higher, being worth 93. to lOd ptr doz. Meiers Gillies and Street sold at aunction, to-day, 988 acres of land at Lovell's Flat to Messrs Sord Brothers, of il»o Taieri, for L 3.000.

Messrs M'Landress, Hepburn, and Co. offered for sale by auction to-day the cargo of new season's sugars, ex Ocean Monarch. There was a large attendance ; and it will be seen that good prices were obtained, especially for the commoner sorts. 'J here were 19 lots, comprising 14,112 bags, all of which except two, comprising 1669 bags, and about 840 bags of another lot, were sold. Tho following were the prices realise.! :— Finest white crystals, L4O to L 42 10s ; tine do do, L 37 to L 39 7s 6d ; finest yellow crystals, L 36 7s 6d to L 36 17s 6d ; fine do do, L 36 5s to L 36 10* j good browns, L355»t0L351796d.

"' " Supposed Case or Drowning. — A miner named John M 'Donald has been missing since 14th October. He was last seen on the bank of the Nevis river ; and the impression prevails at Clyde that he has been 'drowned in that river. Building Stone. — Architects in

Melbourne have sent to Mr Hunter, the proprietor of the Kakanui quarries, for prices of the Kakanui building stone, samples of which are highly thought of there. It seems probable that ib will come into extemive demand by our Australian neighbors.

Railway Plant. — The ship Palmerston having on board three engines and other m-iterial for the Clutha Railway, sailed from Hamburg on the 29th July, aud may be therefore expected to arrive shortly The pngincs were made by Messrs Neilson, of Glasgow, and. weigh sixteen tons each without loading. Each ha 3 six wheels coupled, so that they may be expected to be very effective. Besides the plant for the Clutlia Railway, the Palraerston has on board 267 tons of material for the Waitaki Bridge. The ship Bulwark lately arrived in Aucklack with 300 tons of material for the same structure. After deliveriuj; the cargo consigned to Auckland, the Bulwark will sail for Port Chalmers. Personal. — There are many in this Province who will be glad to hear that information was received iv Melbourne by the last Suez mail as to the progress towards recovery of Mr B. C. Aspinall. Be has himself written to his friends in that city speaking in most favorable terms of the prospect of an early resumption of the duties of his profession. j Accident. — We regret to learn that Mr Frederick Fulton met with a severe acci- - dent yesterday, at the flax mill. West Taieri, „ by which his left arm was broken and the flesh severely torn. He was scutching some flax, when his arm was drawn into the machine, and the bones broken between the wrist and the elbow. His hand was not hurt. He went to the Hospital, and was immediately attended to. It is hoped amputaion will not be needed.— Star, 22nd. Amicable Neighbors. — Halfway Bay (Lake), which possesses only half a dozen settlers, is noted for endless litigation, and for the envy, hatred and malice often existing there. The raost recent calamity that has fallen upon this pretty settlement is the destruction during Monday night of fire or six stacks of oats and barley, on Mr R. Howarth's farm. Two of the settlers were absent. The news was brought up last evening by tbe Antrim steamer, and the damage done is estimated at L 350. This is a very heavy loss to Mr Howarth. There is little doubt that ill-blood has been begotten over some law case, and that the fire was one of incendiarism. Very recently Mr Howarth's steamer, the- Victoria, had her mooring unloosened, and, we hear, drifted with a good breeze to Kingston, when she bas brought- to, without injury, by her anchor in shallow water. It was quite possible, however, for her to have run on the rocks between that Bay and Kingston— a distance of twelve miles. The authors of these diabolical deeds are, of course, most difficult to trace, as they invariably choose the midnight hours. We trust, however, that a large reward will be offered, and the culprits discovered. — Wakatip Mail. Immigration. — By the mail, the Colonial Government has received intimation that the Agent-General has arranged for the despatch of the following vessels from London with immigrants :- For Auckland and Southland, Agnes Muir, to sail on Aug. 30 ; for Otago, Christian M'Auslaud, Sept. 3 ; for Napier, Chile, Sept. 12 ; for Canterbury, Pleides, Sept. 10 ; for Wellington, a ship, Sept. 20. "Whale Fishing. — We learn that Bradshaw's party have obtained and sold whalebone and oil to the value of L 1,218, 218 5s 6d, and that Ellison's party at Waikouaiti had realised over LSOO from whales captured during the last season, a period of about five moaths. During the above period six -whales were got by iJradsliaw's party j three others were also captured, but were lost through bad weather, night coming on, or there being no vessel at hand to give assistance. Had a suitable vessel been in attendance, not only might this loss have been prevented ; but the operations might have been carried on beyond the limits of the shore, for hundreds of whales were said to have been seen in the offing. Salmon for New Zealand.— "Anglo Australian," in the European Mail, writes : — I am extremely glad to learn that a further experiment in salmon is about to be attempted by our enterprising colonists at the Antipodes. The success which has attended the shipments of salmon ova to Tasmania, notwithstanding many prediction? by scientific savants and others to the contrary, affords every encouragement to the New Zealand Acclimatisation Societies to persevere in their enterprise. The whole subject will require the most careful management and the exercise of sound discretion. The voting of Ll,ooo, more or less, is a very simple business, and the ordering of salmon ora to be sent out a still more easy one ; none, however, but those who have had actual experience of the difficulties attending suck an undertaking can form any adequate idea of the care, anxiety, and vmremittitig attention the deportation of salmon ova to the Antipodes implies ; and if success should happily attend this new effort, Dr Featherston's name will be as affectionately treasured by future epicureans in New Zealand as that of Mr Yottl is likely to be in Tasmania. If, in spite of the misgivings and prognostications of scientific men, as to parallels of latitude, temperature of waters, &c, the noble salmon should prove a success in the Soutn Pacific, the gentlemen whose names I . 'have given will certainly be associated in the apothesis that a generation new unborn will extend to Colonial benefactors in general.

- Ornithological. — Thesecondpartof Dr. Buller's magnificent work on the Birds of New Zealand has just been published. It contains the same number of plates as the former one, all of which are carefully colored by hand, and represent the birds in most life-like attitudes. The letterpress extends to seventy pages, and affords evidence of very careful scientific research. A list of present subscribers is also published, containing many names of distinction in science and literature, and headed by his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Germany. It appears from this list that, out of an edition of 500 copies, more than 350 are already taken; ' and those Colonists who are anxious to possess themselves of this standard work should apply for copies before it is too late. The prospectus states that all communications should be addressed to tbe author, at 7 Westminster Chambers, London, B.W. The reviews of part I. that have appeared in the various scientific journals are all of a most favorable kind. The "Academy" pronounces it " a work of real excellence — clear, instructive, and not overloaded with unnecessary detail." The Zoologist says that "it contains a vast amount of the soundest Natural history teaching, and seems to combine in an eminent degree the new with the true*" Nature, in a review of four columns a'cordsthe author much praise^ and other competent authorities speak in higK terms of the scientific value of the work.

A Difference — Apropos of the high, rates of prwi telegrams in Jfaw

Zealand, it may he mentioned that, according to a Olasgoio Herald just to hand, that paper sometimes takes 11,000 words of a Parliamentary debate in on» message at a cost of only L 5. The same message, at our rates, would cost a newspaper L 22.

Price of Coals. — Messrs Findlay have placed at our disposal a Newcastle telegram, dated October 11, which states that the price of coal there has been raised to eleven shillings a ton. The Lambton colliery has so far refused to increase the prices, and is still undecided ; but if it goes in with the rest, a corresponding increase in prices here must be anticipated.

i A Good Suggestion. — A correspon- ' dent writes suggesting that the telegraph ; department should follow the example of • Victoria, and isstie message forms in which columns are provided, &o that persons using them can at a glance see how many words are contained The public would thus be ■ greatly convenienced, and the telegraph clerks saved a good deal of trouble. Sporting. — We regret to learn that Lady Antrim, a fine mare, the property of Mr J. Stevenson, while taking a trial gallop on the Forbury course this morning, injured her back co much by a sprain aa to completely disable her. Mr Ferguson, the veterinary surgeon, considers she may so far recover as to become a useful brood mare. The accident is the more to be regretted as i she seemed likely to have taken a good position for the Derby at Christchurch. — Star, 24th. New Insurance Company. — The allocation of the shares in the South British Insurance Company has been made as follows : — Auckland, 150 shareholders, holding 7305 shares ; Dunedin, 147 shareholders, holding 6675 shares ; Christcburch, 180 shareholders, holding 5187 shares ; Wellington and Wanganui, 229 shareholders, holding 4270 shares; Nelson, 38 shareholders, holding 15G3 shares ; total, 744 shareholders, holding 25,080 shares. A good business has been done in each of the Provinces. The paid-up capital, when a call of 5s per share is paid, will be L 18; 750; while the New Zealand Insurance Company started with a capital of L 6.500. Canterbury Affairs. — A few days ago we gave- an extract from the Lyttelton Times, which predicted that on the publication of the next balance-sheet of that Province, it would be found that the policy of the Fox- Vogel Government, as carried into effect there, had a most beneficial effect upon the revenue. Those predictions have been fully realised, for the balance sheet for the quarter ended 30th September last, just published, shows that the Provincial coffers are overflowing. The gross credit balance on June 30 was L 122.019 Iss 9d, and the cross receipts since then up to September 30, were L 78,143 17s 4d. The total expenditure for the same period was L 57,810 15s, and the credit balance at the end of the quarter was L.142,353 11s Bd. The Canterbury Provincial Council meets shortly, and will have close upon L 150,000 at its disposal. Canterbury Kailways. — Will New Zealand raisways pay? is a question often asked ; and is in some measure answered by the working of the railways in Canterbury. The last monthly returns of traffic upon the lines there show that the increase, which has been going on from year to year, is being steadily kept up. In September last the receipts of the Christchurch and Lyttelton line were L 3377, against a total last year for the same month of L 2446 ; the Great South line LBl9, against a total of L 646 for the same period last year, and the Great North line L 65 5; or a grand total of L4SSI, against L 3093 for the corresponding month of last year. Preserved Meat. — This afternoon, at the office of Messrs Webb and Fulton, we were afforded the opportunity of comparing some English preserved beef with samples from the Otago Meat Preserving Company, prepared by a new process recently patented by Mr Loughnan, the manager, The English beef was in excellent condition, somewhat overcooked, hub of good quality, and well flavored. Judging from tbe appearance when taken from the tin, it had had shrunk much more than the samples produced by the Otago Campany. We consider the flavor of the beef and mutton preserved here fully equal, if not superior, to the English sample; and a tin of corned beef was so tender and well-flavored, that a demand must spring up for the breakfast table whenever its qualities become known. We consider the advantage to be clearly on the side of the Colony, because, while the meat preserved at the Otago Company's works is equally t nder, juicy, and richly flavored, there is an evident saving in weight, to what extent, however, we haH not the opportunity of judging.— Star, 25th. Immigration.- An English correspondent of the Independent writing at the end of August, says : — "The Lady Jocelyn sails for Canterbury with 181 immigrants, 52 of whom are single men sent out by Messrs Brogden to Otago. Amongst the rest for Canterbury were about 40 single females. The lady Jocelyn also brings out the new Bishop of Dunedin. Besides these three ships, a fourth, the Palmerston, was despatched from Hamburgh on the 29th July, with 228 adults, making a total of 575 adult emigrants for the month of July, This mouth (August) the pretty iron ship Glenara left the dock with nearly sixty adults for Wellington, and I understand that the Christian M'Ausland, for Otago, and the Chile, for Napier, are fixed to leave early in September with nearly 450 emigrants on board, all of whom are to be sent out under the contract entered into with John Brogden and Sons. The Pahnerston's emigrants are, I hear, nearly all people accustomed to farm work ; about 108 are Germans, 70 Norwegians, and 70 Danes. Amongst them are 49 single females. lam given to understand that the German Government downwards to the burgomaster are increasing the difficulties in the way of procuring emigrants from Northern Germany." Introduction of Grouse to Auckland. — The Herald of the 30th ult., says :—: — *' We are glad to learn that the Acclimatisation Society are expecting a shipment of grouse by the Queen Bee, and heartily trust the birds will survive the voyage. Two years ago, Mr F. Larkworthy, of London, to whom we are indebted for the first introduction of Californian quail into the colony, collected subscriptions to the amount of nearly 1.50 specially to defray the heavy expenses connected with the introduction of grouse into this Province by the Acclimatisation Society. * After many failures and disappointments, he has procured a nnmber in good condition for ship* ment, and has forwarded the^first consignment of ten birds by the Queen Bee, which may be shortly expected. Other shipments will follow during the season. In the present case, every attention has been paid to the selection of food, and every precaution taken to ensure the birds receiving proper attention on the voyage. A stock of heather planted inJboxes filled with silver sand has been put on board, so as to afford them an occasional taste of their favorite food ; and printed directions for their feeding and treatment have been distributed about the ship, in the endeavor to enlist the interest of the passengers and crew in the undertaking. If this fine bird can be landed in good condition, it is probable there will be little difficulty i attending it* ftcolipatUfttion ia the southern

parts of the Province, where there are several native heathworts well calculated to afford good substitutes for the heather,£to which it is extremely partial."

Abolition of Imprisonment for Debt. — This Bill will come into operation on the first of November next, after which date "no person shall be arrested or imprisoned for making default in payment of any sum ordered to be paid by a Resident Magistrate or Justice or Justices of the Peace " The operation of this clauso we presume, though it is not clearly stated, applies to debts contracted after the passing of the Act. It seems reasonable that it should not apply to claims or liabilities existing before its passing. That there are many debts contracted in a knavish kind of waythere can bo no doubt. In any case the terms of accommodation might be left free for existing contracts between debtor and creditor. This is only equitable. We observe that tbe clause contains a 'proviso, which exceptsall claims under theGrdinance for the support of destitute families and illegitimate children. So far the Bill may be said to meet the wishes of the general public. But we confers to some surprise iat the vagueness of the other saving clauses. One would have thought that the Courts of concurrent jurisdiction would have j sufficient power left to see to the execution of their own judgment. We cannot see the necessity for saving clauses, which appear to us supererogatory, but it is fair to presume that the practice of Courts of law in New Zealand makes them desirable, if not necessary. There is a provision for the discharge of persons who would not be liable to imprisonment after the passing of tbe Act. There does seem reason to doubt the expediency of the clause, unless it can be 3ho\vn that persons have been in custody fcr long periods through the perverse vindictiveness of creditors. We like this Act very much. It had been better if some of its saving clauses did not cover scarcely possible contingencies. We cannot see any reason for disturbing present adjudications. There are some verbal amendments that might be made Ayith advantage. A definition is of very little use if it has to be defined. — New Zealand Herald.