Commercial.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 372, 11 July 1874, Page 2

Commercial.

SKENE'S LABOR EXCHANGE. Duned!*:, July 8.

The winter weather has as yet beern very mild, which is a great blessing, as many new arrivals have been able to take to the country. Mostly all the late arrivals are away from Dunediu. There is work of some sort for all ; but all our new chums are not suited for chance work. Many have good causo to say they have been sent here under false representations ; the agents afc homo are to blame for that. Female servants, farm people of all kinds, shepherds, and gardeners are short, and any of these lines are not likely to come here in such numbers as to glut the market, for the good reason that Great Britain cannot well spare them. There is the usual number of growlers going, about ; but such must have it out under any circumstance. Tradesmen have not lost mu^h. by broken weather as yet — August and September tell most on them. Wages at the following rates are still, good and firm : General servants, £35. £40, and £45 j superior do., £52 , farm hands, if good ploughmen, get £60 to £65 ; married do., £70 and £80 ; gardeners, £fa"o.to £70 ; shepherds the same. New arrivals must submit to smaller wages for a start ; day men get Bs. to 10s.; miners and tunnel inenaro highor ; lads and girls of all kinds are eagerly picked vp — too many youngsters are uneducated.

. Messrs. Dmveb, Stewart, and Co. report as follows foi 1 the week ending July Sbh :—: —

Fat' Cattle—^Only a moderate supply came forward for Iho weekly sale— say about 55 head — about lialf of which were inferior quality. Prime pens brought fully our quotations. We anticipate a full supply for next week, the trade in the nieantimo behig supplied from private sources. Best pens of bullocks brought up lo £10 10s; do. cows, £7 10s. Wo quote prime beef at 25d to 26s per 1001 b. We sold afc tho yards 35 head, and have placed 40 head privately, for forward delivery. Fill Calves. — A few were yarded, and brought from 27s 6d to 50s. Fa.fc Sheep. — About 1000 were penned, which, being for the most part good quality croasbraclsj wore disposed of as follows :— Prime cro9s-brodd, up to 17s ; do meriisocs, 12?. Wo quote best quality cross-breds, for immediate delivery, afc 3id per lb ; do. merinos, 2fd. "V\ r e soUl o.z tho ycvrclo--stao .at thp above quotations, and have placed 500 cross-breds for delivery next week.

Store Cattle. — Quiet good-qondifioned growi catl.ie are in demand, with tut a few offering. We have sold a few small lotsduring the week, at £4 to £5 for bullocks, £3 to £3 10s for cows.

-Store Sheep. — A good demand still exists for eroas-breds, 4-tooth and upwards, afc 11s to 12s ; do 2-tooth,9a to 10a ; lnrahs, 7s to S3; young merino ewes, in lamb, 8s to 10s ; do. full-mouth eJ, 5s to 6d GJ ; wethers, 6s 6J to 7s 6d. We have placed 1200 of various sorts during tho week. Wool. — We have no further intelligence from the Home market since date oi" our last. At auction to-day we submitted a number of odd lots, 'but only a few bales were sold, biddings being devoid of spirit, -while the pricea offered did not come up to owners' expectations. There was a fair attendance of buyers.

Sheepakins. — There was but a very limited number forward for our sale tO-day, but buyers were apparently move eager to do business in these than in wool. We quote butchers' green skins, merinos, at 2s 8d to 2s lOd j crosi-breds, from 3s 6d to 3s 9d. Di-y station skins, from Is 4d to ss, according to quality.

Hides. — We offered 13 ( 0 to-day, all of which were disposed of aii fair prices : say/ for light weights, 14s 6d to lGs ; medium to heavy, 17s to 20s 6d.

Tallow. — We offered a quantity to-day, but in the absceuce of several buyers the whole ■was passed' in. Grain. — The market remains quiet, thore being a fair local demand for all descriptions, but an .entire absence of speculative inquiry. We quote wheat at — inferior to ordinary, 4s to 4s 3d ; good to prime, 4s 6d to 4s 9d. Oats, at from 4s Id to 4s 3d for'good to fine feeding, and 4s 4d for prime milling. Barley of inferior 1 to ordinary quality' is offering freely, but really prime malting is scarce. Quotations — 4s to 4s 6d for inferior and medium, and 4s 9d to os 3d for good to prime.