MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL. Daily Southern Cross Office,

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XX, Issue 2103, 16 April 1864, Page 4

MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL. Daily Southern Cross Office,

Fnday Evening, Apiil 15. The week has passed over without any commercial event of paiticulai impoitance having occuned. Business still continues pietty bilsk, aud the fiequent demands for Commissauat supplies gives an impetus to it. We have noticed alieady the veiy welcome leduction which had beeu made in the price of meat by pome of the butcheis, an example which we aie glad^to say is being followed by otheis. The huge importations of cattle which have lately taken plac u have, of coiuse, been the cause of this; and we aie glad to see that no unnecessaiy obstructions are being placed in the w.iy of a continuance of them, where they can be made with safety. For some time past there has been a iostiiction against the importation of cattle from Cfi|>p<. Land, Victoiia, but the 'Kate Wateis' having m lived fiom theie with a cargo of cattle in pi iine condition, and it being made known that Gipps Land is not an infected district, a pioclamatiou has appeared in the Provincial Government Gazelle removing the restriction, and thus making it law ful to impoit cattle fiom that place. While meat has fallen to Sd. per lb. , and the conttactois who aie supplying it to the Commissaiiat at 11-fd. per lb. aie gaining the benefit of it, flour on the other hand has lisen to an unpaialleled piice, £30 per ton, and the conliactois, who aie supplying it at about half that piice, must lose heavily by it. They have, of course, given notice to teuninate their contiact, and new tendeis have been accepted to come into operation on the Ist July next. The lowest tender aud the accepted one was by Mr. C. J. Stone, for £2i Bs., and it is undeistood that the other lenders weie for £25, £28 10s , aud £20. Of coiuse there is a good deal of speculation in the matter, some believing that flour will be down to a reasonable figure before then, and that the new contractor will make a good thing of it, while otheis think that flour will be high for some considerable time to come. Several vessels had ariived at California fiom China, foi breadstuff-, which had laised the price of wheat it is said, 6d. per bushel, and the demand from Australia and New Zealand would no doubt further inciease the piice. The fust shipments, however, will no doubt pay tne snippets, but after that the price will piobably go up. However, there appeals to be no immediate prospect of the piice being i educed, as we perceive that 1,200 tons of flour had been bought in Austialia at £2i 10s., for shipment to New Zealand, and the fi eight and charges for such of it as reaches heie, must at least amount to £5 moie. Several flourladen vessels are now on their way heie fiom Adelaide and other ports. There is no change to note in the general state of the maikets.