COMMERCIAL.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 629, 24 June 1876, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

♦ The land sold at the Waste Lands Board on Thursday and Friday amounted to 3382 acres 3 roods 18 perches, realising £6996 Vs 6d, situated in the, following districts:—

The grain market continues very flat, with little indication of any present Improvement in prices, here or in the neighboring colonies. Late advices report the outside markets completely glutted, more especially with oats, and in the face of this traders exhibit little inclination to operate at prices now asked. Although exports of grain;have lately been limited, a good demand for prime milling wheat for local use still exists, fair samples realising from 4s to 4s 2d. Oats are very dull, and although there Is now little or no demand, holders refuse to sell under Is Bd, but sales are very difficult to effect at this figure, in fact, we doubt if a large line if placed on the market would fetch over Is 8d to Is 7d. Prime malting meets with a ready sale at 3s 6d to 3s 9d; inferior unsaleable. Millers report a fair export trade in flour, at £lO 10s in sacks. Potatoes are freely offering at 12s 6d to 455, at which figure gome sales have been effected, but buyers do not care about paying this price ixcept for immediate shipment, and as producers are disinclined to ac"3ept less, they are in many cases being pitted. A good outside inquiry is experienced for butter and Ck ese, but as considerable quantities have lately been brought in for sale, prices are scarcely so firm. For prime butter we quote Is Id; cheese, BJd. A good export trade In hams and bacon is advised, curers quoting at 9d bare, and 9ld cloth. We hare to report very few transactions in the import markets during the past week, which may be partly accounted for by the fact that several large importers will be taking stock at the end of / this month, and consequently decline buying till j July. Sugars and teas have been moving off in trade parcels only, at full rates. Hennessy’s bulk brandy has changed hands in parcels at 7s Bd. "Wolfe’s schnapps have shown activity, several large parcels have been sold at 22s 6d. Good second brands in brandy, such as Bisquit de Bouche’s, Clouzeau’s, Denis Mounie’s, and Jules Robin’s, have been quitted at 6s 3d to 6s 9d. Hennessy’s case brandy is very scarce, and worth E2s. Danville’s case and bulk whisky is out of stock at present ; we hearof parcels sold to arrive at 17s, and 5s Sd to 6s, i.b. Bottled ales and stouts have hung on hand during the week. Bass's bulk ale has been sold to arrive at £9 10s, for small parcels of 5 to 10 hhds. Port wiues are in good demand at 10s to i2s, i.b„ according to quality and brands. Morton’s castor oil has been quitted at Ss 4d to fis 6d, and salad oil at 6s 4d to 6s 5d (half-pints.) Fine salt has been sold at £4 10s, delivered, and £4 4s at Lyt- ; coarse is offered freely at £4 to £4 2s fid, aOthing new to report, with the exception that the former is offered freely at 18s 9d delivered in V Christchurch. The ship Euterpe cleared to-day for London, taking about 1200 tons wheat, and quantity of wool, skins, and tallow. Messrs J, T. Ford and Co report on the live stock market for the week ending Friday, the 22nd inst, as follows— 4Bßß sheep, 274. head of cattle, and 72 j pigs were yarded at Addington on Wednesday last. | Our sales for the day were—On account of the llou John Hall, Messrs W. C. and A. J. Walker, of the Mount Possession Station; Hopkins, Clarkson Brothers, Keith, jun., 11. M. Bovey, Holmes. Lunn, jun., and others At, for Messrs Walker Brothers 1332 store merinos, each 3s lOd ; account Mr II op - kins, 63 crossbreds, each 15s, account Clarkson i~ Brothers, 79 crossbred, each 9s: account R. M. Bovey, ;52 merino wethers, each 6s ; account Mr J. Holmes, 290 merino wethers, each 5s 9d: account Mr W. Keith, jun, 239 merino wethers, each 7s; and on account of the Hon John Hall, springing heifers, from £lO 10s to £ll each. We cannot re port any advance in beef or mutton. The top price for beet may be quoted at 27s 6d per lOOlbs, and about 2d per lb for mutton; prices at this season of L* the year that can leave but small, if any, margin to a the graziers. The few factories that are in opera- ■ Hon are but slowly taking away our surplus halfVfat and worn-out sheep, and the fact must be very W patent to those who weekly watch our markets that ~ sheep of that class, and in fact every other, are fast outgrowing our population. There whs a time, before our farmers on reclaimed land had reared self-supporting flocks, that the old stale merino wether and worn-out miserable crawling ewe could be worked off; but, wisely, now men have awoke to the fact that they are not adapted to rich grass paddocks, and Leicesters and Lincolns, possessing more aptitude to fatten with less inclination to roam have taken their place, and we feel certain that unless some great effort is made before another year for converting this class of stock, they will become almost unsaleable, and a Eerfect drug in our market. Speaking of factories rings forcibly beiore us £ gain the extreme folly of the people of Canterbury in allowing the Templeton factory to be sold and closed. We are quite aware that the few shareholders who started aud supported the institution reaped but)little or no benefit, but what indirect value did its working cast over »-4ifee flocks of the province. Compare the prices of ' 1873-1874 with the ruling ones for our best quality sheep, and wtrflnd In this corresponding month of June a drop of from 20 to 25 per cent. Stores at the period also were in active demand for grazing purposes, and our weekly markets full of life. We offer these remarks for what they may bo worth, and trust that before another year—say before next January, our farmers and graziers will combine with the squatters, starting boiling down establishments in different parts of the province. All interested in pastoral matters should contribute according to their flocks and means, and very soon a healthier state in . the stock market would be felt.

4 A. E. V. Timaru 315 0 0 KUesmere 415 0 0 Banks’ Peninsula 80 0 0 TVaipara 45 G 1 18 Eakaia 118 0 0 Ashburton 2098 0 0 Town of Ashburton 0 2 0