The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-24 00:00:00

anything but cheerful for the, holders. At present it Is
impossible to move barrel flour. Even of Italtall and
Gallego there are no sales to report. Californian has
been sold by auction at £l6. It is considered very infe-
rior. The stocks of flour are large at this season of the
year. In Melbourtie alone the quantity on hand is believed
to be 8,000 tons. In Adelaide there ie a large quantity of
old flour ; the new harvest season will commence there
early in December, and the crops throughout the country
are reported to be unusually good. Wheat of the ensuing
crops has already been sold in Adelaide at 4s 6d, and
flour there is only worth £lB to £l9, with a downward
tendency. At the same time, it, is to be observed, that
the wheat crops in this colony are by po means promis-
ing. The Weather throughout the season has been alto-
gether too wet, and the harvest, in all probability, will be
considerably under the average. Wheat maintains its
price in Melbourne better than might have been expected,
and we can report a sale of New Zealand at Bs.
Provisions : We can report considerable transactions
in hams and bacon, but without any improvement in
prices. Some holders have realised higher prices for
superior artieles: Belfast hams, Sinclair's and Coey's,
have realised Is Old to is ld, and Adams's hams have
realised also is ld. Billing's tmerican hams have realised
10d. It is the same with butter, old butter has been sold as
low as 4d•to sd, but really prime has brought. Is to is Old,
and a sale is reported of Honan's seconds at is Id. The
May and dune shipments were inferior, the July were
very good, and the August fair. Prime cheese does not
realise more than Is ld, but. it is likely to adVance at this
season. A sale of double Gloucester at Is 2d is reported.
Paints, Oils, and Colours : It should be noted that
common white lead is worth only 283 to SOs ; indeed none
but the best is saleable.
Metals: There is no Swedish iron in the market, Sheet
iron is worth £l6 to F-20, and galvanised, plain light
guage, is very firm. at .640 to £45. Muntz metal has been
sold at is 24•1 per lb, and sheet lead, assorted, at £3O to
£3l per ton. Tin plates are improving. Rolled light
sheet zinc is worth t3B to £4O.

Building Materials ; Sales of slates are reported at our
quotations. Timber is decidedly advancing. There is a
great demand, and the improvement is at least Id per
foot; but there aro heavy stocks in the neighbouring
colonies. American white pine has been sold in quantity
at £l4 to £l6, according to assortment:
Drugs and Chen:He-31s: Opium has taken a sudden star,:
partly In consequence of the rumoured proposal of a duty.
It is now worth Xl5O.

Soft Goods : In this department of trade business is
steady, and niest hllders are firm.
Sundries : Soda water bottles have advanced, and are
worth 35s to 40s. Paper, grey wrapping, is worth 4id to
6d; brown, aid to 4d. Coloured dewy is wanted. Corks
are in demand; Common are saleable at 2,. Mining tools
are in fair dema.nd at our prices. Fowling pieces are very
dull, but not unsaleable. Gunpowder, blasting, has sud
denly advancel, chiefly in consequence of the renewal of
building operations. It has been sold at 7d. English
canvas is very dull. Light woolpacks have been offered
at 3s 9d each, and 3 bushel bags, at 143 ad to 15s per doz.
Cordage—Europe has declined. Oakum is unsaleable.
Manilla 2-inch and under is worth £7O; above 2-inch, 463
to £67. _ _

671 d: The !limber of fine ships oh the berth has given
an impetus to the gold market. Enquiries have been
plentiful and prices looking upward this morning. The
current rates may be quoted at 16s 3d per oz for
Bendigo and Mount Alexander ; £3 16s 9d to £3 I7s for
Maryborough. Avoca, and Mount Korong ; 173 6d for
the Ovens ; and ,e 3 18s for Ballarat gold.
Money : In the money market there have been some

transactions at bank rates of discount-7 per cent for
under, and 8 per cent for over 90 days. Money is plentiful
at 8 per cent for mortgages on good properties, at 7 per
cent is is in demand. Exchange on London is quoted at
1 pm.

MELBOURNE LABOUR MARKET.

There is a continued demand for, servants of all classes,
both agricultural, pastoral, and 'domestic ; of the latter
class, really thorough good feMale servants are very
scarce and much wanted.

Mechanical labour in its varied branches is in general
fully employed, and rates of wages are firm.
The following are the ruling prices for the week :
With rations : Married couples, without families, from
to £B5 per annum; do., with families, dt,lo to £7O;
gardeners, 160 to £7O; grooms, £55 to £6O ; stockkeepers,
£6O to £7O do. ;. shepherds, £'3s; hutkeepers, .425 to £3O
do. ; general farm servants, 25s to 30s per week; mowers,
8s per acre ; haymakers, 25s to 303 per week ; hay cutting,
7s to 8s per ton ; bullock drivers on the roads, 30s to 35s
per week; do. on stations, 25s do. ; -sheep shearers, 16s to
183 per hundred sheep; sheepwashing, 6s per day; men
cooks, £7O to £9O per annum';; female -do., £4O to £5O
do. ; thorough female servants. 4.39 to 435 do.; house-
maids, £3O do. ; laundresses, £35 do. ; nursemaids, .e2O
to 4.30 do.- The following are considered the standard
weekly rations :-12 lbs beef or mutton, 10 lbs flour, 2 lbs
sugar, 1 lb tea.
Without rations : Compositors, Is 4rl per thousand ;
do., by the week, £4 4s ; pressmen, £4 4s to 44 103 do. ;
carpenters, 123 to 153 per day; masons, 15s do. ; plasterers,
153 do.; bricklayers, 14s to 15s do. ; blacksmiths, 15s to
17s 6d do. ; quarrymen, 103 do. ; woodsplitters and
fencers, 5s to 7s per ton; fencing by the rod, material to
split only, 6s ; labourers on the roads, 93 to 103 per day,
wood, water, and tents found.
There is more demand for sailors. For home or the
east, x 7 per month ; in coasters, ,e 6 to £7 ; cooks and
stewards, £7 to £8; mates, for coasters, £9 per month.