The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-05 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

The following are further extracts from the Aus-
tralian papers, brought to Suez per European, by
the overlaud mail via Marseilles. Tile latest ad-
vices are dated Melbourne,'March 15, mid Sydney,
March 11.

VICTORIA:
The Melbourne Age of March 14 bears witness :
—" During the last lour mouths the building trade
of Melbourne has been brisker than at aray forgoer
period. The activity has not at all dimirrshed up
to the present time, and judging front tha largo
number of first-class budding now in progress, both
in town and suburbs, it will he a lone ere,there
is a cry of no work. This state of things has c aus-gcl
considerable demand for skill, d labour ; and me-
chanics generally art now receiving 25 pier cent.
higher wages for the day.rof eight hours than they
received twelve months since
.for the day of ten
hours. The following may be 'quoted as a fair
ditto; carpenters,ston
average of the wages now rulingin and about Mel-
bourne :—Bricklayers, 18s. , per day of eight hours ;
7i;6ss.todniettoca;rvzso,nr,§l.6t3o.
a2OO. s;..
stone cutters,
labourers, 10s. to 125." ditt6; sawyers, I Os. rer
100 feet. As regards agricul'irral-lab,,ur, there
is a geod demand in every part of the c luny, par-
ticularly in the remotedistrizts, such as GippsLan'l
and the extreme western counties. A large
number of Government contracts are also in- ore' a-
ion, and this tends to keep up the price of unskill-d
labour. On many 'of the dgggings labdure'A o'n
st 11 command a pound and in some instances even
255. a day. It must, howerer, be bone in mind
that they are not what would be called labourers
in the old country. They are men who can use the
axe, the maul, and wedges, the adze and the cross-
cut saw. They can. go int • the fore 4 and tern out
slabs for " a claim ou the gold fields. They can
furnish, pal ng for a hut, and build it and furni4h
it t r the satisfaction of the most fastidious of diggers' .
wives. We must not be understood as stating that
there is at present anything like a positive scarcity
of labour throughout the colony, however. It is a
long time since there was such an approach to an
equilibrium between the demand and supply. The
days of rapid fortune making seem to be- oVer at
most of the diggings, and m;ning promises to be
come for the future amenable to the ordinary vicis-
situdes of c munerce. At some of the diggiegs
indeed lalnur has twen so scantily rewarded thst
the people have deserted en masse. It is quite
possible, too, that a very deserving and industrious
person may reside in this busy city for weeks with-
out obtaining suitable work. Victoria is still the
Paradise of hard handed labour ; but there is a
plethora of professional men, surveyors, clerks, &c.
Those who cannot positively "rough it" a little,
had better stay at home.
• Of the state of trade and shipping the Melbourne
Age, of March 14, says :
Already we are feeling:, the be. nefi's of regular
steam counnunica.ion with the old country, simul-
taneously with the last traces of injury arising from
excessive and ill-timed shipments. The rapid and
regular communication with the home country will
doubtless work wonders in reforming the system
which hgs hitherto prevailed among British com-
mercial boos-s, but it is a pity that, at the, moment
of the establishment of s earn postal service, our
markets should once more Rave been swamped
with goods in such immense quantities that it is
almost utterly impossible for our population to con-
sume them. At no period since the memorable
crisis of 1854 have our merchants felt such difficulty
iu effecting an outlet for their goods. The trade
has passed out of the hands of those who fortuetly
held it—a new compering class has arisen—and
those who were once the best custom,-rs of the ori-
ginal imparter4 are now found keenly contesting
the market with them on almost equal grounds.
Extensive retail dealers now find it worthwhile to
commission buyers visiting England. to purchase for
cash in the home markets such articles in their

line as Australian buyers know will suit the colonial
market. Melbourne traders willingly pay an ad-
vance of 2i per cent, on the ordinary commission

for the execution of their orders by parties sl well up
to what will suit the local trade. The more rapid
steAmerintPrcommunication between Victoria and

----
England is likely to lead to quite a commercial—re-
volution in purchasing from wholesale houses. The
moneyed shopkeeper no longer depeiris for r.,cruit-'
ing or supplying his stock upon English houses,
nor on the selections and pricHS of colonial impor-
ters, when he coin avail himself of the services of
one of his own class, who finds it worth while to
become a special or general buyer for a good per
cert tge. No rt)uht these steamers will be exten-
sively ii3ed in this way in future, and our mer-
chants should bestir themselves !Est they b 3 cut
out of the market.

Our imports continue to present a_large excess

iponyur exports, amounting from J try Ito

March 7 to -174,0001. One of the chief points at
present is the exceedingly depressed state of the
flour market, but, as prices are now thought to
have reached their minimum, and as there is a dis-
position to store goods, in anticipation of a better
demand, the market is likely to take a start iu the
right direction. Already there si-ems same im•

provement ; as we have heard of some offers ht 141.
10s. for the three fine Adelaide brands, which wero
refused. Horse food is very scarce, and seems t
be the only class of article in which the market
displays anything like activity, Colonial oats are
in great demand at 9s. for good samples ;
9s. ; bran, 2s. to 2s. ld. For the latter salts have
been effected at ls. 11d., but only in order to save
storage.