COMMERCIAL.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15989, 25 August 1917, Page 11

COMMERCIAL.

♦ iUy CaV.c Press Association. —Copyright.) (Australian and K.Z. Cable Association.) BANK OF ENGLAND RETURNS. LONDON, August 23. Thr. Rank of England returns issued Bn %dSr, A,w»t ad. ** following comparison Aucuat 15. August 22. £ £ * . , 31.087,000 51,633,000 ' Coin '**' " yo 011.000 32.669,000 ' Kescrvc •• Proportion o£ xcfierve to j,-j | ll ?:| 3 t , : I ( !n CS .7 40,015.000 39,931.000 _ Circulation •• str\nn(\ «t4 701 050 %»oo sstTCMT 1 1C3 .. 101,975:000 wowoo Short loans, 4i per cent.; three months' bills, 4$ per cent. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. The following are tho latest quotations for Government securities, -with a comparison with those ruling last week. 1 Price Exice laat week, to-day. 2 r er cent. Imp. Con. «50 0 56 6 5 per cent. oan •• * 1 s - iq q 3i per ccnt. Xioan .. .tfjS.W. 4-3, 1033. Jan. • _ Jly. •• •• K.S.W." SJ'a, 1350-50, Mch.- g __ | XSwVs. earlv currcncy 70 7 6 7.0 .5 0 B'e. W26, Apt.- Q _ Vic i's 1320, Jan.-Jly. .. 95 10 ' ® rr Vic' 31'e, .1321-26. Jan.- _ Vic. afe, 1923-10, Jan.-Jly. 7110 O ~ Vic. 3's, 1929-19, Jan.-Jly. 6-. lo ® QUnd. I'JIS-23, Jan.- Q0 1? g0 ? g QUnd. 1921-30, Jan.- g _ , „ Qland. 3a, 1922-1., 62 5 0 6 „ 0 0 "V 7. .1 \ 1920 Mav-Xov. 86 15 0 86 5 0 S'.V 3i's", 1910, Jmi.-Jly 73 12 G73 7 6 -x- v- I<).J5 Apl.-Oct. 61 10 0 61 0 0 SA. 3?.'s, IM9, Jiin.-Jly 72 3 0 72 0 0 .°. r Sft °. r : 57 0057 10 0 T»«. 3i'», 1920-40, Ja.n.- _ jj y ; .. .. 72 10 0 72 15 0, Ta« • 3's, 1020-10, Jan.Jly? •• ...85 0 f 63 0 0 W.A. "Si's, 1920-35, MayNov.. .. 71 0 0 74 0 0 W.A. 3's', 191.1-30, May-Nov. 69 0 0 69 0 0 Other stocks unchanged. THE SHARE MARKET. "VVaihi shares aro quoted at 31s lOd to 33s Id; Grand Junction, los 3d to 16s 3d ' CEREALS. "Wheat and flour —Thero is only limited business doing. • Oats —Tho market is firm and quiet. Peas and beans —The market is steady and inactive. . SUGAR. Tho market is unchanged. DAIRY PRODUCE. Butter supplies are scarce. Austra- : lian and New Zealand supplies aro cleared till new arrivals aro available. Quotations are nominal at maximum prices. Danish was quoted at Manchester at 300s. METALS. Tin—Spot £342* 2s 6d, three months £239 12s 6d. Other metals are unchanged.

GRAIN AND PRODUCE MARKETS. (by omt commercial editor.j Friday Evening. There are no changes to note in the m-a-in market. Chaff continues to bo in "oocl demand for the North Island, and a fair quantity is coming forward, lhe price paid is still £-1 5s to £-1 10s, at country stations. _ _ _ Tho potato market is hrmcr. and huyors aro now offering £2 12s 6d to £2 los, most of the business being done at the latter figure at near stations. All centres of tho Nprth. Island are , re " eeiving potatoes from the feouth> owing to tho crops having been poor last season. The new season's crop is likely to be late owing to tho unusually wet winter and spring preventing planting from being done, and the North Island •will probably require southern supplies up to the middle of December. Very little business has been done bv Southland this year in supplying outside markets, but there now appears n disposition to sell, and some business lias been done at £3 ss, on trucks. The following aro the prices paid to farmers at country stations, free of commission, sacks extra, except where otherwise stated: — .Milling wheat, sic-cording to Government price. Maximum —Pearl 5s lid, Hunters os 10s, Tuscan and other varieties 5s Dd, f.o.b. Fowl wheat about Id to 2d per bnshel less. Dressfed seed wheat not moro than Is per bushel above the maximum prices. Oats—Heavy Algerian 3s "d to 3s 9d, Cartons 3s Sd to 3s lOd. extra heavy to -Is, and Duns 3s 8d to 3s 9d, for heavy dark-coloured, light-weight 3s 6d, at country stations. Barley (nominal) —Malting 4s 6d to os 3d, feed 45.Flour —£15 per ton; 1001b bags £15 10s, 501b bags £15 15s, 251b bags £16. .Bran —£3 10s per ton. Pollard —£6 los per ton. Oatmeal—2slb bags £21 per ton. Oatslieaf Chaff —£4 5s to £i 10s for prime. i Peas —Partridge, 6s 3d to 6s 6d. | Ryegrass—Perennial, 241b to 251b seed 4s 9d, 221b to 231b 3s 6d to 4s, light-weight 3s, Italian 4s to 4s 6d, "VVcstermvolths and Giant Italian 4s 6d to os. Cocksfoot—l2lb to 131b seed 9d to iloid.

Cowgrass—lid to 13d. according to quality.

Potatoes —£2 12s 6<3 to £2 los for immediate delivery. DAIRY PRODUCE. Eggs are easier by Id per dozen. There are no changes in other lines. Wholesale prices ate: — Butter —Factory Is 5Jd not, farmers' separator Is 2d, dairy Is Id. Cheese —Factory 10d 3 dairy 9}d, loaf lOd. Bacon—Sides Is Id, rolls Is 2d, hams Is 2d. Honey—Extracted -13d per lb. Eggs—ls per dozen. . FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. .Supplies of vegetables are still scarce, and there is a good demand at high prices. Only small quantities of apples are coming forward out of cool store, and a few pears have also been put on the market and sold well. A shipment of Cook Island bananas and oranges ■will bo on the market at the beginning of the week. Arrivals of Auckland lemons and Poormans have ceased for the time being owing to the market having been over-supplied. A few cases of kumeras arc coming forward, for which there is a limited demand. Wholesale prices are:— Apples, dessert 9s to 10s 6d per case, cooking 9s to 9s <3d; pears, Ss: Fiji bananas, 12s to 14s; Auckland lemons, 10s to Us: 'Frisco lemons, 335. halfcase 18s; Mildura and South Australian lemons, 17s; mandarins, 18s; Sydney oranges, 13s to los; pineapples, 15s to 17s; walnuts, Sid per lb. Beet. 7d to Sd per dozen bundles; carrots, ]ld to Is ; leeks, od to 6d; parsnips, lid to Is; radishes, 7d to Sd; turnips, 6d to 7d .per bundle; celery, od to Gd : spring onions, 3d to 4d: suedes. Is per sugar bag; carrots. Is 3d : parsnips, Is 3d ; potatoes, Gs 6d to 7s per sack and Is 3d per sugar bag: local onions, 1-ls to los per ewt: Victorian onions, los to 16s; kumeras, 4s Gd per quarter-ease: lettuce, Is Id to Is 7d per dozen : marrows, Gs to 7s 6d : pumpkins. Ss to 9s: rhubarb. ll s to 1-s per dozen bundles. TIMARU MARKETS. (srm.VL TO ' "THE PRESS.") TIMARU. August l' 4. There is no wheat offering, but a good demand exists, and millers who are in need of supplies have to go ansatisiied, as no wheat is at present obtainable either locally or from Australia. Fowl wheat is eagerly sougnt after, but stocks are just about, exhausted. The oat market is more inclined to firmness chiefly on account of the nonarrival of shipments from Australia. The demand for feed is not so strong, prices here being above shipping parity. On the other hand offerings are light. A fair quantity is held in store at Bluff, where it is reported a proportion is so inferior that "'sulphuring'' is being'resorted to in ordei;

to rcstoro tlie lost colour. TVben regular shipments axe again available for Australia, it is probable that' tiic southern market may ease. From the North Island cotr.es a good demand for oatsheaf chaff, heavy shipments are being il'.ade t<> Auckland. To-day's values ranue ironi £4 -5s to £-1 12s Gd per ton. the latter having been pa id for a soccially gwul sample going 23 or 24 bags t«> t"*-' ton. Yerv inferior chaff i.- practically unsaleable." Tlio potato market lias firmed again by reason of the iaci that growers -:re not displaying any very keen anx'ftv to sell. Added to tins, it is reported that some merchants have to uttv at present in order to 'ill orders lak.u some time ago. It is not thuugiu that there is a ssc-arcitv to warrant uv rise in values. A fair-sized -hipnieiit was made by the Te Anau, and another steamer will be taking more tuber-; *o Auckland in a day or two. I h' 1 value is quoted u>-dav at £.1 oil truck.". country stations, for white s-kiris. and ui isolated eases £3 os has been pai'l tied skills command -js per ton more. White Elephants are being purciia.-etl at £2 ll>s on trucks. About a:tn;V 1 the available supplies appear to Je fairlv heavv.

Send notatoes are in moderate o>'- , mand. iUp-to-Dates fetching about C 4 per ton. whilst- Gamekeepers are slow of pa If at £3 on iruc-ks. country sta- | lions. j METHYEX STOCK SALE. At the ilethven stock sale on Ihursday the following prices wero obtained: —Sheep: 2*2 fat, wethers at 355. 13H four, six. and eight-tooth wethers at 38s "id, 122 three-qunrterbred owo hoggets. 32s 2d. 39 six and eight-tooth ewes at 12s, 1-40 sound and fp sling-mouth ewes in lamb at 20s 7d. 3) aged ewes at lus 3d, 122 failing-mouth owe-, at 23s Gd, 36 two-tooth ditto at i'G.-. Cattle: Fat cow £13, store heifers at £o ]0s to £7, 2 dairy cows IS each, young stores £3 17s Gd and £4 17s i;d. Messrs Dalgcty and Co.. Ltd., liavo received tho following cahlo from their Ixmdon officc, dated August 22nd, 1917:— Tallow—At the weekly auction, mutton tallow was easy and noglectcvl: beef was very scarce, and for which up' to 71s Gd was paid; mixed was unchanged to sixpence dearer. CHRISTCHURCH STOCK EXCHANGE. LATEST QUOTATIONS. £ ». d. JE s. d. Buyers. Sellers. BANKS— JCow Zealand (.£o Gs 8d p<l.) — 3- 16 6 Union .. .. — . jj 10 0 CEUENTS— Golden Bay >« — 110 COAL— Westport .. .. — 19 9 FINANCIAL— N.Z. Loan and Mcrcan- ; tilo (ord.) .. .. — 92 10 0 INSURANCE— New Zealand .. 1 7 16 0 MEATS— Canterbury .. .. — #50 N.Z. Kcfrig., £1 issue (£3 paid) * .. 510 0 — MISCELLANEOUS— Colonial Suger .. 22 17 6 23 5 0 YESTERDAY'S BUSINESS ON OTHER EXCHANGES. (tress ASSOCIATION- telegrams.) AUCKLAND. Sales.—Bank o£ New Zealand (paid), £17 10s Cel. WELLINGTON. Sale reported.—Bank of New Zea.!<*nd, £17 13a. DUNEDIN. Sales. —Huddart-Parker. 33s sd: New Zealand Refrigerating Co. (£lO paid). £'22 10s.