COMMERCIAL.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16145, 25 February 1918, Page 9

COMMERCIAL.

p rah]*—Fims Awtiation. —Copyright I ,Au»<raliati and XZ- Association.) * February iMth *.5 p.m.) LONDON. February 23. Bemp: There* is a g'-'od demand at Sd. plantation '_s '-New Zealand salted „rp DUt up hv auction, and all cold ,» 154. father; 1 The"nuirket is uncliancctl. i fiir quantitv has arrived, but has not'vet been marketed. ■RaVils- The market is unchanged. ' £314 10s to £314 los. Silver: 421 d. SATURDAY'S POULTRY MARKET. \r«<;rs J. 13- Merret and Co. had a -ood entry of poultry %or ''GOO birds being entcreu. tlieic 0 «" «ootl demand. Table chickens - 3d to Os 4d. hens «Js Gd to .-S?Gd, pullets 4s to 10s 3d. ducks Is 6d to 7s 6d, geese 7s to 10s, all i. er rair. ?:GG MARKET. The supply of eggs is remarkably «md The demand is firm. Cihiferburv EgS Circle , first grades are quoted" at Is 9d, .seconds Is id to Is ■ 8d per dozen. ' TATTERSALL'S HORSE SALE. Messrs H. Matson and Co. had ?n vitrv of 32 horses at Tattersall s on i-ihirdflT practically all tho lots being j'igpose/'of under tho hammer. There fair attendance of the public. Ruvers for good useful draughtes were Sous, bnt very few of this, sort forward. Among tho principal X were: On account George Gould rrbe Hermitage), 1 hack at £8, 1 ~inr £8 - account Douglas Hams [goon Hav), 1 harness horse £10; account J. 'Tyson (Styx), 1 pony, unhrnkeD £5 ss: account David Gunn - mnrorata) 1 black mare £12 10s; acXB.Holland (Methven) bay mare £6- Account client. 1 pony gelding £10 ; account W. Bullock (Dunsandel), 1 '• draught mare £25; account A. \ incent. 5 Mfarahlands), 1 draught filly, unbroken, e W) 10s* account Leeston client, I draught gelding £15. Aged hacks I and harness horses sold at late rates. |, SHEFFIELD SALE. 1 At the Sheffield yards on Friday ? " tWre was a good entry of both sheep f «4d cattle, and sales were made at full ' r current rates. Fat lambs sold at • [„m 23s 6d to 28s 7d, fat -wethers to 33s 6d, ewes from 26s to 32s 3d. Store i sheep met a good demand, wethers 1 selling up to 29s Id, two-tooth ewes 1 32s to 355, sound-mouth from 29s 3d I to 32s 6d, store lambs from 18s 3d to I 24s A big entry of both fat and I store cattle met a keen demand at f full current rates, a line of fat steers [ fetching £18 2s 6d per head; fat cows from £10 2s 6d to £13, 2Jyr-old steers in forward condition £12 18-months to 2yr-old £8 2s 6d, yearlings to £6 ss, calves from £3 2s 6d to £4 12s 6d. THE PROPERTY MARKET. On Saturday Jones, McCrostie, Ltd., sold bv auction, on account of Dr. J. H. Simpson, a farm of 25 acres, with five-roomed dwelling thereon, situated at Dunsandel, to Mrs Stapleton, for " £800. , , ._ . At the Ashburton land sal© on Saturday, by order of the Supreme Court, the New Zealand Farmers' Co-op., in conjunction with. Messrs Ferriman and. Co.. sold a property containing -1 rood, situated in Havelock street west, on which is built G-roomed house with all convenienoees, and electric light and high-pressure water. The ■property was knocked down to Mr J. W. Bowdcn, Ashburton, at £720. Several other properties were offered, but failed to rcach the owners' reserve. BUTTER SUPPLIES. Dairy factory directors supplying the Wellington market decided on February 15th last to discontinue sending butter for sale there. The reason for this action was contained in a resolution passed in conference at Palmerston iVorth. There it was decided to withdraw supplies from the "Wellington market as from February 28tn> since efforts had failed to establish an equalisation fund in order to bring factories supplying the local markets on the' same level with those exportting their butter. t The situation likely to arise is to be met by the Government itself selling butter in lots of not less than two boxes each of 561b (says Saturday's "Post"). The price is £3 19s 4d per bos at the Wellington Meat Export Company's store, "Wellington, and this is equivalent to Is 5d per pound in hulk. The butter is to be available for all requiring it, wholesale and re- ' tail. But it will bo,in bulk —not patted pound blocks, as is customary vith the trade. ; SHORTAGE ~OF POLLARD. ACUTE POSITION IN THE VAIRARAPA. j A Masterton settler informed the Wellington "Post's" correspondent on Friday"that lie feared the rabbit pest waa hkely to materially increase in the Wajrarapa district, owing to the fact that.pollard, which, was-used largely for poisoning purposes, was practically unprocurable. Tlie settler stated that one) large/merchant could not sell him an ounce of pollard, and tho same firm had - ordere for tons for delivery whejn it is amiable. A representative of one of ; : tne largest merchants in the Wairarapa

stated that there was undoubtedly a serious shortage. In fact, he said. 6Upalmost unprocurable from tho South Island, -where tho millers refused to supplv poliard except to thoso giving orders for flour. He anticipated, how-over, that ihc positich would be relieved in the course of a few woeks. FEILDINC EWE FAIR. (PJ?ESS ASSOCIATION" TELEGRAM.) FEILDIXU, February 23. At the Feilding ewe fair ve.stcrdav, ovc:- 20,000 sheep were penned. The demand for good sorts was keen. The highest price for two-tooths was £3 9s, for a lot sold on behalf of the Tawera: Jistatc, and for older sheep £'2 lis, on behalf of E. Short. PRICE OF PEARL BARLEY. (SPECI AT' 10 "THS PIULSS.") DUNEDIX. February 23. A sudden jump in pearl barley to-day brings the price in Dunedin up to £25 10s per ton. It means a rise of £4 iin less than a week. FARMERS' SALEYARDS. Report —Little River horse fair: 48 were yarded and 44 were sold. Three and four-year-olds, unbroken, £D to £17 10s : unbroken hacks, £4 tp £7 10s; harness horses, with trials, £6 15s to £12 10s, and three saddle horses, good sorts. £8 to £10. More horses "were promised by vendors, but owing to rough weather did not oome forward. There was a largo attendance, the tone of the market showed a great improvement. WEEKLY SALE. Trotter Aberfield, £13; black cob, £9; bay gelding, £7; 0 aged horses, £3 los to £5; black mare, five years, £5 15s: unbroken, £4 ss; worn out, late rates. Weaners 22s 6d to 30b ; rubber-tyred gig, £28; s.p. dray. £16; trap, £5; gig, £6; harness, £3 19s, £3 10s, £2 los, 31s; cab, £3 7s (3d : C. andl>. drill, £17; separators, £2. £3, £7; hand c. cutter, £3; marquee, 335; endless chain. 345; cycles, 3ls to £3 3s; mowers, 12s 6d to 27s 6d; oats 3s to -Is Id; damaged C. barley, lis 6d sack. The salo at times dragged, but a, total of £197 -was taken under the hammer. POULTRY SALE. There was a good entry, and previous prices -were maintained. Chickens from 2s 2d to'7s 6d, hens 3s 3d to ss, ducks 3s 6d to 5s 6d, geeso 6s, pullets 4s to Bs. 9H2 MIKING. TALISMAN CONSOLIDATED, LTD. YEAR'S PROFIT, £57,820. The ordinary general meeting of the Talisman Consolidated, Ltd., will bo held at Auckland next month, in their first report and balance-sheet since the control of the company was transferred to New Zealand the directors state that the .Board, on taking office, appointed Messrs P. C. Auld and T. E. Smith, respectively chairman and secretary of the old company, as a London committee to represent the company in England. The question of British income tax was the most important it-em in the liquidation of the old company, and claims totalling £23,690 6s were made by the Inland Revenue authorities in • England for income tax and exoeea profits. These claims were strenuously contested by the liquidators and eventually settled for £7245 12s, thereby saving the shareholders £19,444 l4s, a settlement) which the directors considered eminently satisfactory. The company was not now liable for British income tax, so that under that heading, and various other savings, the shareholders would have no cause to regret) the transference of the control to New Zealand. The profit and loss account shows that, after deducting all working expenses, and writing off the whole of expenses incurred in the formation of the new company, the operations for the period ended September 30th, 1917, resulted in a profit of £57,820 10s 10d. Out of this £34,500 has been paid in dividends, provision for New Zealand income tax £7000, and £5483 6s for depreciation of machinery, plant, and tramways, leaving a balance of £10,835 6s lOd, which the directors recommend be carricd forward. The balance of appropriation account of the old company, together with the profit made during the liquidation period, and claims which had been made and provided for by the old- company-rand subsequently . compromised—amounting in all to £26,570 15s, the directors propose should be. carried to reserve account. The total footage of development work carried out in the mine for \ the period from March Ist, 1916, to September 30tb, 1917, was 3700 ft. The results obtained in No. lo level, south, have so far been disappointing, but the directors express the opinion that it is desirable to further explore this section. The values in No. 18 level, driving .north and south, so far have been very low, but it is intended to extend these drives in the hope that more payable ore may be met with. Tne ore reserves above No. 15 ; level in, the Bonanza and Dubbo sections are estimated at 4614 tons, -with an assay value of £& IBs 4d per ton. It is estimated that there is now sufficient good ore available 1 to keep the battery going as at present for approximately six months. During that period, so far as the supply of labour will allow, development work in the Dubbo section at No. 15 level, and in the {Talisman section at Nos. 15 and 16 levels, will be pushed on, and ■upon the results of this • work the future of the mine will largely depeniThe superintendent consider® that the surrounding indictations certainly justify a, thorough exploration of ihese points. The retiring directors axe Mmsis M. Casey and T. S. Wee ton, who'offer themselves for ze-election.