COMMERCIAL.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16425, 20 January 1919, Page 9

COMMERCIAL.

MEAT IMPORT DUTY. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright; LONDON, January IS. Sir Albert Stanley, President of tfte" Board of Trade, informed a deputation of British meat importers that the Government could not consider t'ae question of a dutv of Id per pound on imported meat. Ho" sympathetically heard suggestions for relfjosin" restrictions, but declared the time had no! yet arrived for complete freedom from control. WOOL SHIPMENTS. (press association telegram.) GISBOKNE, Janualv iS. The Woolbrokers' Association has forwarded a protest to the Minister of Imperii"] Supplies against the shipment from Gisborne of.a thousand bales of scouring v,ool, which it is contended can be easily handled locallv, whilst its shipment elsewhere represents a los 3 to the Imperial authorities of 10i ner bale. NEW ZEALAND REFRIGERATING COMPANY. The report of the directors of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, to be presented at the annual general meeting of shareholders to be held at the company's offices, on February sth, 6tates:~ the year the large additions *c various of tiio company's works referred to in the last report proved to •be fully required. A further storage extension is being made to Smithfield, in order to meet the requirements of the coming season. It is proposed to transfer the sum of £31.400, standing to the credit of share premium vecount, to the reserve account. The balance availablo for appropriation, as shown by the balance-sheet, is £8:1,01!) 16s Od, which the directors rccommcnd should bo disposed of as lollowa:—• To pay a dividend of one shilling per share .. .. £15,000 0 0 To pay' a bonus of one shilling per shore £15.000 0 0 To add to the reserve account .£18,600 0 0 Leaving an amount to carry forward of .. •• £35,010 IB !) Total .. .. .£83,91!) 16 0 The director retiring by rotation is Mr H. J. Beswick, who, being eligible, offers hinVsolf for re-election. The auditors, Messrs I!. Hill Fisher and Son, also retire and offer themselves for rc-clection. TATTKRSALL'S HO RSI-'. BAZAAIt. Messrs It. Mat son and Co. had an entry of 47 horses on Saturday. The quality on the whole was not as gcod :ia usual, but any usciul farm horses showing signs of .being fit to go to work wore readily placed. Aged horses, however, were dull oi sale. Among the principal sales were the following—For R. Newbv, Styx, aged gelding £7 10.!; A. Shellock, Bankside, three-year-old gelding £0; seven-year-old maro £8 3s; clicnt,"five-year-old cob £11 10s; W. Loc'nhead, Southbridgtf, four-year-old gelding £10; W B. Cooper. Brooksidc, six-year-old gelding £22; clicnt, aged gelding £9 lCs; W. Palmer, Sydenham, six-year-old maro £13; R. I'laxton, St. Albans, aged gelding £9 los. Aged hacks and harness horses sold at from £1 J.Os Bayard motor-car was sold for £150. CANTERBURY PETROLEUM COMPANY. At the fifth annual meeting of the Canterbury Petroleum Prospecting Company, the report of the directors showed that since the flotation of the company 15,652 contributing shares had been disposed of, and tho company now consisted of over 700 shareholders. The well at Chertaey was now down to a depth of 1797 feet with five-inch casing, and the six-inch casing was carried to a depth of 1605 feet. There was sufficient five-inch casing on tho ground to continuo the well to 2000 feet, which was'morc than the averago depth of successful wells. Arrangements were being made to obtain 2500 or 3000 feet of four-inch casing if required. The gae and oil indications continued, and lately the gas had been of a .lighter and more inflammable character, and these indications, the report stated, proved the existence of petroleum 1 beneath the Canterbury Plains and justified a belief that further sinking would result in oil being obtained in payable quantities. Concessions of boring rights had been' secured over about 210,000 acres. The paid-up capital Aggregated £14,4-19. The total assets of the company were £19,718 l3s lOd, and included plant, buil'dings, and machinery £6893 10s 6d. Tho chairman, Mr W. Wilkinson, _ ii\ moving the adoption of the report and balancesheet, remarked that boring was now progressing steadily, and the indications of oil were still satisfactory. 1

Mr A. Joyce, the manager, said-ho still, held the opinion that the enterprise would be a success if they reachoil a depth of 2000 feet. The well was now down 1813 feet. Messrs "W. Boag and H. A. Lloyd ' were elected to the directorate, and Mr F. W. Watt was re-elected auditor. "" EXPORT OF BUTTER. In reply to enquiries as to the export of butter to America, the Hon, D. H. Guthrie states that it will not be possible to grant permits to export further quantities of butter to Vancouver beyond the amount already booked for ahipment by the Makura. The position is that the Imperial Government was agreeable to allow a limited quantity of butter to be exported to Vancouver, and that quantity haß been filled. Further- enquiries made have resulted in a statement from the Imperial .Government 1 ' that .the original quantity, for which the permission waa given, cannot be increased. THE PROPERTY MARKET. Instructed by- Mrs Payling and the Publio Ttuetee, in the estate of Mr George Pay ling, Jones, McCrostie Co., Ltd., sold on Saturday to Mr Davidson f0r.£1025 a two-storey residence of eight living rooms at No. IB Bishop street, with offices and conveniences and. a motorshed, together with 2 roods 21 l-10th perchcs of land, with a frontage of 208 linke. \ Harman and Stevens, Ltd., acting on instructions from Mis A. L. Joseph, sold qn Saturday at Mr Chas. Clark's, rooms her residence situated at Xo. 1795 Hackthorne road, Cashmere, consisting of a five-roomed house and all conveniences, with nearly J-acre of land, ■'to Miss A. L. Hay, for .£I2OO. At the Ashburton land salo on Saturday the National Mortgage and Agency Company offered, in the estate of the late William Morrow, 771 acres situated in the Dorie cum Kyle district. The purchaser was Mr D. G. Harrison, Rakaia, the price paid being £12 10s per acre. NEW ZEALAND QUICKSILVER MINES. Tho English Syndicate has paid a deposit of £500 for an option for. twolve months over the New Zealand Quicksilver Company's property at\ Puhipuhi, Auckland district. At the present time an expert is inspecting tho property in order to report regarding its possibilities to the option holders. SATURDAY'S POULTRY MARKET. Messrs J. B. Morrett and Co. had a large entry of poultry on Saturday. Priccs were good, especially for prime finished, birds. Table chickens realised 5s 6d to lis, table ducklings 6s to *9s 6d, hens 3s to 7s "d, pullets 58 to lis, ducks 4s to 7s, geese 7s to 9s, turkeys lis to 30s. all per pair. EGG MARKET. Though the price of eggs has been advanced on© penny during the week, the demand is not keen. The suspension of the Australian shipping has affected the markets. Wellington market is Reported to be glutted, the departure of tho soldiers from the camps having affected the demand. Present prices should be maintained for a week or two. Canterbury Egg Circle first . grades are la 6d. seconds Is 5d per dozen. 1 1 CLARIDGE AND SMITH. Claridge and Smith, of the Fanners' Saleyards', report tho following sales at tho weekly auction held Friday, January 17th: — Bay mare, 6yrs, £25; pony, gig, harness, £13 10s; aged horses from £1 7s Gd to £5, a largo entry; harness, £9 10s to £3 3s set; r,t . o'S, w. trap, £11; box cart, £3; sulky, £7 10s; pair wheels, 30s; potato digger. £(j 10s: lever harrows, £4 10s set; k. range, 30s; windmill, £6; separator, £3 15s; weaner pigs, £1 13s to 17s; goat, 15s; wardrobe. £3 2s. .Furniture and sundries realised good'prices. Total sale £238 lis 9d. 7555 CHROME ORE DEPOSITS. Mr W. F. Worley continues his efforts to better known the mineral resources of the Nelson district, though circumstances do not always permit of their profitable utilisation (naya the "Colonist"). With reference to chrome ore, lie has received the followingletter from the Ministry of Munitions of \ Wur. under date London, October 2Sth; — j "I am directed by the Minister of Munitions to acknowledge receipt of your letter of July j 21st, concerning deposits of chrome Ore in | New Zealand, and to convey to you an ex- J piession of his thanks for bringing this j matter to his notice. I am, however, to in- j form you that ample supplies of chrome ore ! are at present being shipped' to this country | from well-developed mines in other parts of ( tho British Empire nearer than New Zea- ; land. For instance, large quantities of Rho- j desian chrome ore are being obtained at lh6 price of approximately £5 per ton, f.o.b. Beira, and in view of tho greater cost ol freight from New Zealand, and the other shipping difficulties involved, Mr Churchill would not feel justified in recommending that H.M. Government should take any acLiuli of the kiud suggested in your letter.