COMMERCIAL.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16727, 9 January 1920, Page 5

COMMERCIAL.

UNION BANK, (Br Col>l»—Press Association —Oopjfifftt.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association-) LONDON, January 6. The Union Bank has declared an interim dividend of 14 per oent. freo of income tax. SHAKES. Waihi Junction, buyers 12a 6d, soUers 18s I v Dalgety and Co., £10; debentures, £67 10s. METALS. (Received Jtuiuary Bth, 10.35 p.m.) LONDON, January 7. Copper—Spot £117 17g Gd, forward £119 17s Jd; electrolytks ingots £125, wire bars £127. Spelter—Spot £57 10s, forward £59 10a. Tj&—Spot £356 17s 6d, forward £359 ss. fcilver—TGid per ounce. CO-OPERATIVE FEDERATION. MOVEMENT IN AUSTRALIA. (Received January Bth, 9.25 p.m.) MELBOURNE, January 8. An important inter-Stato conference of producers is considering the establishment of • Wholesalo Co-operative Federation, representing the whole of It m intended that tho Federation will act on behalf of affiliated societies in the wholesale distribution of Australian products in foreign markets. , _ , , Mr Hooton, manager of the New Zealand Farmers' Wholesale Federation, attended the nonferenoe with the object of describing the movement in New Zealand. COMMONWEALTH NOTE ISSUE. MELBOURNE, January 8. The note issue is now £56,603,074, the gold r**erve £23*311,537. SOUTH AUSTRALIAN HARVEST. ADELAIDE, January 8. An official forecast puts the wheat harvest st 15,950,750 bushels. AUSTRALIAN MARKETS. (Reoeived January Bth, 10.35 p.m.) SYDNEY, January 8. Oat*-- Algerian 6s 3d, Tasmanian 6a 6d. Barley—Cape 6s Gd. Maize—&» 6d. Potatoes £35 to £27 per ton. Onions—£ll to £12 10s per ton. CLEARING SALE. Tho National Mortgajjo and Agencr Co, Ltd., in conjunction with 'Pjroe, Gould, Guinness, Ltd., held a clearing sale at Liftmore on Wednesday on behalf of Mr A. O. Tjocbhead. There was a good demand for horses, a team of five averaging £50 oach. The principal sales were:—loo two-tooth ewes at 28s 6d, 246 at 28s 2d, 017 four, six.

and eighth tooth «ra and lambs at 19s 7d, 224 at 20s, fl7 dry <nr<* at 30s 6d, & iboad of I cattle *t £3 10# to £16 ss, 8 horses at £28 10s to *57. TEMUKA STOCK SALE. At the fortnightly stock sale on T&eaday there were small yarding*. Priees were good for fat stock, sheep being 5s higher than at last sale. Tne range of values was ae follows: —Fat ewes 26s to 84s, fat weVhcra 27s 3d to 36b, store sheep 122s lid to 24s €d, fat cows £9 to £14, fat heifers £7 to £20, fat steers £12 Iss to £14, stores £3 8s to £9 15s, dairy cattle £3 12s 6d to £Is. Fig* 19# to SSe. THE BUTTER REQUISITION. (SPECIAL TO "TUB PRESS.") ! WELLINTON, January 8. No official or other support oan bo found for iho opinion expressed in a Melbourne cable to the effect that tlie Imperial Government is expected to continue the requisition of btrtter and cheese for a further period of two years. It will be remombered that the requisition of butter wa ® obtained only through the action of the New Zealand Government. The Imperial Government never did want butter from New Zealand wry badly. The British Government did want New Zealand cheese, but this wis required no food for the armies then mobilised, and in the field. This need has passed, and there ia a fear that the demand for cheese next year will not be nearly so strong as ia past years, while the war ban been going on. It is suggested that oome of the converted factories which have been producing cheese instead of butter will again have to revert to butter-making. It is also suggested that the price of butter may ease a little next season. SUGAR BUPPLIES. Mr David Jones, M.P., has Teoeived the following telegram from ilr W. G. McDonald. chairman of the Board of Trade, yesterday:—"Threo hundred tons of sugar coming to Christchurch by Ifonowai on 13th. This is the maximum quantity available." The following message in reference to the sugar shortage has been sent to the Prime Minister bv the president of th#> North Canterbury Farmers' Union:—"The position with reference to sugar very acute. Ochardis ts unable to dispose of fruit. Suggest that non-essential industries should have very limited supplies during next two months until jam season is over.—David Jones." WHEAT TRADE REGULATIONS. The Wheat Controller forwards the following return for tho period ended January 7th:— • Bushels. Threshing returns received to date 6,23<,173 Contracts io purchaseGood milling wheat .. .. 5,005,532 Fowl wheat 679.456 Amounts paid to farmers through Government brokers £1,760,040 8s 3d, representing 5,140,893 bushels.