COMMERCIAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 417, 28 January 1909, Page 7

COMMERCIAL.

THE SHAKE MARKET. A snle of Feilding Gas shares at £1 was reported, and a sale of Wellington Meat Export, M Us. Gd. paidj. at ,£3 Os. Gd., was mado oa 'Change yesterday. There was a good demand for shares, with some slight ini-'-provement'in prices. Bank of New Zealand shares were firm, with buyers at .£8 10s.; National Banks, • buj'OTs £Z> 25., sellers ,£5 55.; Now Zealand and Kiver Plate, buyers .£1 lis. Gd.; Now Zealand Loan and Mercantile, sel-■ lors 3s. lid.; Feilding Gas, buyers 19s. Gd.; Napier Gas, £2 paid, sellers £$; National Insurance, buyers £1 Bs.; New Zealand Insurance, buyers £3 16s.'; South British Insurance, sellers X 2 10s.; Christchurcn Meat, buyers 310 10s. r Gear Meat, £i paid, buyers JK) 165., XI paid, buyers ,£2 10s.; Meat Exports £4 paid, sellers £5; £2 12s. Gd. paid, buyers £3, sellers .£3 Is.; Manawatu Bails, .buyers 145.; Wellington Woollen, ordinary, buyers i-Jls.Gd.; Westport Woollen, ordinary, buyers Kauri Timber, 15s. paid, sellers Us. 3d;; Leyland-O'Brien Timber, sellers, £1 3s. ;'New Zealand Portland Cement, ' &\ paid, buyers .£1 9s. 3d., sellers £X 10s., 12s. Gd. paid,-sales 21s;; Taranaki Petroleum, buyers ssl 3d., sellers 7s. Gd.; Wellington Fresh Fiod, buyers 25..; Manning and Co. Brewery, sellers £i 25.; Ward and Co.'■ Brewery, sellers £5 is.-. r : THE MINING IIAEKET; !.. ' ■ V'j . Sales of Talismans. at *£2' 65. : 9d., Waihi at j £8 18s., and Koyal Oak at Is. 10.\d., wore reported. Waitangi shares have firmed, with buyers; at 45.; tho news from tho mine is ■ The quotations wore as under:— .'■■ ■.-' . , Buyers. Sellers. Sales. ! ■.'.. ; ■"£.*;■&. £ s.d. £ s.d.

, •..'AUCKLAND GAS COMPANY. .' " ■The balance : skoet of; the Auckland Gas Company for the'year ended December ■31/. 1908, shows that the : net profit for' the year amounted to ,£40,620 Bs. lid. ; ' The dividend for the. year absorbs ,£31,176,155., 3d.; leaving a surplus of £9U'i 135." Bd. oh 1 the /business of the year,' 'The total paid-up capital of the company is now JC153,903,' and the capital expenditure during the year totalled ,£29,815; 2s. lOd. •.,'.. ' ; •'" •- '' ■'.•-■'.''• . '■'-':■';':' : ' ■":."-'!'■. ! ; WELLINGTON GAS COMPANY, ; '■•-, The , balance-sheet of > the Wellington Gas Company for the year 1908 has'been' circulated. The balance' at credit of profit and loss" account, including the.sum of .£11,793 7s. 3d., brought forward from the previous year is i£24,597 ■ Is.-9d„ and this sum is arrived at after writing off plant account ..£2905 18s. 4d., and placing '.£ISOO to the'credit of. retorts set-, tings; suspense account. The dividend ' for. the yearis.at the'rate of 10 per cent.'-The 'directors'in their report state that during the l year. 7i miles of hew maius were laj.d, and 978' new services fixed. "Several additions have been made 'to ■ the plant,. which' has been : kept in a thoroughly .efficient state; a sum : of has;been■expended out of rovenueon extensipns, repairs, and maintenance, and the plant account has been written down by ,£2905."; . The Customs revenue collected,at Wellington yesterday: amounted it 0.,£7887 3s. Id. ' - ; - ' ' ; -/GENERAL MERCHANDISE.'V : ''. Business opened ; satisfactorily • at, the, begin-: ning of tho week,' orders, from the country be-, ing about. the average.. ' All; staple, lines are moving: fairly well./ Nextjweek: the fourth of the'month engagements must be met, and merchants- assert that -'comparatively little assist-, . ahco is being asked. In the dairying districts :the monthly disbursements of the companies, filter'through to the storekeepers, : who; are thus able to meet, their bills; . "•.■

The .cheapness of-jam fruits is causing,; a. good demand for sugar, .and,.fair/parcels of. brewers' crystal are moving; out;- A great quantity of jam will this year be made in tho honies of, the people, -which niust affect the tion of the 1 factory-made artiole. .- .--.' ", -Arrowroot.—The'market .is' very- bare at' the .moment, but. this can; only be-temporary,' for supplies are coming forward from Queensland. There are indications -that the St. .Vincent'quotations will be. lower than'Queensland'for bulk arrowroot.. Dohorty's J's and l's, '3}d.' tb' 4d. •per lb. :■ . '.-. .-.i ■'...'.■■. ■•■',•'.- - • '.-';' *

! a: fair demand for Barcelona, soft-shell almonds,, walnut; and Brazilian nuts. Sicily almonds, Is.; Jordan, ,2s. Id. to 2s:'3d:; softrshell,. Bd.'; Barcelona, 5Jd. .■per'-.lb. ' ■ Blue is meeting with fair demand. . Column's and Keen's, square and bag, 7{d.; Keckitt's, bae.Bid., square 7id.;'Empire, 6d. per 1b... .'' ; Candles.—For candles the demand is normal. Colonial candles are selling well. New Zealand Candle Company's, quotations,- -issued•December 19, are!— Premier 6tearine ! and medal, 5Jd.; British sperm, French sperm, Universal ' was, Excelsior paraffine, 6d.; ..Apollo .sperm and Venus paraffimy Gid.;'' , coloured fluted, 6.3d.';.piano,! bedroom, and'carriage sorts, packed, in. cardboard boxes, 74d.; Price's London'sperm, 16oz. 63d.,.'M0z. 61d.; Burma. 160z.; 6id.' .-.-.■ .'.-':

Cornflour, hemg a seasonable line, is selling well. : B. and"P., 5Jd. to's!d.; Johnson's, 2Jd.,• -Brown's; 3d.; Chicago, 2Jd".'. ' . .i. ■"...'■. -.Dried Fruits—The big:supply of fresh fruit is checking,the demand for prunes-and figs and dates. ,Elcmes are,-in. full, supply, but hard to quit, seeded raisins, taking. their place. A.sensational drop .has taken : place in the primarymarket for seeded raisins, and the'se are now oheaper. Muscatels are in excess /of the demand, and jm'ces.are- being, cut to forcosales. Currants.—FinestV provincials;/ 3d.; 'cleaned Amalias, 3Jd.; lib.: cartons, 3s. Cd. per-doz,; sultanas, selected 3|d.', choice, id., golden 4Jd. to 5Jd.; lib. cartons; is. 6d. per.dozen. Dates.— Bulk, ,2Jd.; cartons, 3s. fld. per dozen. Figs.— 12oz. glove boxes, 3s. 6d. per dozon,-51b. naturals,. 5d.; 111b. layers,, 4d. ; '. Seeded•.Taisihs.— Fancy Hb. packets, 55.; and choice, feed:'per dozen, llusoatels.—s's, 6d.; 10's, 5Jd.; 20's, 4Jd. per lb. Malaga, lOd. .', '■•'. ;■■",' >' Evaporated apricots, apples/ and thake from 7Jd- to Bd. per lb. .'■■-•'- -, Canned fruits are meeting with a' fair demand, at Bs.- 6d. to 12s. 6d.' per dozen, according to brand and, quality. •., .-■ ■_ '•. ■ Ginger preserved is still meeting with a good inquiry, 10's. and • 28's selling at 7Jd.- to Sd. per lb. ; ■;'

Canned flsh.—Herringe, Salmon,'lobster, sardines,'and mullet are meeting with the demand usual; at this time of year. . ••..-"'" ). .. Bice.—There has;, been a drop of"-l'Os.V per ton in the original markets." Some Australian firms are now dressing and .preparing'rice for the Australasianmarkets, consequently tltei-e is little chance of any shortage in the fuliire.V Mustard.—Fair sales. ' Colman's,' D.SJiV J's, Is. 51' d. td Is. Cd.; J's, le..3Jd. to Is. 4d.; Durham, 71b. tins,. 7d. to 7Jd. , Matches.—Plaids, Bs. Bd. to 3s. 9(1. a gross; penny slides, Bs. 9d. to 9s. 6d.; safeties, small foreign, 3s. to 3s. 3d.; -Bryant- and' May's small 4s. 6d., large'7s;.-6d. . ~ ■■.<■ Condensed milk.—Highlander, '.ss.'; Cowslip, 4s. Cd.; Swiss Milkmaid, Gs, 6d. to ; 6s. • lid? per dozen. . ; .'■■•; •...,-.

■ Canned meats.—Sheep tongties, 10s. 6d. to Us. for l's; ox tongues, 2i's; 31s. to 345., 3's 345; to 365. par dozen; Gear's assorted, potted, 4s. 6d.; St. George's, ; 55... :.:/•.: Peel.—Lemon, 7's, sd. per lb.; orange, oitron, Is.. ~- ■': . ■ '•■ ' - -■'■. ■

; Pickles—Morton's 'hexagon 10s. fid.,'round 12s. 6d. per dozen; Captain White's, 235. Gd.; Garton's H.P., i-pints 10s. Gd., pints 18s. fid. J pare pickles, 95.. fid. ■ - •: Starch.—Colman's, lib. boxes .--Sid., to s|d., 51b. packets sd. to_sJd.; New Zealand, .'lib. boxes 38s. to 395.-..per cwi., 51b; packets 375. to 38s. per owt. '. < ' i . i Tapioca.—Seed, Us.. 6d.; pearl, 15s. fid. por OWt. ''■ ' .■■.•' ■:. .

Vino^ar.—Midland, Red Hock, quarts, Bs.; Champion, quarts, 9s. Gd.; Red Seal, quarts, is.;. Midland, concentrated, Boz.' bottles, 10s. fid, per dozen;.concentrated, Sgal. casks, Bs. 6d. por.gallon; pure malt, 28ga1.. casks,'2s. 6d. per gallon, ■.'"■' ."."

' Tea.—A'dvlcos from Ceylon state that all grades,, with the exception of fauhings and dust, which are irregular, are about a penny ■per lb., dearer. Prom India comes'news that the Russians are.competing keenly for Dilrjeeling teas, and prices have advanced in consequence, i : ■: ■ .-s ■

BREADSTUFFS, ETC.

Flour.—By eaoh steamer: from Sydney and Melbourne, Australian flour is coming to hand, and fully one-third of the flour now used-by Wellington' bakers is Australian, the current quotation for which is £1(1 55., .£lO 10s. per ton landed in, the bakehouse.: , Now Zealand flour, ,£lO 10s. f.o.b. southern ports, and £11 ss. Gd. Wellington, Oatmeal, 25's, £9 10s. f.o.b, south, £10 15s Wellington; 200's, «£!) f.o.b. south; £W. ss. Wellington. • ■'■ •. ' .Bran, 100's, M 10s. f.o.b. South, £5 15s. Wellington, ■■'"■■■.■' - Pollard, .-Wb, JM f.o.b. south, 10s. WeiJJngtan,• ■ ■■.

Wailri Grand Junction 14 6 15 0 -tl Waiht 8 17 0 8 IS G 8 l3 0 Talisman ... ... 2 G 6 '2 7 0. 2 fi 9 Tairua Broken Hills ' 0 T10 0 2 1 — AVailangi 0 4 0 — — Royal Oak ... ... - - 0 1101 N.Z. Crown 0 4 10 4 4 —, Big Hirer 1 1G 0 — ' —