COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 724, 25 January 1910, Page 10

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

-(- :'. ; TEE SAKES.v- : ~y: '■■' )\..[\. latest: cables'-show .that prices aro beiiig::,well;maiiitaihecl.-m f Ooloman Street, and heavy pμrchase3■ are being made. Out of 48,872 . balSs. offered- up .to "Saturday 46,639 bales have been sold.vleaving slightly mbro than 2000 bales;unsold. : The remarkable feature of "the ■ wool market is that high prices aro-oein'g'realised at .a moment when, visible- supplies are-large. The-shipments of the Australian clip, have been rotarded by the; coal strike, but it is ",well' hnbwn. that the* clip of the Oonk monwealt-hj -is; much';. larger, : ;than in the past (season, (so that very /heavy shipments ! must!; go: f p'rward as soon- aa' the (coal striko ends,' and"'that"seems" very";''-.-naer- 'now. Another interesting feature is the- fact that the wool shipments from Cape Colony for i%9 : totalled 297,614 bales, which is a record. This has^.a /significance for us, for it means that, sooner, or later/the Cape will ■-.- enter -the- list --'of . f roien meat exporters; furthermore, it indicates that imports of - frozen meat into Cape. '• Colony may be regarded as at- an.:end. .i , I

'-'•• CAPE COLONY'S KECOED WOOL -;... ' , i -.'-...EXI'OETB.--..- ' : '.By- Telesraph—P.rcss , Association—CpDyrieht. >-.:-'' Capo Town, January 23. ': The: export of; wool from Cape Colony, during 190? amounted to 297.614 bales-a-record.': ■■^'l:: : ::' ■'■': : '";.' - : ; ■■ ■• '■■■■■■■'•■" / •■■'

•■' .COLONIAL AND OTHEREKODTjqE. - By'Telesraph— Press Assocjation-CopyriKhL

• '■--'." ' London, January 23. total quantity ; 6f wheat and flour'afloat Jor the' United; Kingdom is 2,675,000 : quarters, and for the Continent, 765,000. Atlantio shipments; 140.000 Quarters; .Pacific, 15,000.. . . : ..- , '_■-- :.:■■■ ; .Babbits are, Unchanged..-;,:, ,:.-. ~-; , . : ■•.

-Hemp , :—The ;li6mpV:niarkct""'js ■' inactive, with prices unchanged.., ~.,,' -..■' ■■■.■■ Oopra— Dull. .Sma'll sales:of South Sea, in>baßSimijtv £24.,-,.; 7.:-. '~ ., •,-. -„■■■ .... ;.- ■ Cotton: is quoted-, at Liverpool at '7.42 a ,. 'per lb. ■■■■.• •• '•••■- ''■'■.■ - :■:-■•' ■ ■■•.■•

~. THE METAI/ MAEKETS. - ''Silver, 3-i6d!'per'ounco standard. "". Copper.—On the spot, £60 11s. 3d. per ton; three months, £61 12s. ,6d.

Tiri.-On .the spot. £146 15s. ■ per ton three months, £148 2s. 6d. '•' ' "*■ teafl, £15 13s. 9d. per ton. :

■'"■'•"• r ma|r'c6iDrissibNEß's , "bAßiiß.' "■"; ':. The Cpmmerco and Tourists' Blvisionhas., ..received' tlipi foUojylng,,,, cablcuram' from ; 'the"HiEh : 'Oomlnissioriorf dated London,'- 'January' 22:— :.7 :, ''..' '. ' . -'.The'mutton-'market is quiet; trado for all classes of mutton has been very slow, 'and. prices '. are ■; barely, maintained. Tho supply' of Canterbury'■ mnttoii is practically exhausted, and Quotations for that description' are -nominal. Tho average price of ■' North. Island mutton is 33d. per

Thei stock of last season's New Zealand lamb is almost exhausted, and the small lots on tho market. are sellinK. at mut- , ton ; prices. . Tho avoragO: price of new ' season'SfKew t Zealand:,lamb) •; -other.: than

Canterbury, is 4Jd. per ■ lb'.; Australian lamb, 33d. -. .■ .'■-..... . :• .

. The beef market ; is flrm and suDDly limited. New Zealand . hindquarters aro averaging 3td. Ncr lb., forequartcrs 23d. The butter. market-is very flrm. with a 'general and active demand; it is expected that prices will advance. The shipment of butter and cheese.per s.s.:lonio arrived in good condition. '- The . averago price of choicest New Zealand butter is 114 a. uer cwt.;. Australian, Argentine, and Siberian,/110s.; Danish, 121s.

The cheese market-is very flrm. There is C'- a. good demand, acd. the market in active at tho advance.' Now Zealand finest whitb cheese avcraEes-58s. per cwt..'coloured 57a.' ■ -.-.-:. ■Tho hemp market is. quiet at last <iuotations, with a tendency in favour of. buyers. It Ja reported that tho American market for Manila hemp is firmer. Tho output of Manila for the week was 20.0C0 bales. Prices cabled last week wore:— Spot, good fair, 10s.; :fair, • £26 - 15b. ; Manila, £26 10s. January-March-Good fair, £27; fair, £26; Manila, £25 10s. The kauri gum market is flrm, with a fair demand. Current quotations are as fair thrce-quartor-Borapod, £8 10s. per ton; fair half-scraped, £5 65.; brown fair half to thfec-qnarter-Bcraped,: 905.; brown picking, common' to good,: 40b.; bush, fair to good sale and amber, scraped, £8. '■■'■:. ' /' ~.'.' : DUNEDIN WOOL, (By Teloirraph.-Pross Association.) ■■••■■■. •■"..••Dunedln," January 24. The eecond wool sale, of the season opened here to-day, the number of bales offered being Z44D3,.as against 20,366 for the corresponding eale lasfcjtyear. The attendance of buyers was very large, and com-petition-was keen, prices showing a firming tendency for all classes of wool. The following is the range of prices) the figures for the corresponding sale in 1909 being given in parentheses:—Merino, super, lljd. to 14d. (10d. to iljd.); merino, medium to good, 9Jd. to IOJd. (81d. to 9idJ; do. inferior, 73d. to 83d. (63d. to 73d.); half bred, Bupor, 12Jd. to 143 d. (IOJd. .to 12id.);- do. medium to good, lOJd* to 12d.-(Bd:>to 10d.); do. inferior, 9d. to 10d. (6Jd. to 73d.); crossbred, supers 12d.-'to 13Jd. (101 d. to 13Jd.); do, good, -lOJd; :to U3d,.-(9d. to :10Jd.)j do. medium, 9Jd. to; IOJd. (6Jd. to 03d.); do. inferior, 7Jd. to BJd. (sd. to 6Jd.). Continental buyers were particularly keen 'for , all fine lines suited for, tho requirements of Continental .trade., American bnycrs also secured a goodly proportion of wool. :Pieces'wore in good demand, and sold at oxtreme. rates.., The sale will be continued to-morrow. ' / ■' . ■' - ■, -.

vlThe Customs revenue collected yesterday amounted to £1«8 4s. Bd. No beer duty was collected during, the day. r '.;