COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 780, 1 April 1910, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

; •]' , ,' IN VESTMENT SHAKES Sales' of- Taranaki 'Petroleum'' at 9s.'' atod 95., 3d. were reported yesterday. These prices aro an advance on those recorded' oaruer in tho month. National Bank, buyers £6 45.; Bank of New Zealand, buyers £9 135.; Feilding Gas, buyers,£l. Is. ctY J2 B Sr £t> 15s - P aid > ■ sellers £13 12b. od.; Wellington Moat Export, £2 12a. 6d; paid.-Bellera £2 15s. Od.; Wellington Woollen, ordinary, buyers £3 25.; Westport Coal, buyers £6 45., sellers; £6 65.; West-port-Stockton, buyers 7s. 3d., sellers 75.9d.t N.Z. Consolidated Dental, buyers £1 Is. 6d., sellers £1 4s. 6d.; Sharland's, ordinary, buyers £1 Is. 9d.; preference, buyers £1 2s • Taranaki. Petroleum, buyers 8s„ sellers. 9s. 3d; > Business was affected last month by the number of holidays, consequently there was very little trading in investment shares, prices, however, were very firm. The course, of sales was as under:— Bank of New Zealand, £9 • 13s. 6d., £9 13s. 6d. ' . National Bank, £6 55., £6 6s„ £6 55.. £6 55., £6 55., £6 ss. . National Mortgage, 605., 60s. 9d., 60s. 9d. Wellington Investment, lis. ■Wellington Trust and Loan, £7 3s„ £7 Is. Feilding Gas, 225. Gisborne, Gas, 81s. 9d, . Gear Meat, £1 paid, £2 14s. Taupiri .Coal, 193. 3d. Westport Coal, £6 2s'., £6 55., £6 ss„ £6 ss. Westport'-Stockton. Coal, 7s. 6d. Leyland-O'Brien Timber, 235; 9d„ 235. 9d.. 245. 6d., 245. 6d., 245. 6d. N.Z. Consolidated Dental, 225. N.Z. Drug, £2 7s.' Taranaki Petroleum, 8s„ Bs., 95., 9s. 3d. Ward and Co., £4 175.; 6d„ £5.

BOABD OF TEADE EETUENS. _ The Chamber of Commerce Congress, held in Sydney last year, appears to have resulted in a considerable amount of good. The British delegates were duly impressed with the great potentialities of Australasia, and Sir Albert Spicer has done a great deal to bring the more important matters under notice of the London Chamber . of Commerce. The Board of Trade, too, appears to have profited, for specially prepared summaries dealing with the trade of the United Kingdom with the rcspeetivo colonies are now issued regularly. From Mr. Rolloston, H.M. Trade Commissioner for New Zealand, wo have received tho summary for January, which is extremely interesting, and reads as follows:— "The trade returns of the United Kingdom for the month of January show a continuation of the expansion of trade which was a marked feature of the returns for the later months of 1909. The imports of food products 6howed a sub-stantial-increase, and the values of raw materials imported were generally larger than in January, 1909, with the exception of cotton and hemp. The high price reached by raw cotton at the end of last year has had the effect of reducing considerably the amount imported into the United Kingdom. "Important increases are shown in most leading descriptions of articles of United Kingdom produco and manufacture exported. In many cases tho figures for January, 1910, exceed not only thoso for the first month of 1909, but also those for January, 1908. In spito of the high price of tho raw material the cotton piece-goods exported were moro in quantity by about 20 por cent, than thoso exported a year earlier, when tho effects of,the Lancashire cotton trado dispute of tho autumn of 1908 were still visible in the foreign trade returns. Tho delivery of a large foreign war vessel inflated the figures of'exports of ships in January, but oven if this exceptional item is ignored, tho substantial increase of over £4,000,000 in tho first month of tho year in other items is a good augury for tho rest of the year. It is worth, noting that_ tho exports (United Kingdom produce), in January were only about a quarter of a million sterling behind thoso of January, 1907, which yielded the highest figure for January on record. "As usual tho trade accounts for January include tables showing the total trado of the year 1909 with each foreign country, and each part of the British Empire. Prom these tables it appears that the imports into the Unjted Kingdom in 1909 show an, increase of £14,632,000 in poods consigned ■ from foreign countries, while tho increase of consignments from British Possessions amounted to £17,155,000. Of tho exports of produce of the United Kingdom, the increase to foreign countries in 1909, as compared with 1908, was £781,000 while the increase to' British Possessions' was £494,000. Tho.incronfes were recorded mainly in the second half of the year, and in tho last six months of 1909 the inrroa=o of exports to British Possessions over the figures for the corresponding months of 1908 amounted to £6,604,000, as compared ■ with an. increase of £7,670JG0 to forcijni.

countries. As tho total exports to foreign countries are roughly double those to British Possessions, and the imports from foreign countries more than three times those from British Possessions, theEe comparisons of tho growth of the two sections of the trade show the position of the interImpcrial trade to have been stronger in 1909 than in 1908. b . "In 1909 tho imports into the United Kingdom from New Zealand amounted in value to £17.731,000. as compared with £14,664,000 in 1908, tho increase being thuo 21 per cent. Exports of United Kingdom produce to New Zealand, however, showed a decrease from £8,767,000 in 1908 to £7,352,000 in 19G9, or 16 per cent. The detailed particulars of the decrease are not shown in tho tables now issued, but will form an interesting subject of study when the detailed annual statement is published." RELATIVE TRADE VALUE. Some interesting facts concerning the relative positions of. Austvalja, New Zealand, and Canada, as customers and suppliers of the United Kingdom. may bo gleaned from the annual summary of the trado of the United Kingdom for 1909 issued by the British Board of Trade. In view of the frcoucnt comparisons made as to the resources of Canada and Australia, it is interesting to .note that the Australian Commonwealth far outstrips the Canadian Dominion on both, sides of' the account, while Now Zealand has nothing, to bo ashamed of in lier position when extent of country and population are taken into account. A comparison of escorts of British produco and manufactures to tho three countries named during the last three years is appended:— 1907. 1908. 1909. To £ £ £ Australia 24,096,655 22,942,415 23,970,492 New Zealand .. 8,700,941 8,767,003 7,352,210 Canada, 17,101,524 12,243,060 16,672,364 Exports of the produce and manufactures of.the United Kingdom to Australia in 1909 show an increase of £1,028,077, ao compared with 1908; exports to Canada an increase of £3,428,404; but those to New Zealand a decrease .of £1,414,785. A similar comparison of foreign and colonial merchandise (reexports) exported from tho United Kingdom to the same three • possessions is as follows:— 1907. 1908. 1909. To £ £ £ Australia. .... 3,050,148 2,718,608 3,205,423 New Zealand .. 740,967 746,171 728,948 Canada 2,119,499 1,968,467 2,378,833 Imports of merchandise into the' United Kingdom during 1909 show increases .of £3,578,997 from Australia,. of £3,067,025 from New Zealand, and of £765,705 from Canada. A comparison for tho three years is appended:— • 1907. 1908. 1909. From £ £ £ Australia .... 33,832,413 > 29,069,554 32,648,551 New Zealand .. 17,787,809 14,663,841 17,730,866 Canada 25,466,836 24,463,488.25,229,193

Customs revenue collected at Wellington yosterday amounted to £2449 13s. 4d. BILVEE. By Telegraph—Press Association—CoDyrlchL London, March 30. Silver is quoted at 24ad. per ounce.' WHEAT. London, March 30. The American visible supply of wheat is 64,iW,00u . bushels. , -METAL MARKETS. (Eec. March 31, 10.55 p.m.) ■ % . London, March 31. Copper—On tho spot, £58; three months, £59 Us. 6d. per ton. ■■-~' Tin.-On the spot, £150 10s.; thrco months, £152 12s. t>d. per ton. ; AUSTRALIAN PRODUCE MARKETS. (Eec. April 1, 0.5 a.m.) Sydney, March 31. Wheat, 4s. Id. Flour,' £10 15s. Oats, Algerian feeding,. 2s. 2a.;. white, 2s. fid. Barley, Capo feeding, 3s. Maize, 3s. Id. Bran and pollard, £4 10a. Potatoes, Tasmanians, £4 15s. Onions, Victorian, £3 10s. to £3 15s. Butter, 98s. to 100s. Oheeße, Sijd. Bacon, Od. Melbourne, March 31. • Wheat, 4s. 2d. Flour, £10. Oats, Algerian feeding, 2s. 2d. Barley, malting; is. 6d. to 45.; feeding, 2s. to 2s. 6(1. maize, 2s. Bd. Bran and pollard, £4 16s. Onions, £2 10s. to £3.' Potatoes, •• £4 6s. to £4 15s. ■ ' ' Adelaide, March. 31. : ; Wheat, 4s. 2d. Flour, i 8 l'/5..-6d.'to £9. Oats, Algerian,'ls. lOd. Barley, is. id. to 3s. 7d. Bran, is. Pollard, 13& d. HIDES. (Eec. April 1, .0.5 a.m.).' Melbourne, March 31. There were no hides sales-mis week. FEOZEN MEAT MARKET. ~ (By TeltEraph.—Press Association.! Naplor, March 31. The C.C. and D. Company 10-aay cabled the following report as to tho Loudon frozen meat market:—"Quotation's: Mutton—Canterbury, 4id.; Napier, 'Wellington, and North Island, ijjd. Lamb—First quality, bid.; second, ojja. licet—Hiuas, <ua.; lores; i\ii." ■'■"■" LONDON WOOL SALES. '..'Messrs. Levin and Co., Ltd., .havo received advices from their London agents that the following clips have been Eold 'at.the sales"juut closed, oh their account, the prices, named being tho average price realised for the fleece wool in each instance :—Waimahoe, Waikanao, lljd.; To Taumata, Fahiatua, UJd.; UM/liunmde, Masterton, 9Jd.; 111!/F in aiamond, Fcatherston, 9Jd.; Crosskeys, Castlepoint, ll*d.; CTD, Kelson, llSd.;. Otawahao; Kumeroa, 10. 3-16 d.; SL in square, Fahiatua, 10 7-16 d.; GHW, Masterton, 10Jd.; Croßß Keys, Tiuui, 11 Jd.; WA (conjoineu), Linton, 12a., holding 41 bales; Moroa, Alfredton, 10d., holding 59 bales; TOH, Weoer, 9 15-16 d:; WAB, Carterton, lid.; IS, Carterton,. 12d.; Weka, Bulls, 10d., holding 58 bales; Moutere, Bulls, 103 d.; Huia, Bulls, 9d., holding 9 bales; MY (conjoined), Tiuui, 11 l-16d.; Erina, Blenheim, 12Jd.; Ravensivood, Nelson, 11 7-16 d.; X under eyebrow, Alfredton, 10d.; WMK/SV, Alfredton, 10 13-16 d., holding 28 hales; RAN, Bidcford, 10 9-16 d.; BIC Ohau, Ohau, 10 l-16d.; Kariri, Foxton, lid.; Tokomaru, Wauganui, 9 5-16 d., holding 8 bales; Waite, Wansaaui. 1" 5-16 d. ; Pair-bank, Masterton, lid.; WB, Palmerston North, lid.; Havcnscliff, Palmerston North, lid.; Eiversdale, Fcatherston, lid.; Hillview, Masterton, 10id.; Makino, Feilding, 103 d. .