COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1005, 21 December 1910, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES. Several c-ales of investment shares were recorded yesterday at extreme price?. Lank of New Zealand shares sold at £10 ■13s. 6d. and £10 lfe.; New Zealand Insur- ? r n °e. at £4 <5. 9d. and £4 55.; and Gear l'teat (£4) at £12. Tho quotations were as under:— Buyere. Sellers Sale? £s. d. £s. d. £s. d. N? k ~ 10 IS 01014 0 National Bank 516 0 517 6 - Equitable Building 912 6 - — Well. Trust and Loan 710 0 715 0 — Fcildin? Gae 116 12 0 — Well. Gas (£10) 19 0 0 19 10 0 — Well. • Gas (£5 155.) 13 10 0 — — N.Z. Insurance 450 466 4 5 0 Gear Meat (£4 paid) 1! !f , — 12 0 0 Union Steam 116 3 — - Weil. Woollen (ord.) 3 15 0 — — Well. Woollen (pref.) 214 6 — — Taupiri Coal 1.03 — _ Wcstport-Stockton — 07 0 — Leyland-O'Brien ... 1 6 6 — — Miramar, Ltd 1205.) — 07 6 —. N.Z. Con. Dental ... 1 2 6 — _ N.Z. Paper Mills ... 13 3 — _ Sharland's ord 119 — _ Sliarland's pref. ... 1 1 9 — _ Taringamutn Totara 2 5 0 — — Ward and Co — 5 5 6 — Whitcombe and Tombs — '6 7 0 ' —

Tho interim dividend at the rale of 12 per ceut. per ar.uurn recently declared by tho directors of the National Hank of New Zealand will be payable in the Dominion on and after January 4. A uoticc to that effect will bo found in another column.

TRADE IN ALLE2? STREET. Fruit—Householders will be glad to learn that supplier of fruit for Christina!? ,m----ample, aid there ir, a splendid variety. Supplies of Nov/ Zealand-grown apricots, , peaches, and plums are coming forward in increasing quantities, and the first of tho j black currants have reached the market. 1 Strawberries have been in somewhat short supply. The Tarawera, from Auckland, which reachcit port yesterday, bvoupUl forward a small lot of bananas, transhipped ex Tonga. Island steamer. If the fruit, opens up in good condition high prices aro lifGured. ' Caiiforniar. oranges aud apples are in heavy supply, whilst Ifossiua lemons are short of requirements. Water-raelon3 from Queensland, via Sydney, arc reaching the market regularly, and realise up to Ss. each. Supplies of pineapples and bananas aro due here .os Friday. The'Mocraki, from Sydney, due to-day. is bringing 1200 case:, of fruit.,, and by the Melbourne steamer, due on Friday. Victorian cherries and Tasmanian apples arc dup. Vegetables.—French beans are finding ready sale at 3d. to 4d. per lb.; green peas, as is usual at this time of ycaivars selling well. The supplies of vegetable marrows are increasing. Cucumbers are in heavy supply, tho hulk coming from tho Auckland district. Up to 2C*. per halfcase was realised for tomatoes at auction yesterday. New potatoou are in heavy supply, and low prices have to bo accepted to quit. The first of the Now gPown onions are expect-ed .to-be available next-month; in the meantime, the market is drawing supplies from Victoria. Fresh eggs have advanced Id. per dozen, and the demand is excellent. Butter.—The Christmas demand haa beeai exceedingly heavy, and tho market is bare. Prim© bulk is worth 9d. per lb. Cheese.—Loaf io short of requirements, whilst medium is in heavy supply, There is no alteration in values. Bams and Bacon—Business is exceedingly lively just now. Hamr. are quoted at 9d., rolls Bd., and sides 7Jd. Poultry.—As usual, heavy shipments have arrived, and low rates have had to be accepted to quit. Pollard acd bran' continu© in short supply, most of the mills being closed down. Wheat.—The present quotation is 3s. 6d. per bushel f.o.b. south, for good whole wheat. Flour continues at £8 10s. f.o.b. south, less tho.usual discount. At this price millers are said to be losing money.

Customs revenue collected at the Dort of Wellington yesterday amounted to £2351 15s. Id.

SILVER. By Telegraph—Pre*.* London, December 19. Bar silver is quoted at 25 5-lGd. per ounce standard. SUGAR PRODUCTION. By Telegraph—Press Association-Copyright. London, December 19. Mr. Licht. the sugar expert .estimates the increased production of sugar \ip to the present at 450,C00 tons, and for the whole reason at 1,919,CC0 tons. AUCKLAND STRAWBERRY TRADE, 'l-rom Our Special ConespoMiniu.. n-Auckland, December 20. with trifling- exceptions, tho whole of the Auckland trade in dessert strawberries pops through tho hands of one auctioneerniE flrm-thc Wattemata Fruit Comrianv. During last week and tho previous week the amount or strawberries handled bvthe companj- totalled 30,000 boxes, each holdin™ lib., for each- week. That nuantity is the largest fo far hrougn+ ma tho city in such, a period. The total quantity imported into Auckland during t ile season from the surrounding district'is not known exactly, but it can bo "arrived at roughly, and probably amounts, so ,? to.wosc upon 200 tone, nearly all of which has been consumed locally. CANTERBURY GRAIN MARKET. CBy Tbleeraph.—Press Association.) . Clirlstchurch, December 20 • ahere is a fair amount of wheat offerinc. but there is very little demand on the .part of millers, evea for sound wheat. Second quality wheat commands no sale cxccpt as fowl feed. Sellers axe still holding out for prices 2d. and 3d. moro than fillers would bo prepared to give if , they were on the market. North Island millers are only purchasing from hand to mouth, and complain that, at the present pncc6 of wheat and flour, there is no profit in their business. There is an active demand for pollard for pig-feeding purposes, and stocks havo lately been considerably reduced. There is no change in oats, but chaff is Tather oasier, and 85s. is tho beet price now offered at- country stations. The high prices to which grass Reeds had reached, combined with the late Tains, have eased off tho speculative - demand, and business in this line is now quieter than it has been for some time ! past. It is not expected •• that there will Ibo any change in the market till after ■ the and Stfew Year holidays.

MINHSQ NEWS. . WELLINGTON SHARE MARKET. There is very little business doing in , mining snares now. and. very little prospect of business until after the holidays ore well over. The Wellington Stock Exchange will finish up to-morrow, and brokers will observe the Christmas and New Year holiday,s from December 23 to January 8, resuming business ou Monday, January 9. • The sales recorded yesterday wore:—Talisman (now), at 395. 9d. (third <yiU))', and Waihi Grand June tion, at 30s. fid. 'first call).- The Quotations were as under:— Bx-.yera Sellers. £ s. d. £ s. d. Bonanza - 0 0 7 llauraki Reefs — (10 8 Kuranui — 0 0 b Kuranni Caledonian 0 1?, 0 1 4 May Queen 0 2 9 0 3 0 New Sylvia- 0 3 9 0 3 9 Old Jlauraki 0 2 1 0 2 3 Occidental 0 0 3 ft fl 4 Saxon 0 18 9 1 10 Tairua- Broken llills 0 10 — Talisman 2 10 9 2 11 3 Talisman (new) — 9. ft 3 Waihi — 5 15 9 Waihi Extcnaeu — 0.2 9 Waihi Grand Junction ... 1 10 3 1 10 6' Waitangi 0 1 6 — ■Watchman 0 2 11 , 0 3 1 ]UacUVater — 1 11 £ Con. Goldfields 019 0 10 0 New Big River 3 3 fi — Progress 0 12 6 . — STOCK EXCHANGE. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, December 20. Business done at this morning's call included WaiotaM, 3s. sd. Kauri Timber, 155., 15s. 6d. Saxon, Is. 9d. i . Watchman's, 3s. Waihi Extended, 2s. lid. ' Grand Juuction, £t 10s'. 6d. Mountain King, 6d. The following business was done at the 3.15 p.m. call to-day:— Watchman, 35., 3s. Id. Consolidated Goldfields, 19s. v 9d. Hauraki Re«fG*.(con.), 7d. . Pride o£ Tokatea, Id. Waihi, £-5 16s. Waihi Extended, 2s. lOd. Waihi Grand Junction. £1 10f. 6d. . Dunedin, December 20.. Stock Erchange sales reported:— Old Hauraki, 2s. 2d., 2s. 2d. Talisman Consolidated. £2 lis. 3d; Waihi, £5 6d. "Waihi Extended, 3s. 9d. • National Mortgage, £3 6s. 3d.