COMMERCIAL. ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1064, 1 March 1911, Page 8

COMMERCIAL. ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHAKES. ..No transactions..in_4nvestment # shares wc'-e recorded yesterday. The buying and selling quotations were as under :—

The course of sales during the past month was as follows:— Bank N.Z.. £10 16s. 6d. ■ National Bank. £6. £6. £6 Is. . Equitable .-Building.: £10, £9.155. Jit tropoUtan Building, £12. Wellington Trust and Loan, £7 165., £7 12 N.'Z. Loarf'and Mercantile. 10s. 3d.. Wβ. 3d. Chriftehurch Gas. £10. £10 2s. 6d.,, £9 17s. 6d .. £9 17s. 6d.. £9 17s. 6d., £9 17s. 6d. Feilding Gai, 22e. n< New Zealand lnsurar.ee, B4s. 6d. Christohurch Meat, £15 10s., £15 10s., £15 lCs Meat Export'(£s), £6 7s. 6d. Meat, Export (£4), £5 4s. Meat Export (525. e<1;). «os. TJiHon Stra-jn. 375. 3d., 375. l&.. J7f. 3d. Wolli.ngton Woollen, ordinary, 765. 6J., 77a. - 'id:, 775. 6(1., 765. - Leyland-O'Gricn, 275. D.I.C. preference, 235. Manning and Co.. 89=.. 90s. N.Z. Drug. <95., 433- , Auckland Tramway, ordinary, 245. 6d. Taranaki Petroleuni, 145.. 12s. 9d., 133., 13s. 6d., 135., 135., Us..' 13s. 3d., 4Js.. 6d.,. 13s. 9d.. 13s. 9d., 14a.. 135. 6d.. 13s. 6d. Taringainiitn Totara, 475. 6d. . Ward .and .Co., £5 15... £5, £5. : Wairarapa Farmers, £7.

.GERMAN XROS PKODUCTIOX. Th" make oE pig-iron in Germany in 1910 amounted to" 14,793,000 tons, as compared with 12.917.CC0 tpiis in the preceding sear, being an .increase of 1,870.CC0 ton 3 An the record has hitherto betn held Br tho year 1907," when the quantity of pis-'iror. made was 13,045,000 toD3, it will bs seen that the production in 1910 even surpasses that year by no. fewer than 1.743,000 tons. The' larco increase in the output last year has becu partly disposed of by promoting tho export trade, inasmuch as the quantity of pis-iron exported in the first eleven months advanced by 3CO.CCO tor.s, whilst a. further-!iri;c lonnaso of tho greater pr6ductit>n.in''l?lo lias boon utilised indirectly, after manipulation in the carrying out of extensions'of plant at a number of tho iron and steel works the.ms3.lve3. for tho purpose of still further o-uementiriß tho output, if it is possible to find a market for it.

JIISDESCKIPTION. OF FUES. ■ A private conference took place at the London. Chamber, of' Commerce o= January 10, between the Fur and, Skin Tr.-lds Section o! the Chamber, a3 'reprcsentine the wholesale fur trade, and a deputation from, the Drapers' Chamber of Trade, re•presenting retailers, en the of common' misreprercTitiition »in'furs, i- tho ■"supnre&sioft 'bt which" , tfp£i ..'inodies havo already taken common action. The conference discussed a list of common misdescriptions o£ well-known furs, and tho possibility of an asipoment between tho -wholesale a=d rotsrtj trade on such descriptions as DrGnerlyf-reprcsanted the nature of the Rood , ; and their value without deceiving the pr.rch?.s:r. Attention was also directed to the. misleading character of advertisements in various publications, and the need for the better protection of tho public asainst fraudulent imitations of furs. It wa3 understood that the representatives of tho Drapers' Chamber of Trade would report tho result of the conference to tha council, and that further conferences would probably take place. , . .... -~.-«. CUSTOMS. Customs revenue received at the port of Wellington durine February totalled £63,523 63. Bd. The revenue for the two months (compared with the figures for the corresponding months of last year) show as under:— 1911. 1910. £ £ January 70,808 57.579 February '-. 68,223 61,425 £139,031 £119.004 The beer duty received in February totalled £1072 18s. Bd., acainst £1162 Us. Bd. in February, 1910.

. -THADE. IN. ALLEN STEEET. Fruit.—Tho Xavua is'duo from Fiji on Friday with tho usual monthly shipment of bananas, which r-hould reach n cootl market, as supplies. are licht. The Sydney boat, duo to-day, is brinßiiiK only a iiKht shipment for the local market. Somo excellent pears arc bPiUK received from Victoria by each steamer, the quality mid flavour of the Iruit being very good. DoFScrt applet havo declined in value, whilst the onotatiov. far cooking varieties has advanced Gd. per ca?o. Heavy shipments of late varieties of peaches arc now comins in, and prices ranijc from 23. 6d. to 55., according to ouality. Dessert plums are in csce'.'dinKly short supply, the current, value boiss /■?• ,to ss. Heavy suf). plica of tomatoes continue to reach tho market daily from Ilutt growers, and sauce manufacturers are operating frcelv, prices varying from Is. 6d. to 2n. per halfcase. Jlessina lomons are in short supply, ar.d so also are oranires. Potatoes— A large percentage of the potatnfc.3 comin? from the south is tflccted with the blisbt. _A Rood demand exists for tubers free of disoasa. Onions.— Heavy cousipnr.ients are ccminc in. and prices range from £4 to £4 10s. per ton. EsKS.-Frcsh eggs have Eood inuuiry at

Is. 6d. to Is. Bd. per dozen; preserved, Is. 3d. . Butter.-Frime bulk is in Ehort supply, and realises 91(1. per lb. Cheese ia unchanged; loaf, 6M.-. medium. 6d. Haras and Bacon.—A Eood trade is passintr -" theo linos. Orats Seeds-Cocksfoot is.scarce, but the supplies of other seeds are fully up. to requirements. ■ Chaff.—Heavy consignments from tho Wairarapa and JlarlborouKh districts are coming or. the market. Pollard.—The demand is good, and valuS3 are unch-ingeu.- ' Bran.—Tho stocks available are more than Gn.ua 1 to tho reouirenients of the marked Oatmeal.—Colder weather is stimulating tho demand. OatV-aro slightly firmer, the quotations are higher 'than last week. Fowls' wheat continues in Eood demand, but without any alteration in nrice. Maize.—The demand ha 3 improved slightly, due to the, colder weather. VcKctaWlcs.—Parsnips, preen peas, and French beane are. in excellent demand. Cabbages continue to improve in price. Swedes and marrows arc coiniu? in freely, and selling at slightly reduced rates. : WHEAT AND FLOUR. By Teleerapu—f ress Association- -ConyriehtLondon, February 27. Tho wheat and flour for the United Kingdom total 3.350.CC0 quarters: for the Continent, ",695.000 quarters; Atlantic shipments, 134,000; Pacific, ffI.GOO. Tho shipments to Europe during the week totalled 1.293,000 quarters, including 290.0C0 from Argentina, 270.000 from Russia, 144,000 from IJanubian districts, 113,000 from India, and 207,000 from Australasia. SILVEE. By Telegraph—Press Ansnciafc m-Cor.vrisftt London, February 27. Ear silver is emoted at 24 5-16 d. per ounce. FROZEN MEAT MARKET. (By Tcleiri-aph.-Pres3 Association.) Christcliurch, February 28. The BrUish-Xcw Zealand Company has received the following cablegram:—Mutton: Prime- Canterbury, <|d; North Island. 33d. Lamb: Canterbury, sgd. to s|d.: North Island, 43d. to sd. Beef: Hinds, 3id.: fores, 3d.

GRAIN MARKET. (By Telegraph —I'resa Association.! Cllristchurch, February 28. There is a, weaker tone in the local wheat market, mainly ja conEceiueuco of a Denny per bushel less being given in Houtn Canterbury. Merchants who have been giving 3s. freely at country stations are now not oneratinE to any extent, or are declining to nurchaEC except at, 2s. Hα., which is all they cay can ba civen for wheat, for export. Some space has been taken for shipment of wheat to the United Kingdom at the ordinary frciein oi «-.3. per ton. Thero is nothing fresh to record in connection with oats. Prices for the best quality offering, and it not very Drinie. are 2s. and 2s. Id., and the oats are as rapidly turned over as they are bought, the scarcity of offerings preventing merchants from laying in stocks. The" barley market' is very dull, and prices are not Quotable, as it means that anyone».who really wants to sell has to be satisfied with what ho can get according to o.uaUtr. . • . .

Th'cra is little business doins in erjssscpd, owing to tho high and firm nrices ruling. Oatsheaf-ichaff. still remains at 655. at country stations.

Buyers. Sellers £ s. d. £s. d. National Bank ,? ? ? 6 16 Bank of New Zealand... 11 0 0 Metropolitan 12 0 0 . , Well. Investment 0 11 0 0 11 6 Christehurch Cins 9 W. 6 9 18 0 Well. Gas (£6 15s.) : 13 12 6 - N.Z. Insurance - . 4 5 0 Gear Meat (£1) 3 4 0 H-.Z/-, Shipping - 11 1 g Union Steam — ■. .} H „ Wall.- Woollen (ortl.) ....... - < » » Wcll. ; Woollen (prtf;) 2 16 6 3 0 0 Trtupiri Coal .; 1 1 .» • ~ „ Westport Coal — . , ; S Lcyland-O'Brien — 1 ' 0 JTnnnins: ar.d Co 4 10 0 Miramar, Ltd — S 5 Tarsnaki Petroleum 2 5 5 S n n Taringamutu Totara Z 7 6 & J u