COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1084, 24 March 1911, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SIIAKES. tl A sale ot Wcetport Coal shares at 295. it. was the only transaction recorded, in j. uvestmcni shares yesterday. The buying k nd selling quotations are as under:— " Buveri tellers >< 3. d. »j National Bank 60 0 62 jj ~ r.Z. Loan and Mercantile 010 0 5!? I e Investment 0 11 2 OH 6 'hristehurch Gas 9 15 0 Gilding Gas 119 Veil. Gaa (£6 155.) 13 15 0 - Veil. Gas (new issue) 2 10 0 f.Z. Insurance 4 6 0 Itandard Insurance 17 6 -* Jcar Heat (205.) 3 5 0 — Teat Export (£5) 6 8 0 J leat Export (£4) 5 4 0 * ilcat Export (625. 6d.) 3 2 0 • «.Z. Shipping - 13 10 0 » Jnion Steaui 1 18 0 Caiapoi Woollen 5 5 0 Veil. Woollen (ord.l 110 5? S Veil. Woollen (pref.) — 3 10 l aupiri Coal I 1 S < "7 0 Vestport Coal 1? 5 }? n ..eyland-O'Hrien 16 $ \J 5 banning and Co. 411 0 j lu J Jiramar. Ltd - , 11 s T .Z. Con. Dental 12 6 13 6 ? iharland's ordinary — i «5 7 ['aranaki Petroleum — o on faringaiuutu Totara 2 7 6 * J u r . Vard and Co 4 18 6 <; f. NEW ZEALAND EXPORTS. J The values of the principal products dur- R ng the period from March 1 to 15, com>ared with the figures for tho correspond- a ng period of last year show as under: 2lar. 1911. lar - i9lO - e £ £ f lutter 100.953 17Z.8C8 S Ihece ' 126,520 132,600 w 31 "57 43,5J7 lutton'":::::;:::::::::::::::::::::: umm 4 « : % 3,597 >otatoes"".:::::::::::::'.'::.'..'.'.'.. 7iw ::::::::::::::::::: I:S $ » Impulse::::::::::::: : 5:I *:§ $ iSTe® ;.| ' i: c timber Vonl 480,i4S 6JJ,u/7 e jold , 130,543 61,943 £1,333.216 1,697,843 Chere is a. decrease of £364,627^ 3e duo to short shipments. No K reri J• lortanco can be attached to the mo\emenis >f a fortnight. - JIOKATJ COAIi COMPANY. j The Jlokau Coal and Estates Compr.ny, I jtd., was registered on March 18 as P"' n .-ate company with a, capital of ~ 100 ;™ c - 3 livided into 10.0C0 shares of £10 each. The * subscribers are T. tl. Chambers, 750 sha/Cs. . )f which SCO are fully paid up; It. M Nab, < 000: B. Chambers, 1000; W. Nelson. KCO_: K. < D. D. Jl'Lean, SCO, aud others. Tho objects * ire to acquire, ,tal;e over, and purchase is a goincr concern the colliery ana tne jusincss of a coal merchant now owned md carried on at Vv'aitara and Jlokau, ny jebrge H. Stubbs. together with assets, rhe office of the company is at No. 11 Uitia, Street, I'almcrston North. OIL FTJEL. It is difficult to say whether the discovery md development of new oilfielde have teen stimulated by the increasing use.of oil as i propelling pov.-er at sea. or vice jersa. Nevertheless, it is evident that great dcfclopincnts aro pending. Mr. James Gilchrist, chairman of Barclay. Curie antl So., Ltd.. Wliitoinch. is actively engaged in the construction of a set of large liner- , ial combustion engines. A new niotor boat )f about £OCO tons gross and about (OCU ions lead weight is now under construction, the ,-essel is to be propelled by twin sercv.s, ind is to have a speed of L knots. Accommodation was to bo provided for a limited number of passengers. The propelling power will consist of two sets of coinbuu- | tion cj'linder engines of the Diesel typo, tvitli improvements which have overcome the initial difficulties connected with starting and reversing the engines and other minor details. There was another smaller engine of the same type which generated :lectric power to drive the winches, windlass and steering gear, as well as to light, the vessel. The advantages of the engines irere that they could be worked wun tne cheapest kind oi oil. There was no magneto or spark to ignite the charge, this being ' done by compression, while tho engines could be started in five minutes, as :ompared with 15 hours required to raise . steam with boilers. There were uo boilers, no funnels, and no coal bunkers, the oil J bein<* carried in especially constructed i tanks. It was estimated tliat ICO tons of oil would take the vessel as' 300 tons ; of coal, so the space necessary for fuel would be only -about one-third of that at ; present required for coal. It is very probablo that., within the next two years, largo vessels would be crossing the Atlantic without boilers or funnels, and such vessels would, no doubt-, be popular with ■ passengers, on account of the absence of smoke, soot and dirt caused by coaling, coal-bunkers, ashes and firemen. NOTES. The employees on tho State railways of Australia last year numbered £9,669, as compared with 42,321 in 1901, showing a nine years' increaso of 16,348. In New South Wales alone the .employees, were 20,223. These totals - excludo the. tramways. On the coasts of the United Kingdom last year 22,824,655cwt. of sea fish wero caught and landed, or 567,211cwt. more than in 1909. The value of theso fish was returned at £11,342,660, Or very nearly 10s. per cwt.. (just over £d. per lb.), and in addition £316.594 worth of shellfish were landed. The fish is cheap, but the total is very material. The total value of German foreign trade (exports and imports) in 1910, excluding gold, silver, and paper money, amounted to £803,800,000, as compared with £756,500,000 in 1909. .Imports amounted to £45,450.000, against £426,350X00 in the previous "yer.r, while exports also showed an increase tho figures for 1910 being £373.350,000, as compared with £329,700,000 in 19C9. Cu6toms duties collected at the nort ot Wellington yesterday amounted to £<800 Us. CONSOLS. Ey Telegraph—Press Association—Copyrisht London, March 22. Consols are quoted at £61 7s. 6d., a riee of 10s.-since last quotation, on Wednesday, "March 15. WHEAT. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright London, '.Uarci 22. The American visible supply of wneat is estimated at 65,635,000 bushels. THE METAL MARKETS. By Telegraph—l'ress Association—Copyright London, March 22. Copper.—On tho spot, £55; three months', £55 12s. 6d.; electrolytic, £57 Vs. M. Tin.—On the spot, £184 55.; three months', £183 15s. (Eec. March 24, 0.30 a.m.) London, March 23. Copper.-On spot, £54 18s. 9d.; three months. £55 lis. od. Tin.—On spot, £182; three months, £182 10s. BANK OF AUSTRALASIA. 'By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright London, March 22. The Bank of Australasia report shows that deposits total £16,596,475; cash and other securities, £8,952,670; and bills, £14,755,338. LONDON WOOL SALES. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright London, March 22. There was animated bidding at the wool sales for all sorts. Tho highest prices of the series wero realised. TALLOW. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright London, March 22. At the tallow sales 1131 casks were offered ,and 815 sold. Prices realised; Mutton, fine, 36«.. medium 345.; beef, fine 355., medium 335. 6d. AUSTRALIAN PRODUCE MARKETS. By Telegraph—Press Association-Copyright (liec. March 23, 11.25 p.m.) Sydney, March 23. Wheat.— Shippers quote to 3s. 4Jd.; millers, to 3s. 7d. Flour, £8 ss. Oats, Snarrowbills nnd Giants. 2s. Bd.; Algerian 2s. 3d. to 2s 5(1. Barley, Cape, 2s. 6d. to 2s. Bd. Maize, old 2=. 7d.; new. to 2s sd. Bran and pollard £4 ss. Potatoes, Tasmanian £5 to .€6 10s. ' Onions, 2s. 3d. Butter, E6s. Cheese, ss. sid. Bacon, 7d. Mclhourne, March 23. Wheat 3s. sid. Flour £8. Oats. Algerian, 1s lid. to 2fi. Id. Barley, prime malting, Frm-lisl!. 4s. 9H.; Cape, 2s. 4Jd. Maize, 2s. 3d ° Bran and"pollard. £4 19s. Potatoes, £3 to' £3 ss. Onions, to £2 3s. Adelaide, March 23. Wheat. 3s. 5(1. to 3s .6d. Flour, £8 to £8 • ss. Bran, 12Jd. Oats, 2s. Id. ■ ' MELBOURNE HIDES MARKET. ; By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright (Ftcc. March 23, 11.25 p.m.) ; Melbourne, March 23. 1 The hide 3 market is very calm in ju ' classes, and suprlies are moderate,

LONDON MARKETS. The Xc\v Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Companv. Mniiicil, have received the i'ollowiiiK cablegram from their Loudon tinner date .March 22: — Wheat: ISuIcI at J2s. c.i.f.. New Zealand parcel; market (luiet but steady. Oiviuc to increased s»l>plieis the market is not likely to improve at present. Tallow: We ciuotc present spot values of the following descriptions of tallov,':—Fine mutton, 355. per c-.vt.; Kootl beef, 345. per cut.; mixed, 335. per cwt.; market quiet. GISBOIIXE OIL CO. PLANT. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Gisborne, ".larch 23. The director; of the fiisborne Oil Company have decided to send the manager to Sydney to expedite the shipment of the plant that is being ordered for shallow boring. RAM AND EWE FAIR. (By Telegraph—Press. Association.) Christchursh, March 23... At the Canterbury ram and ewe fair there was an entry of 5040. or about SCO more than la«t year. There was a <lull sale; especially for Lorder T.eicesters and ■Shropshire's. There was better dcmai:G for half-breds, and CorrUnales sold in the next proportion, as they are ehielly required for country that has not been so affected by the dry season. More than half of the entry was parsed in. The range of prices for flock rams was:—Lincolns, 2 guineas to 33 guineas; English Leicesters, 1 guinea to 4? guineas; Border Leicesters, 1 guinea, to 4 guineas; Shropshires, 16 guineas to ,3 guineas; Eyelands, one ram, 10 guineas'; half-breds, U guineas to guineas; Corriedales, 1 guinea to 4j guineas; Routhdowns, 2} guineas to 33 guineas; and Southdown ewes, 4 zuincas.