COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1352, 1 February 1912, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHAKES. A sale of Wellington Gas shares, £10 paid, nt £18 7s. 6d., was the only transaction recorded restcrday. Tho buying and selling ri!iotatii>ms were as under-.-Bnycrs. Sellers. £ s. d. £ s. d. National Bank — 5 15 6 Equitable Buildin? 10 o 0 N.Z. and Kivei- Plate ... 2 0 6 Weil. Trust and Losn 7 IJ 0 - Napier G.ii (£10) - » 10 9 Well. Gas (prof. 7s. (id.)... - 0 8 o ruristrhnrch Moat - J 0 J Gear Meat (£« - '5 5 5 Jktt Export (£4) - A J 0 0 .Meat Export ,(si=. 6d.)... 216 0 Z l3 0 X.Z. Shipping - : 5 S 2 Union Steam - 2 0 0 Well. Woollen (ord.) - 3 1 -8 0 Well. Woollen (pref.) 2 18 0 3 10 Taupiai Coal 110 — Wcrtport Coal - 17 0 Leyland-O'Brien MS „ ~ Tavinsa-mutu Totara 2 3 0 2 6 0 C. JI. Banks, Ltd - 10 0 Dona;hy Eope and Twine — 12 6 Golden "Bay Cement i J 5 , 77 » Manning and Co 410 0 ill 0 R.Z. Con. Dental - 12 6 Hharland's preference — 1 <i 6 Ward and Co '5 4 J 56 0 W.F.C.A 7 0 0 7 5 0 Tho course of sales during the past 'month was as under-.— National Bank, £5 15s. Auckland Gas, £3 83. Ed., f> te. 9d. Wellington Gas (£10), £18 is. n «d. New Zealand Insurance. £4 i2s. 6d. T'vnpiri Coal, 21s. Wcstport Coal, 275. 3d-1 Golden Br\y Cement. 225. 9<1.. 225. 9d., 225. lOtl., 235.., 23;., 235., 255. 3d., 2.5=. 9d. FEOZEN HEAT SHIPMENTS. The shipments of frozen meat from Australia and New Zealand to Lhe LnUed Kin-dora during 1511. according to statictics compile' h" Jicesrs. John Coolie and Co., Melbourne/show that in consequence of the season being low favourable thnu it* predecessor a material ialling-ofF has tal--cn plan- in practically all descriptions. The totals for the year furnish the following comparison:-~ . Australia- 1910. 1911. AFutton rarcaves 2.918.T01 1.875,CC0 I'anib carras'c" 17f3.CC0 US2.CCO Ecef, Quarters Ml.'- 0 a-'-MM New Zealand— Mutton, carcasses 1.943,5C0 1.73.UC0 Lamb, carcav.es 3/H7.CCO 3,i28,CC0 Beef, auart3r= 320.Eu7 149.CC0 Tlie Argentine Hcnublic, on the other hand, has enjoyed a good season..ami Biver Plate shipment* to the United luusrdom have increased substaiil.iallj-. lamb ha vine more than doubled. A comparison of the Uiver Plate figures is as follow;:— River Plate- 1310. 1911. ■Mutton, carcasses 2.7i2,C00 3,CC2,C80 Lamb, carcases W.OfO 1.069.CC0 rrozen be;f. nuartors 1,39u,K0 1.575.LC0 Chilled beef, Quarters 1,503,CC0 2.162.CC0 While Australian a'jd New Zealand mutton shipment; show a- decrease of 1,197,500 carcases, Eivcr Plate shipments show an increa~e of 160.CC0 careaiseF. Australian and New Zealand lamb shipments have fallen off by 355.CC0 carcaifes, but Eivor P'ate lanili« show an increase of 608.CC0 carca'oos. The grand total of mutton shipments to tho United Kincriom from tralia N3w Zealand, and the. River Phf« foi , '911 i« 6.66WX0 carca£sce, affair s t 7 597.£('0 carca-oes of 1910; and lambs 5.E49,GCO caronssoE. ajainst 5.526.CC0 carcases. In connection with the Australian frozen beef shipments, it is to ba noted that, while the iuirib«r of fi«artcrs i; /neater, the v.eirjht 13 less.

COST OF COAIj PEODTJCTIOX. In riew of the determination of colliers in the United Kingdom to slribo for lusiicr figures lesardins the cost of coal production in Wie leadin; European countries will be of interest. According to the London "Economist," the enhancement in this item has be.--n most substantial. In 1836 coal was proSu:ed in England at 5«. per ton, in Wales it cost ss. 2a. at the pit's mouth, in France £s. lid., inEclßium 6s. 7jd., and in Germany «s. In 19C9 the r.monnte were:—England, Bs. l('*ii; France, 12s. lCtl.; Belgium, 12.3. lid.; and Germany, 12s. lCd. Tiie cost per ton more than doubled in Germany from IEE 6 to 1907, and the same was true in Wale?, while in BelGiuin the advance was over SO per cent., and in England 70 per cent. From 1507 to 1909 the cout further increMcd. The reasons assigned for this are said to be twofold, an actual increase of wagrs, and pMo a reduced output per man. In England nnd France there was a decrease of ICi psr cent, in the output per man; in Germany the decrease was 7 per cent., and in Ijolcium it wa.s 7. 1 . per Mnt., from 1599 to 1903. In Franco 16 per cent, of tho felling price was labour co, ; t. while in Belgium the labour proportion was 64.per cent. It is noted that the cc-i per ton p.t the mines is lower in the United States :tlian in ?iiy of thn other countries, the cor-t there bcins only 6s. Id. pel- ton, or fully 33 r-er cent lower than in England. This ie largely explained by fie .greater U6C of mechanical appliances in America.

TEA ASD TEA COMPANIES. London rules in the tea realms, as in so many other spheres of world-wido interest. For instance, during tho ycir recently closed, the huge total of 23<,962,9191b.-say, 127 CCO toKo—of tea was imported into that Jrreat centre. The duty alone, at sd. nor lb., amounted to £5,930,006. Of the total of the tea which went into consumption, 66 76 per cent, was Indian in origin, 51.93 per cent, eauie from Ceylon, and 3.91 from China, leaving 7/0 per cent, to represent the imports Iroin Java, and "other" centres. The Indian tea companies have been iloins exceptionally well during the past year or tvo In Jannnry, 1910, an upward move took place in the "shares. Taking «of the principal companies, their fare value then stood at, £9,5C0,CC'0, while their jnnrliet value at that time was £11,550,CC0. These values were pushed up by January, 1311, to £16,<C0.000, nnd to a furtli-jr enhnnced value of £16,9X'.Kfl by the end of 1911. Taking tho whole of <\\c 170 tea companies in India, and their face value at £19,K0.0G0, we find that their market vphie in Jamiarv, 1910, was .•CJl.lK.r-CO. In January, 1911, it, "stood at £32.K0.fCC, while by Uio end of 1911 the re.irl;et value reached .C30.3C0.CC0. Although many tradcr3 in .tea did not j> ay suffioitnt attention to the signs of the tin:c.«, and tlio way prices of tea were, advancing, the financiers in London formed p. more accurate forecast as to the trend of events.

PEOPEKTi , SALES. Messrs. Bcthune and Co. report having recently sold the following city, suburban, and country properties.— City.—Adams Terrace, section having an area of i acre, with 6-roomcd dwelling thereon. £650; Euller Street, land, 35 ijy 139 ft., with 7-rooi'jed refifknee and oorivenienccs. .£1350; Victoria Street, warehoure eito, having a frontas'o of 45i't. by a depth of 100 ft.. price £3CM: Dsnicl Street. level Foction. M by lC9fi., with 7-roomed dwelling, £6CC; Mortimer Torvace. scsliou, with 3roomod dwcUin?, .W!0, also 5-roomed dvjeilini; adjoining. £560, S?.arboro' Torrncc, foction, 35 by 96ft.. and {-roomed dwelling, £«5. Sitnirbon.—Silversl-enm, near koH links, level biMlt over half an ar*. £215; Titnhi Rny, seaside section, mef .', acre, £1SO; Plitn"ierton E.ttenfion. Section 11, contnin25.7 perchos. £60; Section 91, containing 39 norche?. £2i: TT.ifait.ii. Iliitnitni Koad lonri ,'.9 ft. 6in. ijv 217 ft. ICin.. with 6-roomcrl lc-ii'ence. .£1010; Voccltoivn, section cont.i.inin? 37 pcrchr.=, with 7-room-->d dwelling thorcin. £500; Petwe, Inr.d 14.4 pcrfhes. with 5-roin.ed dwelling. fi"1; -Vinio, Main Jim.d, brUdinß fi'c. containinr 20.8 perries, .filSO; a'so ."iclininjni. ranininin"25.5 norrlw. -€140; Kilbirnie, Hamilton Eond". portion h^Ai an γ-yq?, of 11 po!t'k':<;. wit.h rievcinnd Sirest, corn'-r ?0,-tion 'hnvinrr"l=4 ft, street frontnses. vi,th o-rmrecd (ivollin£7so; Ol'iro Vm&, ?p"iion, 33 by 103 ft., and 4-roorncrt dweUinc. .€J2fl. Connfrv.—AucWnnd district, farm of IK acres, £3 per acre. The Customs revenue rnilcrW ycFtordav to(,n.llod £lftls iEf. Srf. The revenue frr the month of Jnnunrv pniountrd to £P 4/50 as comno.T-H with Ik. Ed. for the corressponding month of 1911. Tho duty for the nn?t monMi iolnllcd .1990 11s. 10(!.. a<s against £I'l7 13--. 10d. in Janu.iry, 1911.