COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1357, 7 February 1912, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES. Tticrc were no transactions in investment shares yesterday. The buying and selling quotations were as under:— Buyers. • Sellers. £ s. A. £ 6 . d. National Bank — 515 6 Equitable Building 10 0 0 X.Z. and Hivcr Plate - 2 16 Will. Investment 0 11 3 — Well. Trust and Loan 7 10 i> Gi.-horne Gas — 219 6 Well (las i£10) 18 2 6 - Well. Gas (third issue) ... 11 10 0 - Chriiichurch Meat - 16 2 6 Gear Jlcat <£4j — 13 2 6 Well. Woollen (prof.) - 3 10 Tannin Coal 110 — liSj-laiul-OTiricn - 19 3 T.nringarauln Totara ... 2 3 0 2 6 0 IS.Z. Con. Dental -- ."2 6 Ward and Co - 5 5 6 • CLYDE SHIPBUILDING EECOED. The Clyde shipbuilding output during 191". constitutes a record, the total being £31.003 tous. spread over 412 vessels. The previous record was established in i 9."7, when the aggregate tonnage was 620.C0J. spread over 53i vessels. In 1910. 350 vef.ols were launched, totalling 392/ CO lons. This is only the third ocr'sion on which the Clyde total has pa.v-e.rt the 6CO.CCO ton marl;. The increase over the previous year of 23J.6C0 tons i.< easily the largest ever experienced on the Clyde. In 19C6, it is pointed out, there wa.s a very severe drop, one of 26-S.CCO tons, but in no t-inglc. year has the rebound from extreme depression been so marked. .Among individual shipbuilding concerns lJii.Tcl! "and Co., Port Glasgow, 'once more head the list with 14 vessels of 72,2.30 tons. Second place is taken by John Ilrown and Co, Clvdebank, with eight vessels of 65.613 toils. The output of marine engineering work al-.i con.-titv.tcs a, record. For the first, time the total horse-power exceeds 7CO.CCO. The Clvde total is 7E8.C00 indicated hoisepower, as compared with 671.0X0 indicated lini'Le-power in IM7. .Inhn Brown and Co. lead the way with 10-1,550 indicated horsepower. ALLEGED SUBSTITUTE FOE JRUBBEI!. U..M. Oousul at Philadelphia, (llr. W. Powelli has l'uruijhed a report on a nsw matcria,l. manufr.etured by a ercrct process, and stated to be a. substitute for hard rubber, cork. horn. etc. The manufacture is ciat'mcd to be simple and cheap. The materials is stated to be made mostly of by-products or waste substance, indeed, of anything that contains vegetable fibre, such a--- hor ? c dung, cow dung, waste paper, hav or straw that is un,nimble for fodder, shavings, etc. It is claimed that, the material can be turned out with a profit, at "d. per lb. Exhaustive tests made in the United States ,-hnw, it is stated, thai electrically it is enunl, if not iiU'c'riur, to bard rubber, fibre, porcelain, cork, horn. etc.. and would take the place of tho-c material,, in several of their uses, lis power of rc-bt'ng heat I- said to be r.lniii-t. if not unit", "oual to that of nv-h:\-to-. and it i- extremely tough anil very ditbeult to break. In its fil-.-t stages of manufacture, being perfectly plastic, it can be moulded into any shape desired. HEMP AND TO"'. The return of the hemp and tow graded throughout the Dominion during the month of Oainiarv shows that 7645 tour- of hemp were graded, of which "W Inns were jraded in WcUiusUm. The lotah nud

I prrrcnlnges uiidcr ooch grade were »:■ I under:- | Grade-- . Tons. Percent. Fine 11l 1.45 Guud fair 3567 16.67 I Fair ,',699 48.41 | Common 210 3.13 Rejected :6 C.51 7f./.-, irii.rc The tow graded totalled 2335 bales, of which i.t)l hull's were eiusse.l as iirsl tirade, i-ii bales tcrond grade, 362 bales third grade, am! -M hale., were condemned. TRADE IX AI.I.KX STREET. I'Vuil. -The Tiilimi'. rrom Fiji, mulled port on Thursday lasl, and her shipnicnl was landeil on Friday, and clc-irod heroic the day ns over, owing to the excellent iirniiiL'ciiiciils or the wharf authorities. Ihe fi in t arrived in (rood condition, Inn on account i,r there being so much slone fruit availahle. unly moderale prices we'e obtawiod. I'liiins and peaches have a tendency to harden. Apricots are nerirlv oil' Ihe -market. Nectarines are coming forward more freely, and are renli.-imr' saliractory rales. Heavy supplies or tomalooare reaching the market from the NeUou district, and values have declined. ,\ small shipment or .Mcsina orange- reached Wellington during the week. .\o California n oranges are availahle now. The UKmaroa, due rrom Sydnev to-dav, is bringmir only a very small sliipmeiu for this market. Vcgoiables — French beans are in much heavier supply, and prircs have weakened. Green peas and cauliflowers arc in excellent, reouost. whilst cabbago, are on the low side. Poultry—Heavy supplies of hens are coming forward, and realise from 2s. 6d. U> 3s. per pair; young roosters, 3s. 6d. lo 4s. 6d.: ducks, 4s. (id. to ss. 6d. The first eonsignmotvl of turkeys reached the market rcee.utM-, and realised extreme rates. Onions—The Auckland district is the main source of supply, and the quality coming forward is excellent; prices range from 10s. to tlo. per ewt. Potatoes have good, inquiry at £4 to £5 Per ton, according to sample. Pollard is almost unprocurable, but small shipments are coming from Australia to cope wish the demand. Bran continues to scM at £5 10s. lo £5 15s. per ton, ex store. ; Flour—Host known hrandti arc quoted al \ E'i os. per ton, ex store, less the usual dis- 1 count. ! Kolled oats are now realising 9s. per ; dozen 41b. hags. i Ontina in 41b. hags is selling at ICe. per dozen. Oatmeal meets: with a moderate demand at £14 10s. per lon. Oats, new season's, are now on the marker, and prices range from 2s. Bd. to 3s. pi."' bushel. C'hafl'.—New season's oaten shear chair is ouoted at £4 ICs. to £4 15s. per ton, sacks ill, ex store. Gape barley has very little inquiry at J--. 3d. to 3s. 6d. per bushel. Fowls' barley is in poor request at 3s. 3d. per bushel. Haled strr. ,v is in heavy supply, and is selling at 60s. to 70s. per ton. Clover hay, hand pressed, rules at £5 to £5 ICs. per ton. Muizr.-Owing to heavy demands rrom Australia, maize has advanced, and *alc-s are now made on the basis or 4s. 6d. to 4s. 9d. a bushel. Hams and Bacon-Swan brand continues in demand. Hams, 9d.; sides, 9d.; mid rojjs, 93d. per lb. fresh eggs are ill strong demand at Is. 2d. per dozen, and consignments are recommended. Butter.—l'rime inilbd, in hulk, is in excellent, reouest at 11(1. lo lljd. per lb. Ohecso is in good demand. Old, medium, 6Jd. to 63d.; new, 6iil. : loaf. 7ld. Customs duty collected at the port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £35)15 4s. 3d." • NEW ZEALAND INSURANCE CO. (11l TolcKrann i : rn«. Us.x-mlnn.l Auckland, February 6. The balance-sheet oi the i\ow Zealand insurance Co., Ltd., for the year ended' November 30, 1911, is published, from which it appears that the net income from premiums, interest, and rents amounts lo £673,385. The available balance on the year's transactions, and including the balance brought forward from the previous yoar, amounts to £111,524, rrom which h::s to be deducted a dividend of £15.0C0 paid in August last. The directors now recommend placing £30,000 to the reserve fund, £20,00-0 to the renusiirance fund, and £KCO to the provident fund. From the balance of £41,524 the directors recommend payment of a dividend at the rate of three shillings per share, absorbing £22,500, and making ss. per shire for the year. This leaves, a not balance of £19,024 to be cv.'ricd forward. Paid-up capital, reserves, and undivided profit now amount! to £639,024, after providing for Ihe dividend recommended by the directors. SOUTHERN, GRAIN MARKETS. Christchurr.h, February 6. There have been u few lots of uew wheat on the market during the last lew days, and it is of excellent quality. Ono lino of about 4000 bushels has been sold at 3s. 4d. at a country station. The weather during the past week has been faxourable lor ripening the crops and harvesting, but not a great deal of thresh- j ing has yet been done. The only graiu i offering iu any quantity is Algerian and I Dun oats, and these arc finding a, ready | sale, there being a good demand from the j north Island. A few lines of Gartoiw have also come to hand. For prime lines • of Duns and Cartons Is. lid and 2s. is ! being paid, and Is. 9d. and Is. 10d. tor i medium quality. Algerians arc making : ! Is. 9d. to Is. lid. The supply of oats : | at present is not equal lo the demand. | Very little barley has yet been ottered on j the market. I i CHRISTCHURCH WOOL SALE. j Chrlstchurcli, February 6. ; The fourth sale of this season's scries wiTi take place on Thursday, when 10,579 i hales will be offered, at> compared with 24i2 ; bales ;it the corresponding sale of la=t i year. WnFAT. Uy Telegraph-Press .■Ujodstlcn-OoDYright (liec. February 6, 11.15 p.m.) j London, February 6. Wheat-Three cargoes Australian have been sold at 38s. 3d., 38.5., and 375. 7VJ. respectively. j ARGENTINE MEAT EXPORTS. I (Itcc. February 6, 11.15 p.m.) I London, February 6. The Argentine shipments of meat and mutton during January totalled:—297.ooo carcasses; lamb, 75,600 carcasses; rrozen beer, 138,750 quarters; chilled bcel, 145,509 ■ quarters. | THE METAL MARKETS. (Rcc. February 6, 11.15 p.m.) London, February 6. : i Copper.—On spot, £61 12s. 6d. per ton; three months, £62 7s. 6d. I Tin.—On sjiot, £193 per ton; three months, i £191 per iron. 1 Lcad.-£Io 13s. 9d.