COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1364, 15 February 1912, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHAKES. There were no transactions in investment shares yesterday. The buying and telling duntiutions were as under:Bayers. Sellers. £ s. d. £ ?. a. National Rank '. - 5 15 6 K.y,. :i.'Ul .liivcr Plate - 2 10 N.Z. nnrt liivcr Pluto (rights) - 0 19 Well. Investment til J Well. Deport - 0 7 6 S.H. Insurance — i 12 0 Gear Meat - 13 Z 6 TarinEflinutu Tolara '. 2 3 0 2 6 0 liniilen Unv Cement 14 3 X.Z. Con. Dental - 12 0 WOOL PRODCCTIOX -VXD CONSUMPTION. Jlcssrs. Charles li.ilmc and Co.'s aiimijii v-iml circular c'.ealin? vyitli prospective supplies says that supplies of merino wool (lui'i)i(r 19!?. lire not expected lo lie an-iirci-iiibly in exec*:- of those [or toil. Cliinutic conditions in many part* of An.,tralia have been unfavourable during tJi? period of Eiwtli, notably fn the south, ivr-l poitii.u of Ijiirfiislaml and llm nnrthorn (linlricts of Now South Wi'.lcs. as v.cll ;is of .Soulli and Wpftci-ii An-:-alin. 'll. ( . te:i.?oii. however, hi<- bron nirro propitious in the oilier nool (.-rowiuK i-cnlrcs of the ror.tinonl, but the total pradvetlon h lint likely to skow aoiy material increase.

Shipments from South Africa arc uleo cxpecH'd to remain stationary, a- dry wcaiher in llasiitoland, :;s well as in the Orange Free .State, linn checked, the, natural incro-.isc in the Hocks, and is likely to c:iuse some diminution in the output o! tile lornicr district. On the other har.d, crecisbred wools will be more plentiful than last year, owing to an anticipate! increase in tin; Argentine prutliiclion. -vhi.-h is estimated at collie oC.iO) bates, the univalent of 70,1:00 to 80.C0J c;;!o:u;:l bales. Hut no augiucnliition in the New Zealand clip is looked for; indeed, according to the more recent returns, it would i-ccm probable that this year's exports will l;e slightly less iliaii those for the previous seai-on.

The winic authority, dealing with consumption, considers that the prospects for 1912 appear, on the whole, favourable. It is true thfit the dry summer ot 19H lies, to a certain extent prejudicially affected trade in Kurope. which has also been hampered by the ever-growing demands of labAt the same time, with the increasing spending power nf the masts in all civiliiod countries, the demand for woMlcn goods is contiinially expanding. In these circumstances, with, a more or less sta.tiouury supply of merinos and the prevalence of a moderate scale of. prices, there seems evoi'v probability of :i full maintenance of quotations, as it has been proved during t!ie past year tli.il there is no surplus of the raw material to meet any further increase in consuinpliqii after the normal requirements of machinery have been satisfled. It has been shown that supplies of crosi-brcd? are likely to be considerably larger than last year; under the conditions which obtained during the greater part of 1911 this augmentation of .vipplies would probably lead to some modification of values, but judged by the Ktrength of Ainuncnn competition for crossbred s in the various wool markets of the worldduring the past two months, it appears reasonable to .Messrs. fialine and Co. to expect that the increased demand from that quarter, where stocks of imported wool arc unusually low, will at least be siiflieiently vigorous to cause quotations to be maintained at their present level, and possibly placed on a higher basis.

BRITISH SHIPBUILDING. Lloyd's Kcgistcr shipbuilding returns foi the ([uarter ended December 31 fast show that the shipbuilding trade is again in a flourishing condition. Excluding warships, thero were 483 vessels of 1,519,052 toite gro :i -: under construction i'n the United Kingdom, at the close of the quarter, as compared with 363 vessels of U31.5C3 gro;s tpnnago in the corresponding quarter of 1510. The jirescnt ligurew are the highest ever recorded in the society's quarterly returns, tlic tonaage exceeding by about 388,fC0 tons that under construction in the corresponding quarter last year.

With regard to ownership of the vessels under construction. 335, of 1.236.439 crow tonnage, are intended for the United lu'ng(iom. and 34 vwssnls, of 72,740 grows tonnage, for the British colonics. The figures givIncr the size of vessels under construction (warships excluded) comprise 2-5 steamers under ICO tour, 114 steamers under SCO tons. !C2 steamers of CT and under 6CCO tons, 19 of EC-CO and under 10,000 tons, 11 or 10,000 (ind under 12.000 tons, and three steamers of 20.0C0 tons and above.

There vere nine warships under construction in the United Kingdom Rt Royal dockyards in the quarter under notice, nil of Hritish nationality, the total of tons displacement being 61.H0. At private yards there were 5E warships under construction, with 347,665 tons displacement. The vessels under construction comprise two battleships, three cruiser.-, and four .submarines.

In a table, giving the number and tonnnge of vessels excluding warships, undo;' construction at various ports abroad, there appears a total of 364 vessels, with gross tomiiise of 836,620, including 332 steamers of 816.7 M ton?. Germans takes the lead with 09 vessels, of 350,365 tonnage, and Sic United States of America ranks next with 59 vessels, of 105,606 tons gross.

CiiFitoras duty collected at the port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £2109 15s. f<l. SOUTHERN GRAIN MARKET. tßy Telezraiih.-Press Association.! Dunedin, February 14. The wheat business is limited, owing principally to the fact that there is very little on the market. Any prime samples of milling offering are readily nlaced. Fowl wheat is in short mpply, and fetches nearly as much as milling. Prime millins velvet is Quoted at from 3s. lCd. to 3s. lid.; prime milling lusea.ii and velvet ear, J». 9id. to 3s. 10d.: medium milling and best fowl wheat, 3s. Cd. to 3e. 9d.; medium, 3s. Ad. to 3s. 7d. Oats: There is a fair demand, especially for good Cartons, and occasional inquiry for bright h'P.arrov.-bills, but the supply of both is limited. Prime miiling, 2s. to 2s. 5d.; beat bright short feed, 2s. 3jd. to 2s. 4d.; inferior to medium, 2s. to It. 2d., sacks extra.

PRICE OF WHEAT. Bγ Telegraph—Press Association—uopyright Sydney, February M. In response to the weakness of the London market, wheat shippers have reduced the price to 3s. BJd. per bushel. Jlillers, however, arc offering 3s. 9Jd. to 3s. 10d. THE METAL MARKETS. London, February 13. Copper.—On the spot, £62 155.: three months, £63 Bs. 9d. Tin.-On the spot, £1% 55.; three months, £191 10s. , Silver.—Bar silver is quoted at 27Jd. per ounce standard. LONDON QUOTATIONS. London, February 13. Ooldsbrough, Jtort and Co.'s stock is quoted at 97J. -. ■ •