COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1427, 30 April 1912, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHADES. A sale of Union Steam shares at £2 l£s. wa3 the. only transaction recorded yesterday. The buying and s?lling quotations were as tinder :— Buyers. Sellers. £ s. (I. £ s. d. tf.Z. and River Plate 1 19 6 2 0 3 Christchurch fias , — 9 5 0 Well. Ga.s (£10) ' - 18 7 0 Standard Insurance — 1 10 0 Christchurch Heat 15 2 6 15 5 I) Union Steam 215 6 2 16 6 Tanpiri Coal 119 1 ! 1 Leyland-O'Brien — 18 9 Tarihgnroutu Totara ... — 2 8 6 C. Jt. Banks, Ltd — 0 19 6 Golden Bay Cement — 14 6 N.Z. Con. Dental 10 0 — N.Z. Drue - 2 9 0 SHARLAND AND CO., LTD. The balance-shcst of ■ Sharland and Co., Ltd., for tho year ended February 29, 1912, was circulated yesterday. The gross profit for the year amounted to £51,084 Os. <d., and the expensss totalled £24/91 7s. Id., leaving the net profit at £6592 13s. 3d. In the expenditure is included allowances for bad debts £1252 lis. 4d., and depreciation £147 ss. The amount brought forward from the previous ysar was £409 7s. 7d., making available £7002 os. lOd. Out of this £2000 has been taken to augment the reserve fund, which will now stand at £13,500. The dividend at the rate of 7* per cent, absorbs- £4350 19s. 6d.. leaving £651 Is. 4d. to 1)3. carried forward. BANK OF AUSTRALASIA. The report of the Bank of Australasia for the half-year ended October 16 last, submitted to the meeting in London on March 28. states that after providing for rebate on bills current, for British and colonial rates and tar,?s, for all bad and doubtful debts, and for a 10 per cent, bonus to tho staff, the net profit for the half-year amounted to £205.881 To this must be added £16,185. brought forward, making a total of £222,073, out. of which tho directors have declared a dividend for th.s half-year at the rate of 14 per cent, per annum, or £2 16s. per share, and a bonus at tho rate of 3 per cent, per annum, or 12s. per sha.re, together £3 Bs. per share, free of income tax. The dividend n.nd bonus will absorb £136,000, and the directors have further appropriated £50,000 to tho reserve fund, and £20,000 in reduction of the cost of bank premises. There will then remain £16,073 to be carri3d forward. STATISTICS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. The Commercial Department of the Board of Trade has issued a volume containing a statistical abstract for the British Empire in each year from 1695 to 1910.

One table gives the area, and population of each part of tha Empire, according to the census taken in each of the years 1881, 1891. 1901, and 1911. This gives the approximate area of the British Empire at 11,306,000 square miles, and a. population of 303,694,000 in 1881, 345,355,000 in 1891, 385,398,000 in 1901. and 416,318,000 according to the census of last year. The population per square mile is 36.8.

A summary statement shows tho total foreign trade in 1910 amounted to £1,316,814,000, as compared with £745,434,000 in 1896. The total iuter-Imperial trade of the British Empir.3 in 1910 was £460,074,000, as against £239,644,000 in 1896. A grand total value of trade is thus shown of £1.776,888,000 in 1910, as compared with £985,078,000 in 1905. The percentage proportion of foreign trade in 1910 was 74.1, and 25.9 inter-Imperial trade, compared with 75.7 and 24.3 respectively in 1396. The net tonnage of sailing and steam vessels on the register in each port of tho British Empire at tho end of 1910 amounted to a gross total of 13.361.938. as against a. gross total of 10,503,307 in 1896. The production of staple articles within tho Empire forms an interesting portion of the report. Goal was produced in 1910 to the extent of 306,554,000 tons, of the value of £123.900,000, as compared with a production of 208,273,000 tons in 1896, of the value of £61.400.000. The following was the. production and value of the tindermsntioned staple articles in 1910:— Iron ore, 16,734,000 tons; pig-iron. 10,768.000 tons; diamonds (value), £8.491.000; gold, 12,713,000oz„ valued at £53,600,000; silver, value £4,353,000; copper (value), £4,424,000; tin (value), £9,000,000. In 1906, the production of iron ore wos 13,867,000 tons, aud that of pig-iron 8,720,000 tons: diamonds were produced to the value of £4,650,000; gold, 2,767,0C00z., valued at £11.700,000; silver to th 3 value of £784,000; copper, £999,000; and tin, £3,600,000.

The approximate amount of wheat produced in the British Empire in 1910 was 680,900,000 bushels, that of barlev 111,300.000 bushels; oats, 488,700,000 bushels, and maize, 54,400,000 bushels: the amounts of those cereals resp2ctively in 1896 being fin bushels) wheat, 322.700,000; barlev. 98,200.000; oats, 280,500,000. and maize, 36,800,000. Wine in 1910 reached a production of 6,900.000, as against 14,300,000 gallons in 1896, hut tea showed a large increase- from 265,410,0001b. in 1896 to 449,270,00011). in 1910. Cocoa exhibited a still greater production, having arisen from 40,877,0001b. in 1895 to 143562,0001b. in 1910; whilst coffee stood at 47,221.0001b. in 1910 compared with 38,363,003 1, in IflOfi Unit- nnn .l.. n .i i. _ j

IV-«« in 1896, Raw su B ar production reached 61,200,000cwt. in 1910, as against 54,300,0001b. in 1898 (the figures for the two preceding rears not being ascertainable). Hubber was produced to tires extent of 13,483,0001b. in 1896, compared with 25.888.M01b. in 1910. Ootton shows a notable increase from 910,808,0001b. in 1896 to 1,664,655.0001b. in 1910, whilst .iutc (from India only) reached a production of 28.329,000cwt. in 1910 as against 20.418.000cwt. in 1896. CUSTOMS DUTIES. Customs revenue collected at the port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £1443 85. Bd. UNION STEAM SHAPES. (Br Teleiranh.-Press Association.) Dunedln, April 29. Union Steam Ship shares marie a big forward movement this morniug. being quoted at buyers 56=., sellers 565. 6ri. Thero were no sales on 'Chant's. One was reported at 555. 6d. The rise is attributed to numerous amalgamations. HIGH COMMISSIONER'S CABLED MARKKT REPORT. The Department of Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourists has received the following cablegram from the High Commissioner for New Zealand, dated London, April 27, 1912. (Note: Quotations, unless otherwise specified, arc average market prices on spot.):— Mutton—The ninrkst is quiet, and prices arc slightly weaker. Nominal quotations: Canterbury, 4}d. per lb.; North Island, light-weight 3Jri. per lb., heavy-weights 3!d. Lamb.—The market is firm. There is'a good demand for all Jamb. Canterbury, £3d. per lb., other than Canterbury, s;d. p 3 r lb. Beef.- The market is firm. Stock? of New Zealand beef, on hand ir* light. »-.r Ze-clood hinds, 4Jd. wr lb,; forci, Jld, pox lb* . f

Ilutter. The market is dull nml inisottled, but low??" priros ore eiirnuraging business. The average priee fur I lie *.■;■:< rnr elioicc-t New Zealand lmtter, per .•«!., is 109.-.. Australian 1055.. Argentina. 105.-., Danish 119.-., Siberian 107s.

Checs?.—The mnrki't is slightly weaker, with less demand. The average prii-p for Hie week for finest New Zealand checM\ per cwi., is 70s.

Hcnip.-Tlv market is quiet, lint strady. New /calami quotations are iiiirliaiijeil, viz.:-All positions, (tooil fair smile, J. 7.1 10s. to £21 15?.: fair grade. X'fl per lon. The market is firmer for Manila. Fair current Manila, spot, per ton. is £21 15*.; forward shipment. £22. Th? output from Manila for the week was 21.000 hales. Wool.—Tlw market remains lirm. fIIiADI-Olll) TOPS. Mes'-rs. Ualpcty and Company, Limited. Wellington, have received cabled Advice from tlv-r London office, under date April M. Riving the market quotations for Br.-iil-rord tops at the end or April. Figure:; in parentheses are those for the end or Hie pOecedin-j month :-36's, 13d. (12:!il.); 40'« lojd. (13i(I.); 44's, 14d. (Ltd.); 45's, l«d. (141(1.1: 50's. 171 d. (17d.1: 56':.. 193.1. (lojd.); 58's, 21(1. (21d.1; 60's (comninn), 23id. 123 d.); 60\s (superl. 2-»ld. (24R); 64 1 ?, 251.1. (251.1.1; 70's, 26J.1. (26d.). : SHEEPSKINS. The Bank of New Zealand has received tho following cable advice from its London ofllee, dated April 27:—"Tho market, ia strong for all kinds of sheepskins. Prices are par to 5 per o;nt. higher." LONDON WOOL SALEB. By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright London, April 28. Tho following prices were realised for the Resce portions of the clips named:— "Pahaua," top 10d.. average 9d.; "lirockdale," 12Jd. and lljd. Messrs. Levin and Co., Ltd., have received cable advice from their London agents that the tollowiug clips have been sold at th.3 sales .now current, on their account. The prices named being the average price realised tor the fleece wool in each instance:—MOP.OA. Alfrcdton, 92c!.. W.MK/SV, Airredton, 9 15-16(1.; WC.lt, Keilding, 9d.; TANG, Mastorton. 63d.; HFM/'MY (conjd.), Tenui, 9 9-16 d.; DMG, Wangmiui, 9(1.; LAXSDOWNE, .Marlborough, 12jd.; EKINA; Marlborough. 12 3-6(1. WHEAT AND I'LOUE. London, April 28. The wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom totals 4,310,000 quarters; tor the Continent, 2,800,000 quarters; Atlantic shipments, 191.CC0 quarters; Pacific shipments, 28,000. Th,3 total shipments to Europe during the week amounted to l/n'O,ooo quarters, including 556,000 from the Argentine, 220.000 Kussiau, 190.000 Dannbian, 44.CC0 from India, and 90,000 from Australasia. (ltcc. April 29, 9.35 p.m.) London, April 29. Two Australian cargoes sold at. 40s. 3d. and 395. 6d. per quarter respectively. LONDON MARKETS. •» London, April 28. Copra.—Fair business. South .Sea copra, in- bags. £25 7s. 6d. Jute, £22 ss. per ton. New Zealand Hemp.—April-June shipments arj quoted at £22 15s. per ton. Rubber.—Rubber is quoted at 4s. 9d. per lb. Cotton.—April-May shipments are at 6.30jd. per lb. Kabbits.—The market is flat and unchanged.