COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1435, 9 May 1912, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHAKES. A sale of Wellington Trust ,-.nd Loan sharps at £7 12s. 6d. v.-as the only transaction recorded yesterday. The buying and selling niiotatious were as under:— Buyers. Sellers. £ 9. (1. £ s. (I Bank of Kew Zealand ... 11 10 0 - National Hani; 6 10 — X.Z. and liiver Plate 2 0 0 - Well. Trust and Loan ... 7 12 0 - Christehiirrh Gas 8 15 0 Gisbornc Gns — 2 16 0 Wellington Gas (£10) — 18 7 6 'Veil. Gas (second issue)... !6 D 0 — Union Steam 2 8 0 — Well. Woollen (prcf.J ... - 219 0 Taupiri Coal 1 ! 0 12 0 Westport Coal 19 0 — Wcstport-Stockton — 0 3 C Leyland-O'Brien — 18 6 Donachy Hope and Twine 12 0 — Golden Buy Cement — 14 6 Manning and Co — 4 10 0 N.Z. Con. Dental 10 0 110 Sharland's ordinary — 13 6 W.F.C.A. (£5) — 7 5 0 W.F.C.A. (£!) - 19 0 SOLID OIL FUEL. Solid oil fuel, to which some attention has been drawn on account o[ the trials mado of it on a Great Western Railway locomotive IE notable because it can he manufactured either in a pure state or in combination with coal, sawdust, chips and the like. By the Armslroiig-Mordan process it is made in about a Quarter of an hour. The oil, to which is added a little water and the ren.u>itc quantity of the solidifying powaer, is ueatcrt, ogitaicd in a cylindrical mixer for a few minute" and then quickly ejected, when it will be found to bo formed into solid lumps of irregular -.nape. There may either be left, to become quite hard, or may lie moulded in an appropriate pre*s to amshape desired before the hardening process is complete. In the ca«> of a mixSure. as. for instance, with coal dust, the foreign body is added to the oil in the mixor and the process (rone through a< abo.e. A Rood mid effective fuel is 10 pill per cent, of oil nmi the remainder coat di'it, with a little water. Fuels have bec-i made with a smaller perrcntaeo of oil, but the writer cannot vouch "for their usefulness as ho can for that hist mentioned. A peculiarity of the process is that any soi'L of oil- from crude to benzinc on the one han:l unci heavy rr-<iduo nn the other-can be successfully heated and that 10 or 20 tier cent, of water ii> t nil oil docj not prevent solidification. H should by no means be imagined that th's fuel is perfect—indeed, the process bap been considerably improved during the past few months: but n-hnt has already bacn accomplifhcd shows that auo'hur has Ijccn added to the many prolUablc n=es of oil. A STIUKF. I,OAX. A novelty in strike finance wa? promoted by the Paris taxi-cab drivers towprd? nip end of Jlaich, when they were nbout ibree month* out. Findine llicir funds inn. nine low. while I lie imartor's rents were fnliinir due. they i-om-cived thu idea "f lloatinß a loan. The loan was huinchod thi-misrli t-liu Labour Kxcliaii K e and die Iradc umoiis were Kppealed to lo take mi ihe bciiidn ot £1 oai-h. Tim Union ,\ c l Srndicals dc In .Seine applied for. and nm allotted £W worth. The i-xpei-ini",,, i-i :'. curious oni! on the part of a rci-olu-(ionary body, which aims a! the Mipprp-.-,!ou i'f baiik.s share?, and capita! it-c!f Tim Chaiiffeurs , l.'niou has n house and" other .nroporty tn effef a- s«eurity, ,-i.nd hones to 3stnblif.fi Ihn principle of credit In iurtort of ttrUiaa.

A IMI'KKI.W, "COMMICIiIjIAn COXGHKKS. The preliminary nnmratnnio of rn.'.olulions Id l>o Milnnfltnd m Hie riulit.li Iru-n----ui:t.l Cmiurpvf of Chambers o!' Commerce of [ho British Knipiri- !ins boon issued. , Tim comrres.-; will meet ;il. Guildhall, and 'I ivill r> InmiKiiratpil by the -Prime Minis- " lor, Hie lliclil Hon. >l. Jl. Arnisilii, lion- I '•■ nrary president of the roiißri'", mi June I '. 11. Lord DRxboroiiKh. nrp.Md'jiit. nr the '• London (,'hambcr of Commerce, h the act.11 inir-nrosidcnt. 'I'lio. list, of ■ honornry vice- ' '• presidents contains Dip names of many J members of this Cabinet and the Oiipo.'i- " Won. and distiniriiii-iicd IlrilMi colonial '■ ncliniiiis-trntorss. The subjects for disou?- '■ einii, limited by general consent t.o those I which arc of conunoii interest to comII men-ial men Iliroiieliout Uie Empire, luira- ; - her over fifty, and liiplmlc commercial : relation* between the Mother Country ami '■ (lie roloiiips; nntioiial dofciire; nll-red mail ■■ route: ciniirration; trleicr.ipliiii cninintini- ■' nalton: validity of nrliitrntiiin awards and h .ludcments; romincri-ial arbitration; com- ! - mercicl •■clutntioii: ii.«>liiiil.'itioii of mcri-antile : lav.s: Piinnina Cnnal: penny po-tauc; re- • fiiiroi-lty between tin; West Indies and Canada; remedies for labour disputes; Iradn misropresontation and ini.-desmptioti; and West Indian telegraphic . coinniunicalion. The arrnnecnicnls for the conpresp arc liciiiir made ny the l)i'iti-:hlmi)eri'a! Coiin--1 eil of Commerce, of wliieli ilr. Charles 1 ClinrleLoii is rliairman' ir.nd Mi-. Stanley [ Mac.hin depnty-cliairinuii, the otllecs lidliir s located at the London Chamber of Com--1 tnoree, Oxford Court, E.C. 1 KXPOKTS OF PHODUCK. ;' The values of the iiriiieipal products : exported, durinis the month of April, compared with the flpturce for the corrospond--1118 montn of last year show as under:— 1 April, 1912. April, 1911. Butter 129.15} 48.6« 1 Cheese 232,495 1C6.C44 Beef ; 33.970 52,612 MuUon— I OarcasEcs 177,650 !04,-Jso Leis and pieces ... 6,913 6.170 J'nmb 246,172 267.651 i Wheat - M 28,551 ) Oats 30,853 715 1 Potatoes 936 901 i Hemp ....; 11,979 -17,114 Rabbits — 4 I Tow 2,05 2,018 ; Kauri Rum 32.0P8 ■ 17.511 Orain and pulec ... 20,525 23,2-11 Hone 242 574 ! Hides 9,978 8,612 Skins 64.6C0 . 65,450 Tallow 62.328 76,683 : Timber 45,813 . 32.563 Wool 751,115 480,675 Gold ..• 140,552 89.361 I 1.995.808 1.459.331 Tito total for the' twelve -months ended ; April 30 last was £18,146,347, a? nirainst £19,195,040 for the previous twelve months. CUSTOMS DUTIES. Customs duties collected at tho port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £2293 16s. WERTPORT COAL COMPANY. !liy Telegraph—Press Association.l Dunedin, May 8. The directors of the ■Wcstport Coal Co. iiave declared a dividend of 9ri. per share for the hulf year ended March 31. FROZEN' MEAT. Kelt's. Dalgety and Company. Ltd., Wellington, have received cable advice from their London office, dated May 7, that frozen lamb is id. higher (which means that it has now touched (A. per lb. in London). SYDNEY WHEAT MARKET. By Tclcsraph-Prcss Association-Copyright. Sydney, May 8. Good rains in some districts have quietened the wheat market. Buyers have reduced the limit to 4s. sd. METAL MARKETS. Londnn, May 7. Copper.—For forward delivery, .£7O 6j. 3d.; electrolytic £73 10s. Tin.-On the spot, £20S 55.; three months, £293 15s. Lpad.-£l6 10s. Silver.—P.ar- silver u quoted at Slid, per ounce standard. ; WHEAT. ! ... London, May 7. Four Australian cargoes of triicat eold j nf, Ws. 3d., two at 395. 7id., and one at o9s. on.