COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1545, 14 September 1912, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES. • . Yesterday New Zealand Insurance shares were sold at £4 13s. 6d.. and W.F.C.A. (£1) at 295. The buying and selling quotation? were ns under:— ■ ■ .. . .... Buycm. Bellen : : . £a. d. £s. d. Bank New Zealand —■. -11 4 0 N.Z. and River Plato —' ■' ■ - 2 1 0 Feilding Gas 10 6 — Well. Gaa (£10) ..,. — • 18 2 6 Standard Insurance 111 3 , — ' Ohristchnrcli Meat ' '..15 7 6 — . Meat Export (525. 6d.) ...... - 510 Well. Woollen, pref 2 16 6 - Westport Coal — 18 6 Leyland-O'liricn Timber . — 17 6 Taringamutu To.tara 25 6 .266 Golden Bay Cement .'. 10 0 110 N.Z. Con. Dental - 116 SharlandV ordinary - 12 9 Sharland's preference ...... — 13 3 W.F.O.A. (£5) — 7 7 6 W.F.C.A. (£1) - '19 6 COMMONWEALTH TRADE RETURNS. For the Eoven months ended July 31 last the imports into the Commonwealth of Australia amounted to £44.237.374, as compared with £37,657.428 for the corresponding period of 1911. The exports totalled £40.016 695 against £37,152,791. Thus, while the imports Increased by £6.579.946. the exports increased by only £2,863,904. It will be further noted, that the imports. £44,237,374 exceeded ' the exports. £40.016.695, by £4,220,679. This docs not disclose a. sound position, and many of the prominent business men in Australia have direoted attention to tbe matter. It seems, however, that the imports, arc now taperinE off, as the increase jn July was only £315,200, while in June the increaso was £676,435, and in Itay £810,779. SULPHIDE CORPORATION, LTD. ~ The London directors' have declared an interim dividend of 2s. per sharo on preference shares, and Is. 6d. on ordinary shares, payable September 30, less Is. 2d. in the £, EnKli?h income tax. The transfer books will be closed from September 16.t0 27, both days inclusive.

Customs duties collected at the port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £1828 15s. 2d. ' LONDON MARKETS. Messrs. Dalgety and Company, Ltd., have received the following cabled information from their London office, under date September 12:—Tallow: Since our last telecram, line beef and mutton is 3d. to 6d. per cwt. higher, good coloured, mixed, is' from par to 3d. highsr, low and inferior descriptions aJpo show an advance of 3d. to 6(1.. but gut is from par to 3d. per cwt lower. Frozen 'Moat: Tho market is firm owing to the small , supply, but the demand is checked by the hi|:h prices. Mutton: Market is very firm; since our last telcsrram prices are Jd. to id. per lb. liicher Lamb: Shows an advance of 1-16(1. to jd. Beef: Prices are Id. per )b. higher.

BANK OF ENGLAND RETOIW. (Rec. September 18, 9.45 p.m.) London, September 13. The Bank of England return issued for the week ended Wednesday, September 11, is us under:— Issue Department KoleliEut £59,259.000 Gov.aobt - in,015,000 Other securi- • ties ... ... 7,434,<W0 Gold 40.840,000 £59,299,000 f59.a69.000 BANKING DEPAIITSIEST. Proprietors' N Govt. aecurl. capital £14,553.000 lies £13,368,000 Publio do- Other securipositii ... 15,513.000 ties 30,088,000 Otbor deposits ... 17.355.000 Notes ... 50,330,003 Best, 7-day and other bills 3,605.003 Coin... ,„ 1,330,000 £81,110,000 £81,110,000 The loading items of the Bank of Ensland roturu afford tho following comparison :— This week Last weok, Last year nuilion -10.840,030 40,!13R,0M 4i.3ki.UOa nescrrc :iI.IiCOJM!) 31.355.0U0 rtl.&Tjr>.LT(X) Notcnln.-Hiß.tion i».n.ifi.o!l,l -2!>.-2V4.003 '."1,r,51,0T0 I'ubUoDoiTOsiti 15.5W.0M 15.«.7.U3a 0,035,0X1 Other Deposils 4V,:i0J.000 17.116.0&J 11.319,000 Proportion ol , UlJJimiei ,„ {0,31 . . iW ' tWS j

BANK RATES OF DISCOUNT.' The Bauk of England rate was. -on De-. ccmber 1, 1910, lowered from 5 to 4 J per cent.; on January 27 it was lowered to 4 per cent., on February 16 to 3J per cent., and on March 9 to 3 per cent. On September 21 it was advanced to 4 per cent., on February 8 it wa3 reduced to 31 per cent., and on May 9 to 3 per cent. On August 29 it was raised to 4 per cent. The Bank of France rate was reduced from 31 to 3 per cent, on January 23, 1908. fend continued at the latter figure until September 21, 1911, when it was raised to H per cent. On May 17, 1912, it wa3 reduced to 3 per cent. The Imporial Bank of Germany reduced its rate from 5 to 4J per cent, on February 6, and on February. .13 the rate was further reduced to 4 per cent. On September 19. the rato was rajscd to 5 per cent., and on Juno H, 1912, it was reduced to 4i per cent.

MARKET RATES OF DISCOUNT. The following are the market rates for best three months' bills:— ' London Paris Berlin rate. rate. rate. per cent, per cent, per cent. This week 3 9-16 23 43 Last week 3J. ?.j 41 Last year 3J ' 2} 31 Short loans are quoted at 2 per cent., as acainst 2 per cent, last week, and li per cent, last year. ■■ COLONIAL. AND OTHER PRODUCE. Wheat.—Cargoes are quiet but steady. For South Australian, May shipment, and New South Wales. April shipment,. 40s. 3d.; for New South TVales, off coaet, 408. M. is asked. Liverpool futures: October. 92; December, 86J. Australian, on spot, is : n small supply. a;:d is nominally at 425. to 425. 6d.: eood Kcw Zealand. 40s. Flour.—There is a small spot demand; 265. 3d., c.i.f., has been paid for SeptemberOctober shipment for Liverpool. Oats are steady, and the market is good. Gartons. on spot. 2fa. 6d.; Lα Plata,' Sep-tember-October. 18s. 6d. Peas.—There is some speculative demand, and 38s. 9d. has been paid for SeptemberOctober shipment. Beans are firmer. New Zealand, 3Bs. 3d., ex store. Butter ie very quiet, and nominally unchanged. Bacon is easier, but there is a good Inquiry for. Australian Oumberlajids at 60s. to 645., Wiltshire at 62e. to 665. Suuar.—German beet. 88 per cent, net titre. 12s. 3d. Der cwt.; first marks granulated, f.o.b. Hamburc Is. 6d. higher, at 135.. 6d. Bradford Tops—The market is firm. Fifties, !d. higher, at 19d.: forties, Jd. hiehor, at 14Jd.; forty-6ixes, sd. hißher, at 151 d. TIIE METAL MARKETS. . Copper.—Tluoo months', £79 Is. 3d. to £79 6s. 3d. per ton; electrolytic, unchanged, at £81 12s. 6d. Tin.-On spot, £5 se. higher, at £222 15s. per ton; three months', £3 15s. higher, at £219 10s. / . • ■ . -. Lead, soft'foreign, 2Cs. lower,, at £20 15s. Pipe-iron, MiddlesborouKh.'caEh, 65si - lid-: i per ton. '' ' -': ' -'■■'' ' '■"■ ' Spelter, £26 17s. 6d..per ton.. VICTORIAN PRODUCE MARKETS.. By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyrieht Melbourne September 13. Wheat, 4s. 3Jd. to 4s. 4d.; flour, £9 10s.: oats. 3s. 2d. to 3s. W-: maize, 4s. Id.; bran, £5 I*.; pollard, £6 155.; potatoes, £11 10s. to £12; onions, £19.

SYDNEY ONION MARKET. (Rec. September 14, 0.30 a.m.)^ Sydnoy, Senkmber 13. Onions aro quoted at £17, a accline'ofK sinco lost quotation. .: CANTERBURY GRAIN MARKET. .: TclecrapU-Pross Association.) .. ... Chrlstohurch, September 13. The local grain market is still very quiet, and the general complaint of merchants Iβ that they cannot do business in tho absence of shipping space, consequent upon Home steamers bcicn sent to Australia for loading. There is no particular inouiry for wheat, and few oats arc offering. There, is a fair nuantity of oats still held principally unthreshed, and. for what lines are coming on, the market prices asked are generally above buyers' present limits. Die potato market Is rather weaker, thouch reports that Australia will want supplies to the end of October, or even November, may tend to keep values from. declining much further. Some buyers arc offering as low as £6, but the lowest prices at which sales have been made is £6 10s. and £6 15s. o.nd up to £7 would probably, be paid for. October delivery- -There-, is a-largo retail business beine'.dpne..in''all.classes.of ag--ricultural seeds, .as tlio fine! wcatlicr"()f the past, month has , enabled farmers to, p'iish/ on the preparation' of."the soil. -'.There ie, however, but little wholesale 'Business passing. Partridge peas lire in demand, but offerings aro very scarce.

GOVERNMENT 8EOUIMTIE9. The followinf are the latest nuotatlom for BOTernmcnt securities, with a conf narison of thoee ruling last week:— Variation. w compaied Price. with ___ . last wooki 21% Imperial Consols 74 a 6 7s 6d lower I 10i 10 0 10s hi«bei 34 ,,N.S.W.lsi8.M-r.-Sep. 97 0 0 Vncliangcd 3 .N.S.W.lSasApl.-OctJ 84 10 n Uuchniieed * ,Vic.M20Jan.-July 101 0 0 UneliaMcd 34 ..Vic. l(IJ1.6.Tan.-July 9. la (I UnchnnBcd 3 ,,Vic.l!H(MOJan.-Jiily 83 0 0 UnchanGOd ih ,.S,A. 1016 .Tan.-July 04 10 0 Uncban«cd 3 ,8.A.- liUG Jan.-July j 7D 0 0 Unchanged i ,,Q'rdl915-24.Iaii.-Ju!y 101 0 0 Unchanged 34 ,,QTdl9.4-30Jan.-July 05 0 0 Unchanfied 1 ,,N.Z. 1029 JIay-Xov. 103 10 0 Unchanged Ji ,.J..Z.l!M0Jan.-July 01 0 0 Unchanced ■ii •.JJ;H-lB<f'April-Oc.. ,63 10 0 Unchanged: W 10 0 Uncharged J. -"■A.1915-35May-Npv &i 00 Unchanged •>» »Tas. JWOJan.-July -Iβ 0 0 Unchaneed 3 „ Tas. 19-20-40 Jau..Julyl M00 Unchanged