COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1606, 25 November 1912, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

; INVESfjIKXT SHARES. "'- The 6ales recorded!.on' Saturday were South British Insurance at £3 145., Union Steals at ! £2 10s. 9d,, and 'JYmpiri Coal at £1 2s. The quotations were as under:— Buyora Sellers £ 6. d. £ 3. tl. Equitable Building — 9 16 0 .N.Z. and'lliver Plats ... 2 1 0 — ■ Christchurch Gas ............ — ■ ■ 8 2 6. Well. Gas (second issue)... 15 12 6 . Well. Gas.(third issue) ... 14 10 0 . 14 15 0 , Well. Gas (preference) ... 1 0 0 10 9 S.B. Insurance • — 3 14 6 Gear Meat (£4) - 12 17 6 Meat Export (£4) — . "5 0 0. Meat Export (525. fid.) ... — 2 19 0 :N.Z. Shipping 14 0 0 . — .Union Steam .; — 211 0 Hikiirangi Coal 0 18 0 — Leyland-O'Brion — 17 6* Taringamutu - Totara 2 6 0' — Golden Bay 'Cement 10 9 110 Ward and Co 5 0 0 5 2 6 W.F.C.A, ■ - 7 5 0 • JEx-dividend. ' ' ' EXPORTS' OF PRODUCE. The values, of the', principal products exported.idurihg . the .'first .halt of the current month, compared with the figures for the corresponding period of last year, show as under:— ■ ' -, - • V- : . Nov., 1912. Nov., 1911:' Butter .'. 134,071 • 112,109 Cheese 32424 61,484 Boef 4. .'.•550 . Mutton 27 2,488 ' Lamb .i. :... 409 485 Wheat 1,772 . ' 24 Oats 18,649 219 . ■ Potatoes 13,807 245 Hemp ' 16,999 , 2,538 . Rabbits 2,682 . 13,879 Tow 1,299 • 244 Kauri gum s 18,195 . 1,039 Grain and pulse ..... 6,036 ' 2,205 Hope 12 . " 898 - Hides 14,294 ' 2,481 ■ Skins 37,334 5,183 . Tallow 4,353 1,278 Timber 17,477 18,088 Wool' : 29,166 13,505 ■ Gold 64,208 : 68,874.' 412,918 507,816 ..' A SOUTH AFRICAN FARM;. A Special■' Commisioner of the. "African World," who has visited the estate of Sir Abe Bailey, near Colesberg, Cape Province, writes as follows:—On Sir Abe , Bailey's estato of 40 farms, .covering an .area, of 300' square miles in -the Hautan. district,' Colesberg, Cape-.-Province,' now ,-in . its eifehth year, stock-breeding and agriculture are to-day being carried out on a large scale, a permanent staff of 50 white's and 300 natives being employed.ln all 1500 miles of fencing have been done. The. stock estates carry over 60,003 .sheep, the majority merinos,' yielding 1250 to 2500 bales of 'wool yearly, 10,000 Angoras, 2C03 cattle,, hundreds of high-bred Herefords and Lincolns, and 2000 ostriches—birds of a value of a thousand, guinea-3 per pair.'. Th? stud of horses, of a value of £12,0C0, comprises 25 thoroughbred English stallions, 60 mares, and many foals.' .There are in all 1000 horses. The high standard'of the enterprise on Sir Abe Bailey's estate'is having a strong influence on the activities of tho province, generally, and the estate is. acknowledged to bo a great and "useful ob-ject-lesson to . the colonial. farming.. community. '. i .' TEXTIIiOSE. " Textilose, tho new jute substitute • manufactured from paper, yarn, and, .cotton' waste by a German, and firct introduced commercially some months ago, is appar-. ently -making more rapid, progress than was generally anticipated. A- short'time ago tho Austrian Jute Cartel purchased the patent rights for that country, and are about to erect a works for its manufacture. It is now reported that the German Jute Convention aro..negotiating with a. view to acquiring .the German rights. It is Btated also that a Belgian firm are about to take up .the manufacture of the new produce, and will • supply the Dutch market. A French company in Bethel are erecting a small plant ' for producing . the new yarn and piece goods, and a works is being built in Brazil. The only outlet for the now materidl is in the, manufacture of sacks.-but thc Belgian undertaking hope to adapt it 1 to . other purposes for which jute is'at,present employed, though whether their efforts will prove, successful, remains to be seen. .' AUSTRALASIAN GOLD RETURNS. , Tho gold returns for Australia and-New Zealand for the: ten months ended October 311 show an approximate total of 2,187.886 fine ounces, agsjust 2,435.611 fine ounces for the corresponding period'of last year, or a decrease of £247.7250z. The largest individual decrease is that of 86,932. 07,. in New Zealand, while the Commonwealth shows a decrease of, 160,7930z., of. which Western Australia accounts , for 76,5970z., and Victoria for 36,8830z. . Tho total value of the production of. Australia and Now Zealand for tho ten months ia approximately £9,298,M0, ■ or a decrease'of. about £1,053,000. A comparison of the returns for the ten months is given by the . "Argus" as follows:— ' „■ • » < . First 10 months. 1911. 1912. Oz. , '• Oz. Viotoria ... 432.152 395,269 New South Wales ... 152.639'. 137.366 Queensland 314.721 290,681 West Australia ....... 1,136,198' 1,059.501' ' *Sout-h Australia 9.K0 . 6,500 •Tasmania 27,000 22, COO Commonwealth • 2,072,110' 1,911,317 New Zealand 363,501 276,569 ■ Total 2,«5,611 2,187,886 'Approximate. ' THE BUTTER MARKET.; The cmotation for Australasian butter has declined 2s. per cwt. on the week, and Now Zealand descriptions rule at 114s. to 1175., a few lots only making tho higher price. The market is said to be disappointing, but the downward . tendency should, to some cxtout, be checked during the next two or three weeks with \. the Christmas trade. What is going to happen in the New Vcat- is problematical. Wo have heard recently that a considerable quantity of butter is in cold store in London, and & wcok or more a-go It was

stated that retailers were drawing upon these supplies, and that- new arrivals were not clearing. Unless this imported since October 1, it is difficult to see

how. such a state of-affairs came about. The importations during the first, nine months of the year were lighter by 317,681 pwt. The figures are as -under :— '' 1911.' 1912. From— . .. . .Cwt. '-. . Cwt. Victoria 294,818-.' 197,179 .. . ' N.S.W 242,241 157,731 Queensland .' 147,568 , 77,931 .- New Zealand ' ...*. 228,79.4. '276,556 . . 913,421 m 397 ■ Russia ' '. 512,255 " 563,361 Sweden ; 279,060 , 251,490 Denmark' .. 1,341.582, .1,208,125:. . Netherlands 85,536 88,917 ' France .'. 133,747; ' 163,354 United States 15,168 2,596 ■ Argentine. ; 7,747 35,601 Canada 39,611 25 Other countries 44,875 - 37,455 " Total 3,378,002 -3,060,321' ,CUSTOMS. . The Customs duties collected. at the 'port of Wellington on Saturday amounted to £804 10s. lid., the total for the week being £11,083 ss. sd. The returns for each of the past eight-weeks, compared with the figures for the corresponding periods of last, year show as under :— • - 1911. ' ' 1912. > £ £ October 6 34,496 - 15,117 , October 12 11,713 ' .9,988 October 19 8,743 9.340 . October 26 23,99,7 . . 21,738 • ' November 2 22,188 ■ 27,552 November 9 ' 11,324 , 15,689 November 16 17,954 21,392 November 23. . 11,083 10,176 T'T,503~ 130,912: The beer* duty collected for the .week .totalled £320 16s. 6d., as against £368 13s.' 3s. for the corresponding week of last year. :* FEILDINGiMARKET'REPORT. 1 .Messrs. A. H. Atkinson and .Co.',' Ltd.', ■ sold on Friday a large yarding of pigs and poultry, and report good values right through. Quotations:—Suckers and weaner pigs, 7s. 6d., 10s., Us., 12s:, 145.; slips,' 13s. to 15s. 6d.; stores, 17s. to 245.; porkers; 255., 285., 30s„ 315.; sows, £2 12s. 6d.; dogß, 10s., '.Us., 13s. 6d.; hacks, to £4,105. , Poultry: Hens, 35., 3s. 6d., 45., '4s. 6d.; pullets, Eg. 3d., 65.;, hen and'chicks, Es. 6d.; Toostere, 35., 4s. 6d., Bs.; pigeons, .ls.jto, 25.; ducks, 4b. 3d. ! , 4s. 6d.; turkey hens, 10s.: purebred White Leghorn chicks, 2s. 6d.; White I/eghorn pullets," 6s. 6d., 6s. 9d., 7s. 6d.; purerbred rooster, lfev; Hamburg, 6s. 3d.; wheat, 45.; damaged peas,' 2s. . 6d.; new potatoes, 2d. per lb. , .- . GRAIN AND PRODUCE.' ; (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) ■ Oamaru,' November '24..' The wheat: market .is «low. Although there is a. fair quantity' offering there is a: marked difference between buyers and sellers as to values. A line of velvet 6old at 3s. 8d„ less commission, at .a country station, and for- smaller: lote 3s. 7Jd. net on tracks is reported. Good red Tuscan has been sold at' 3s. 6d. net at a. country station.. . The values of oats are, well, sustained, but-sales are small. 'A line of "A" grade Gartons changed hands at'. 2s. Id.. net at a country, station, and another ,at 2s. Id., less commission. '"B" grade; sells at a. penny lo3s. .'No business has been done in other descriptions,of produce. ■ ... WOOL SALES. . 7 ' V .-Napier, November 23. . .. It is- expected there will be -over- twelve • thousand bales catalogued for-the .opening wool sales of the 'season.- Consignments, are pouring in from all directions, one train yesterday bringing. about 800 bales. The wool is' reported to be in exceptionally, line'condition, and in view .of the buoyant state of the market good prices are looked for. '. • LONDON MARKETS. .... Messrs. Mellsop, Eliott, and-Co,.' agents for Gilbert Anderson and Co., London, report, under • date October 18, as follows :— Meat market: The prominent feature in the meat',trade is the very large increase in supplies -of fresh -meat, British .bred.: Theweeks ended September 28 shows an increase over the corresponding weeks of last year of 322 tons, October-5 522 tons, October. 12 747 tons. This great increase is mainly owing to large, quantities of cattle, sheep, and lambs killed in Ireland and sent to London as dead meat, through the restrictions .caused' by foot and month disease outbreak. Tho demand for frozen meat, therefore, .suffers to a very, considerable extent. Home-g'rown: Beef, 4}d. to 7Jd.; mutton,-sd. to 7d.: tegs, 53d. to 7}d.; ewes,. 4d. to 4£d. (Dutch mutton, sd. to Sid.). Lambs, sd. to 7>d.; Scotch hill lambs, 5Jd. to 6Jd.; Irish, sd. to 6d. (Dutch, 6d. to 65d.); .porlt, 7-id. to Bid.; veal, 6Jd. to. Bd.' Chilled beef: Fores, 2Jd."; binds,. 4Jd. 'Frozen beef:Now Zealand fores, 23d.; hinds, 35d.;:Australian, 23d. and 3 3-Bd.; River Plate, 28d. and 3ld. Frozen mutton: Southland and best New Zealarids, 4 3-Bd.; ordinary, .4, 5-16 d.; owes, 53d.; Australian, 4d.; Plates, 4d. Frozen lambs: Canterbury, .under 36 53d.-, 36-42 53d., 42-50 5d.; Southland and best New Zealand, 5" 3-Bd.;- ordinary, 5 5-16 d.;. Australian and Plate, nil. :. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Rec. November 2A', 5.5 p.m.), .'. London, November 23. Wheat.—The market is easier on the strength of finer weather in Argentina and the pressure of sales from Russia; 365.. 9d. is asked, for Australian, FebruaTy-March shipment, 375. for January-February shipment. ■ . . ' Ilemp—The market' is dull;- JanuaryMarch shipment, £32 10s. per ton. Cotton—The . Liverpool quotation - for. American middling cotton,; November-De-cember shipment, is 6.64Jd. per lb.'- . Copra.—The mArket is quiet.: South Sea, bagged, £25 10s. per ton.: . . ; . Rubber.—Fine hard Para rubber is quoted at 4s. 43d. per lb. Galvauised-iron.—First brands, £18 per ton; second brands, £15 10s. (Es. down sin<3 October 12). - - • Tin-plates.—l:o. coke, 15s. 4Jd. (3d. down since October 12); 1.0. charcoal,, 166. 4sd. (also 3d. down since October 12). ' • Fencing wire, 1655. per ton. ; Wire-netting, 55 per cent, and 5 per cent, off'list, as compared with. 521- per cent, and 25 to- 5 per cent-, off list on October 12. Cement-.—English, 3d. higher at 55.. lid. per cask; German, Id. lower at ss. 2d. ANTWERP. WOOL SALES. (Rec. November 24, 5.5 p.m.) •: London, November 23,At the Antwerp sales there was jood competition, with all round advances. Merinos: were.'s to 7J per cent, higher, and orossbreds up to 10 per cent.;. 1767 bales of La Plata wool were offered, and 1444 sold. Messrs. Murray, Roberts, and Co.. Ltd.. have this morning (November 23) .received a cablegram from their London friends, Messrs.. Sanderson, Murray, and Co., as follows':'—"Wool market vory firm; tops, quotation advanced: one halfpenny during the last week; prospects seem very encouraging." Italian newspapers state that the war in Tripoli "cannot havo oost Italy less than 800,000,000 lire" (£32,000,000). . .