COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1643, 9 January 1913, Page 10

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES, The investment market is beginning to ehow some activity. I'iie transactions recorded yesterday wore Weetport. Coal, at' 27a„ and Tairingamutu Totara, at 455. The flotations were as under:— •Buyers. Sellers. JE s. d. £ s. d Eqi/i table Building - — 9 15 0 N.Z. Loan and Mercantile 0 8 3- — N.Z. and Itiver Plate ... 2 1 I) — , Well. Investment 0110 Oil' 6 Well. Trust and Loan ... — . 7.10-0 FcUding Gas — 10 3 Napier Gaa (£10) — 21 10 0 l'almerston N. Gas 8 15 0 . — N.Z. Insurance 4 15 0. S.B. Insurance .'. ■ — : 3 14 0 Standard Insurance 1 11 ;9 — Gear Meat («) - : 1213 0 Meat Export (£4) ...; — 5 0 0 Meat Export (525. 6d.) — . 2 18 0 N.Z. Shipping N 14 0 0 — Union Steam — . 2 6 0 Kaiapoi' Woollen — 5 5 0 Well. Woollen (ord.) 3 15 0 Well. Woollen (prof.) 2 16 9. Wcstport Coal ; 17 0. 17 3 Tariiigamutui Totara 2 4 6. 2 6 0 Golden Bay Cement — 11,0 N.Z. Drug - 2 10 0' Slinrlanci's ordinary — 110 W.P.C.A • -- 7 5 0 PRICE COMPARISON. Taking the prices furnished for produce In the High last cable message with thoec of a year ago. we get the following:Jan. 4. Jan. 6. 1913. . 1912. Mutton. Canterbury — <3 •Mutton, North Island <i 41 Lamb, .CwiUxbttry .' 5? - .

Beef, N.Z. liincfo 33 3J 1 ■ Beef, N.Z. fores "...: 3J ■ U .- .1 . N.Z. butter .- 119s. 1345. i Australian butter :.. 113s. . 131s. •vN,Z; cheese, white '.;. 61s. 735. N.Z. elieese,-coloured ......... .625. —. . N.Z. hemp, on spot £33' ■£21 ss. ' N.Z. hemp, fair grade £31; £2010 a. Both butter and cheeEO are lower, but frozen moat and hemp are higher, especially tho latter. • 1 Customs dutio3 collected at.'the''port of • ■Wellington yesterday' amounted-, to £2878 12a. 7d, . RECORD WOOL OFFERINGS. ; .. _ '•i;' - (By Telegraph.—Press Associuti ra'.V ■ , ' Napier, January 8.. The individual offering of 7Cf bales at the; Gliristchuj'ch wool; sales' is''very far from' betoy a Dominion record,, as claimed. Five or: six years ago Dalgety's put up 8100;' in' Wellington this week they offer' 7595, and at laet Friday's' Napier sale the . Farmers' Association auctioned '7170. Wright and Stevenson, Dunedin, also topped seven thousand, }) ■ .'■ - . CXION BANK DIVIDEND. By Telejrranh—Pres3 At, sue. I.it ton—Co Dyrl Kilt v /London, January 7. The Union Bank has declared a dividend of 10 : per cent, and a bonus of 2 per .cent. A sum -of £50,000 has 'been jploped. to- tho reserve fund, and £43,348, carried' forward.. BANK SHAKES AND DEBENTURES.. London, January 7. Bank of Australasia, buyers £119, Ecllens £121.-' » :i /.. ' V-" -. ißank. of •''Now>. South \Wales, .buyers. £39, sellere • £41: .—' V,'- . Bank, of Victoria,, buyers £4 5e., sellers £4 15s.■'< •'Union .-Bank. of Australia, '.buyers £58 lOs.i • sollers £59 ( 10s.National'ißank buyers £4 : 15s.', sellers £5. .. . . : ' ■ National' Bank of New Zealand, buyers £5'105., sellers £6." i' ;.'' ... 1 Bank of Neiv Zealand, buyers £11 10s., sellers £12 10s. . " w v -, • i;" / Bank of New Zealand 4 per cent, guar'ant.eed stock, £98. .. •». : New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency 4.ner cents... £99. . City of l JfelboUrne. 4 per cent., £98. •Melbourne .Harbour per cent, bonds, £97. . Jfelbourne Tramway Trust,. 4J per cent, debentures,. £99."" .' ■ ;' , ' , . Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Work 6, 4, per cent, debentures,'-£99. , t ' i ,' ■/ BRITISH TR'SDE;.HI?rUB'N3;"' i ' i , London; Jauuolry 7. ' The Board of Trade, returns for December show that import® to tho United-King-dom increased by., £9;i30,811, exports by £2,887,159, "and re-exports by. . i ;'' ■ ' ' WHEAT.'" "' v' (Rec. .'January 8,'11,10, l>,.in.) '. .. London,- January 8. !ft;Wli?at cargoes "are"',being held Ipeiiefc advance. Fouri,Australian .carKoes 1 have.been sold ;at:from;37s; 3d.,t0 ,38s. 6d." ' The. Amerifan' visible supply of wheat cast of the Rockits -13 •"estimated by' Bradstreets to' total b,U'|he]a. , '•' ' THE, METAD . MARKETS.. 1' (Rec. January 8, •• ' , London, January 8. .Copper.—On - spot,, £76^25. l f;d. 'pcr ton; three months','£76 15s. per ton. Tin.—On, spot, £229. per ton; three months,. £228', 10s. per ton.' ' ' \ Wolfram, £31 per ton. , ' ■ l ' SILVER.. ' ' : ■ . , London, January 7. i Uar silver is quoted at 29! 3-Sd. per ounce standard. .... BRITISH-NEW ZEALAND MEAT '.v COMPANY. V;.,'';: ' THE ANNUAL MEETING, i. - f (By Telegraph—Press'.'Association.) ; ' . .'"V..:.- Chrlstohurch,- January 8. At : the annual meeting of the British-New Zcuand "meat Oo„. tno directors" reoomniend3d paym : ent of a dividend at the rato. of 6 per cent., and to carryforward £432. In moving',the adoption' of tho report Mr. ,M. Corbeil. (the chair:;:an) said;."lt is tho first year since' the company' was estoblisnci -that tho • abnormally , high prices ruling, for fat stock throughout the Dominion' militated against our obtaining consignments.' . This, of oourse; ■- greatly reduced our income,' and a,'disastrous" Gtrike, which , materially affected our contracts, was another unexpected occurrence. You will remember, that in consqiibnce of IJie strike the price;of all" meat'" was .'at an .abnormally' high -flgure ; for some weeks. This meant, heavy, loss upon, all contracts r.nd in many other. directions. -The :meat trado was. 60 thoroughly disorganised that it meartt a lobs in nearly all our . departments,.of; business." , . ; ,' : ' '■ ■ Referring to the' meat market, ho.' Temarked: "There'.can bo no doubt, that, flocks are decreasing in tho various sheep oountries of the world, co much so, that if the reduction continues in the same ratio as during. the iast thirty years, it becomes a matter of importance, ; because it is coually certain that the population is increasing, and new countries are demanding raw ir.atorial or woollen goods 'that' hitherto have not been required by them. Notably just now stands out-very .prominently Japan, which ' ten ' years' ago spent only••.'flO.OCO upon tho purchase of wool, while last .year her purchases amounted to £7<OiOOO. Under these circumstances every-1 thing points to high prices for both wool and meat, and eheopowners' prospects were never bettor."- . • • . ■ ' ; Speaking of the ouality of the meat, lie, raid: "It is a matter for. regret that during the late season—l am not reforrine to Oanterbury in particular—there has been ■ tot)' muclivinferior meat 'shipped, -and if this is persisted in New Zealand meat will ran bo placed on, n par with that of the ''Argentine It ; is difficult-to believe that lamis - ©i<?ht and nine months old, averacintc only a little over 201b weight, have passed .freezing works and; been shipped to the West of. England porta. -This, I. amcredibly informed, has been tho case. Undoubtedly ready sa.le for' any. low > class c-.ninndity can be found in' England, but the shipment of such ' inferior meat is profitable to no one. and it would pay tho eroivor bettor to keep it upon his farm nnd let Australia, and Argentina. cater for this business" . : • The' report and baJance-alieot were adoptod.